Best cabaret act ever? Kylie Minogue and Rufus Wainwright onstage, selling it in the Hamptons.

And you thought your weekend was gay!

Kylie Minoque and Rufus Wainwright teamed up onstage this past Saturday night in Watermill in the Hamptons (that’s out on swanky Long Island, NY) for an artsy benefit, and the results were pretty darn festive.

I’m afraid you’ll have to endure some low-quality YouTube videos to get a sampling of the sass they served, but they teamed up for versions of some of Kylie’s best gems, including “All the Lovers,” “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”, the 70s classic “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, a really fab take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein Carousel classic “If I Loved You” (which Wainwright aptly dubbed a “perfect duet for a gay guy and straight girl”) and an especially bluesy version of “Locomotion.”

Watch a full, very grainy version of “Locomotion” or a better-quality snippet of part of the song.

Awwww… How cute are they?

Get spastic & Dragtastic with (from left) Pandora Boxx, Bianca Del Rio, Hedda Lettuce, Harmonica Sunbeam and Kelly Mantle. She-hawwww!

Hey Queen: What are you doing on Tuesday, August 31st? If you’re lucky, you’re going to be hightailing it to New York City’s Bowery Ballroom for the taping of a big splashy Dragtastic NY Comedy Special!

Hosting the gig will be that sparkly beacon of wit and wackitude, Pandora Boxx. And performing standup for the merry masses will be some of dragdom’s sharpest she-comics: Get ready for Hedda Lettuce, Bianca Del Rio, Kelly Mantle and the vivacious Harmonica Sunbeam. They’re NYC’s finest! (Pssst: The special will air on Logo sometime in January 2011.)

And to win tickets, simply leave a comment on this post!!! You’ve got from now (Friday, August 20th) until 12noon ET on Thursday, August 26th to post an eligible comment. And make it sassy while you’re at it!!!

Get more details after the jump!

Three winners will receives 2 tickets each to the Dragtastic stand-up taping, but transportation to NYC or the venue is not included in the prize. (You gotta buy your own Metrocard or hail the taxi all by yourself!) Winners will be randomly selected on August 27th and contacted via their Twitter account, or via the email address you enter when posting your comment.

You must be a U.S. resident and at least 21 years old to enter. Only one comment per person. Read all the rules here!

Good luck, Queens!!!!!

P.S. Need a silly joke about drag queens, $$$$ and balls? Click it!!!

“Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” which over the last few weeks has been like the gay’s Millenium Trilogy in terms of casting anticipation, has finally announced their final principal member!!

After the all-star Broadway musical dream-team of Laura Benanti, Patti LuPone, Sherie Rene Scott, and Brian Stokes Mitchell, the last cast member was sure not to disappoint!! …

Holy From Justin To Kelly, it’s Justin Guarini.

Guarini will be playing the son of Patti LuPone and Brian Stokes Mitchell’s characters that was played in the movie by Antonio Banderas. Let’s celebrate with a little Bounce! Shall We?

the bounce
Uploaded by LornaAlba. – Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

See Jeffery & Cole Casserole Live this Friday!

I know it’s only Thursday, but since it’s now the second-half of August, Thursdays are like Fridays! The office is quiet and everybody wants to go to the beach, or the park… Or just sit at a sidewalk table or on a patio with a cold beverage. Or dance!

So if you happen to be in NYC, here are a handful of suggestions of how to enjoy the next few days.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19TH

John Cameron Mitchell oversees the monthly magic at Mattachine; photos by Mark Tusk/FlaneurFoto.

The monthly Mattachine party, hosted by actor/director/artiste John Cameron Mitchell has been packing in the hip/hippie/hunky homos to the West Village’s landmark gay watering hole Julius for the past couple of years. GO! You’ll see scruffy lads, gay notables and fun folks galore. Julius is at 159 W. 10th Street at Waverly Place. And don’t eat beforehand. Julius cooks up amazing burgers! From about 10pm on.

“Timberlina” loves P*ssy F*ggot!

Downtown scene curator Earl Dax brings back this night of arty performance and boozy shenanigans at the Manhattan-side of the Williamsburg Bridge. Come! Drink! Spectate! Go home with a performance artist! 168 Delancey St btwn Attorney/Clinton Sts. Open vodka bar from 9-10pm; madness following. Visit their site!

More mad weekendy antics listed after the jump!!!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 20TH

Escola and Self, Live and in person!

JEFFERY & COLE CASSEROLE LIVE at Joe’s Pub

Jeffery and Cole are Logo TV stars. But trust me, they’re amaaaaaaazing (and even cuter and more sick/twisted) live. It’s variety show meets sketch comedy meets truth-or-dare at a karaoke party. Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St btwn Astor Place & E. 4th St. 11:30pm. $15, plus 2-drink minimum.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 21ST

This one’s less of a show/party, but if you’re out at the beach and want to go to a midday party full of sporty gay swimmers, friendly kayakers and other homo do-gooders, hit up the Finish Line Party for the 2nd Annual Stonewall Swim fundraiser event.

Earlier Saturday morning, about 50 swimmers will splash their way across the Great South Bay from Sayville, Long Island to Fire Island Pines (3.5 miles!) to raise $$$$ for the Stonewall Community Foundation. Come to the Finish Line party and celebrate! Get tickets ($50 donation) and info at StonewallFoundation.org. The open bar party runs from around 10am-2pm at 517 Porgie Walk, Fire Island Pines. Now, who wants a Bloody Mary?

Mel Cheren was the co-founder of the legendary Paradise Garage club. And he was a longtime AIDS activist and music mogul. To celebrate his legacy, come kiki and prance to the classic sounds of DJs Jellybean Benitez, Tony Humphries, David Depino and Joey Llanos. All legends, all amazing. You will be liiiiiiiiiiiving. Proceeds benefit LIFEbeat, AREA and GMHC. Santos Party House, from 11pm; Tickets $30 at door, $20 advance.

Children, it’s gonna get severe up in here with GMHC presents the 20th House of Latex Ball. Voguing! Battles! And killer queens and legends competing in scores of categories all night long. Categories boasts stunning titles like “Sadistic Beauty,” “Anna Wintour’s Bitch,” “Head to Toe Big Girl Ovahness” and Butch Queen realness galore. You will die. You will live. ‘Nuff said.
Roseland Ballroom, 239 W. 52nd St; $20. Doors at 7pm.

Yes, the Latex Ball will present a bit of THIS.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 22ND

Scruff enuff: Chromeo.

CHROMEO at East River State Park

I’ve always had a crush on Chromeo’s frontman Dave1, but he’s not just a tall, gangly sexy-nerd straight boy. He and his musical partner P-Thugg create thumpy, sexy, melodic electropop that’s both smart and swervy. Go see them down by the river in Williamsburg and gyrate it out.
East River State Park, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; from 2pm, with opening acts The Suzan and Telephoned. FREE!!!

Part of the big NYC Fringe Fest, his musical about love and friendship (and panty raids?) at summer camp serves up just the right about of humor, lovesick sass, romance and coming-of-age drama to get you nostalgic for sleeping in bunk beds and swatting at mosquitors ’round the campfire. It’s already had a few well-received performances, and there are only a couple left so… Hurry!!!
BUNKED! A Musical, Sunday at 8pm at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, Christopher Street. Get tickets!

“Keep Your Baggage With You At All Times” is being put on as part of Theater For The New City’s brand new “DreamUp Festival” to support new works. The play, told in seven scenes, follows the course of two men’s relationship over several years. But the only course I was interested in was DISH.

Driving Miss Daisy sounds great, but how are they gonna do the car?? How marketable really are singing nuns? These good people helped me answer these questions and more.

Lollapaloozing can be exahusting! Hey… There were hammocks??? Niiiiiice. Photo via Flickr/MJanicki.

Filed on Sunday night, August 8, approximately 1:30am.

The last day of Lollapalooza 2010 felt like the last leg of a race. After two days of music and the worst heat we’ve had all weekend, getting around Grant Park on Sunday was a bit taxing.

At a friends recommendation I headed over to Mumford & Sons at PlayStation, and turned right around to catch New Yorkers Yeasayer at the Budweiser Stage an hour later. They played “O.N.E.” and “Ambling Alp” to get everyone dancing. Their energetic music got me going, but aside from the shows at Perry’s, I didn’t find a extremely lively audience anywhere after them. Yeasayer gave a shout out to their “pasty Jews and pasty Irish”, advising them to wear sunscreen (they must have read my first post recapping Friday).

Yeasayer induces folks to bop around. See? Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

Erykah Badu: Looking fierce, but sounding… meh. Photo by Rich Sancho/MTV News.

I split my time between Erykah Badu and Scots Frightened Rabbit, who were the funniest act I encountered this weekend. With quirky comments like their song “Swim Until You Can’t See Land” was inspired by off-beat indie films like The Wackness “with one of those Olsen twins” and not sure whether their song ”The Wrestle” was about “getting eaten by a shark or about getting f*cked”. Erykah Badu, on the other hand, was a disappointment. With her allotted hour, she started fifteen minutes late. Took a long break, came back, sang again, and then finished her set early.

The hairy Wolfmother crew, as viewed from the stage, via the big-screen. Meta! Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

Flosstradamus brings some drama. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

Wolfmother, who I’ve seen open for The Killers (Summer 2009, Jones Beach) performed a tight set. I was disappointed by their turnout at Parkways Stage. At least this meant more room for people to mosh and bang their heads. I was wondering why I didn’t check out a bit of MGMT with everyone else but it didn’t matter, because when I arrived at Perry’s Stage to a Flosstradamus remix of MGMT’s “Kids” it erased my doubt. Later, Perry’s transitioned well into Felix Da Housecat, who gave an awesome mix, but didn’t play his “Ready 2 Wear”.

Felix Da Housecat. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

I grabbed a Judas Priest Burger from Kuma’s Corner, one of Chicago’s music themed restaurants, featured at this year’s Chow Town, and headed back down Columbus for the fifth time to check out the beginnings of The Arcade Fire. Probably one of the best bands out there (or at least from Canada), and I feel their new album keeps them in that firmament, but their slow rhythms weren’t going to send me out of Lollapalooza on the right note. I headed back across Columbus to Perry’s, and caught the end of Digitalism. I danced until the end, and said good-bye to Lolla and the beautiful Chicago skyline.

You want that Judas Priest burger with or without the Rob Halford special sauce? Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

The line-up this year was awesome. I thought last year couldn’t be beat with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Santigold, Lykke Li, Lou Reed (even though he was a grump), MSTRKRFT, Boys Noize, Band of Horses, Kings of Leon and Deadmau5, amongst many others, but they managed to out-do themselves this year. The only true disappointment this weekend was the scheduling. I know the weekend could have been better if Lady Gaga and Soundgarden played opposite, separating a generational difference in music, instead of Gaga and The Strokes, which seemed to be a major conflict for people. I overheard people talking about schedule conflicts all weekend, wishing they had gone to one show instead of the other. Also, perhaps The Arcade Fire and Green Day could have switched, so Phoenix sent us out? Just a suggestion, but I’m just one of 90,000.

Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell on Sunday night. Photo by Rich Sancho/MTV News.

Other bands that played today were The Temper Trap (you know them from the popular soundtrack for 500 Days of Summer), Cypress Hill, The National, The newno2, and Mutemath.

Trust me, that’s the Arcade Fire blowing up the stage. I swear! Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

I have to give major props to the management at Parkways Foundation, the organizers of this event. However much money and manpower is spent to keep such a large, exciting music festival machine going for three days probably can’t be measured, and I want to send a shout out and thanks to all their hard work.

I hope you guys had a great weekend. I hope you heard new artists, fell in love again with music you’ve missed, talked about the shows whether you liked them or not, danced your ass off, shouted lyrics even if you didn’t know them, and nudged the assh*les who rudely made their way to the front like I did.

Adios and good night, Lollapalooza 2010. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

I hope to see you all next year!

Read coverage and check out pics from Lollapalooza Day One and Day Two, too!

Emily Haines of Metric bangs it out on day two of Lollapalooza in Chicago. Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Redferns/Getty Images; via MTV.com.

Filed Saturday night, August 7th, approximately 1am.

The second day of Lollapalooza 2010 played out more like the last day of a music festival. The line-up could not be beat: Rogue Wave, Blues Traveler, Stars, The Verve Pipe, The xx, Grizzly Bear, Deer Tick, Metric, Spoon, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Kaskade, Slightly Stoopid, Cut Copy, Green Day (who I only heard exiting Grant Park and thankfully they were playing a cover of The Isley Brother’s “Shout” and not one of their own songs), Phoenix and Empire of the Sun.

This amazing list of bands (and I’ve omitted about ten more) drew in a lot more than Friday’s 80,000. And with a high of 85 degrees and a very light breeze everyone was a sweaty hot mess.

The day started with the light-hearted, and sometimes broken-hearted, Stars (I recommend “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” or “Set Yourself on Fire”) and continued on with the smooth guitar strums from The xx, who played all the goodies.

Romy of the xx; she looks somber but damn, she’s good. Photo via Getty Images.

Lollapalooza = grass, sun, beer, hipsters, music.

I thank the schedulers of Lollapalooza for basically making the Budweiser and PlayStation stage area the place to be today. We didn’t have to move very far to see our favorites. Within four hours we could bounce from Stars to The xx to Grizzly Bear and back to Metric. We moved on to the Bloggie Stage the last bit of Deer Tick—just in time to see lead singer John McCauley spit up his beer and invite us to “swim in the pool at the Hilton after the show”

Yup, he’s spewing beer. Onstage. Just for you. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

I had to decline because I needed to jump around with the happy pappy Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. They opened with “40 Day Dream” and kept the energy and positivity chugging (pun intended) right along and EVERYONE was chanting them “Home”. I love their Emerald City, background by the way. Also, I JUST noticed that their accordion/keyboard player is Nora Kirkpatrick aka the dry, OCD Katherine from TV’s Greek (yes, I watch “Greek”, judge away). How versatile! Accordion and comedy!

The Magnetic Zeros toss their own little onstage hootenanny. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

When the sun was high, bodies were sweaty, and you can tell the energy level of the crowds at each show were waning. Luckily, silly girls, like the one pictured, were spraying people off with their squirt bottles. Or those with body glitter were taking advantage of the stickiness and sprinkling glitter all over everyone.

Spritz THIS, bitches!!!! Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

Summer ‘10 is all about the sticky glitter. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

Eat it! Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

I also got to sample more foods today than I did yesterday. Instead of the usual hot dog or hamburger I tried some amazing pork buns from Sunda (located at Chow Town North) and some simple beef tacos from Salud Tequila Lounge (also Chow Town North). Both were mildly inexpensive, but hey, it’s so easy to price gauge at a music festival. I’ve noticed that beer and other alcohol has increased by about $3-$4 this year alone. Can’t wait to see what they have in store next year.

A beautiful sunset coincided with Phoenix’s “Countdown (Sick for the Big Sun)” and “Love Like a Sunset”—which had an awesome red light show. I saw Phoenix in Fall 2009 at Central Park with Passion Pit (why aren’t they here!?!) and I knew they were going to put on a great show. Their set was pretty much the same, but I was very pleased to see them play some more songs from It’s Never Been Like That, their third album (though they didn’t play my favorite “One Time Too Many”).

Phoenix’s Laurent Brancowitz on Saturday night. Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Redferns/Getty Images, via MTV.com.

Phoenix serves it. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

I caught the end of Empire of the Sun, who put on an amazing light show as well. Their costumes were so cool I was truly inspired for this Fall’s Halloween. They played “We are the People”, “Standing on the Shore” and ended the night perfectly with “Walking on a Dream”. Check out more killer photos of their fantastic show.

The glow and blurry amazingness that was Empire of the Sun. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

Now off to some after-partying and the anticipation of The Arcade Fire on Sunday.

Check out Friday’s Lollapalooza wrap-up for all the Lady Gaga madness, too!

Night falls on Lollapalooza 2010, Day One. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

A lot of people ask me what Lollapalooza is and I say it’s simply a good time. Formerly a road show that is now anchored in Chicago, every year promises a good time. This year is no different. A festival with a line-up to rival any other, lasting three days, you will come across mud, a green man at every show, and die hard music fans.

Lollapalooza runs the gamut of music genres; there is something for everyone. From grunge (one of this year’s headliners is Soundgarden), pop (Lady Gaga—who has created her own niche in the pop spectrum) to mainstream pop/hip-hop/R&B (hey, B.o.B., how ya doin?). It’s three days of indiscriminate musical pleasure.

Friday was Day 1 of the Festival. And what a kick-off it was! Headliners for the night were Lady Gaga and The Strokes, who have come back, after a break from touring and recording.

Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Redferns/Getty Images; via MTV.com.

Yesterday, you could have seen The Wavves, B.o.B. (You know him and his “Airplanes.”), Montreal-born sensation Tiga, Brooklynites Matt & Kim, synthpoppers Hot Chip, and even Devo, who have made a 21st century comeback with their new album “Something for Everyone”—a subtitle that Lollapalooza should tack on. Whip it good!

Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh on Friday. Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Redferns/Getty Images; via MTV.com.

The structure of the festival is sadly indicative status; those performing earlier in the day have sold less records than those who headline, but that doesn’t stop over 80,000 people from coming out at 11 in the morning.

Raphael Saadiq, relegated to a 2:00 p.m. performance time, is a modern-day throwback to Motown. He strutted his stuff, and delighted his audience with his own brand of gospel and 60’s-infused grooves. Check out “Just One Kiss” featuring Joss Stone, or go back to his earlier days of Tony! Toni! Toné!

Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

Rock-band The Black Keys started the evening on the Budweiser stage. We banged our heads to “Tighten Up”, “Next Girl” (with the great lyric “Oh my next girl
will be nothing like my ex girl”), and “She’s Long Gone”. Chromeo got us dancing on the Adidas Stage with “Fancy Footwork”, “Momma’s Boy”, and “100%”. Not to mention swinging our hips in time with their Robert Palmer-esque back-up dancers “The Chromettes”.

Chromeo onstage. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

Then, the big event: LADY GAGA. The Monster Ball has arrived in Chi-Town and the RSVP list consisted of thousands. The audience was mixed: those interested in seeing what the hype was all about, the Little Monsters themselves, and those who just love her catchy hooks (Can you get “Alejandro” out of your head?). I’ve only heard buzz of the show she puts on: Costume changes, large sets (Have you met the actual Fame Monster?), and speeches motivating the audience to fly their freak flag.

Lady Gaga onstage at Lollapalooza. Photo by Sam Hendrick/MTV News, via MTV.com.

She didn’t just perform. Lady Gaga also got wild and crowd surfed with Semi Precious Weapons during their set on Friday. Photo by Bronques at Last Nights Party; via MTV.com.

Many at Lollapalooza begged her to stop talking and sing her songs, others fist pumped and belted out her songs like the anthems that they are. The costume changes and long-winded diatribes are totally worth sitting through just to dance and have a good time. Especially when her speeches consist of her memories of “being teased in high school” (which she repeated one time too many), likening her 2007 Lollapalooza performance to a “train wreck”, or reminiscing of “the days [she] wishes [she] was that bitch up on stage.” She started with “Just Dance” and encored with “Bad Romance” with all her No. 1 hits in between, and introducing a new song, “You and I” from her upcoming album, and it was the perfect start to weekend of awesome music.

Lady Gaga, viewed from the Lollapalooza masses. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

If you are at Lollapalooza and reading this, two pieces of advice: Wear sunscreen and watch out for those puddles of mud.

Lollapalooza 2010: You are here. Photo by Ryan Fogarty.

The Chicago Tribune has an extensive write-up and video from yesterday’s Lolla-shenanigans! Check back with us tomorrow for a recap of Saturday’s sweaty madness.

This week on Logo Drama Club we ran over to a rehearsal for the upcoming Fringe musical Bunked! The new musical, which centers around a number of adolescent experiences (some steamy) at summer camp, will be playing at the Lucille Lortel theater during the festival. Buddy Check!

Since Bunked! is all about Camp Drama we raised the stakes a bit, and pit cast member against cast member in a fierce, Friendship Sticks crafting competition. Which, as you can see, is an actual craft. You CAN try this at home. To find out more about the brand new musical go to http://bunkedthemusical.com.

Phew. My Drama Club legs are EXHAUSTED. This week, I met up with the cast of Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party at their rehearsal studio uptown. They told me all about their new off-Broadway show, AND they were kind enough to do so in a group huddle.

Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party is coming to NYC this summer after making a big splash at last year’s fringe, and a run in San Francisco. The play is told in three acts, which the audience decides the order of, and centers around a teacher going on trial for challenging her school’s curriculum.

The Lincolns not only taught me a sassy dance from the show, but also inducted me as an honorary “Gaybe” at the end of the interview. It’s always refreshing to get the chance to trade buttons. Check it out, and find out more info on the show at http://abrahamlincolnsbiggaydanceparty.com.