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Team Gina Reproduces the 80’s

If you lived through the 1980s, liked leg warmers or shoulder pads, be warned: you could have a faux-hawk flashback when the Seattle duo Team Gina comes back to Georgia just after Atlanta Pride. Gina Bling and Gina Genius, the sum total of Team Gina, will come through the South on their “Product of the 80s” tour, in support of their new album of the same name released on June 17.

The Products of the Eighties Tour will be at Little King’s Shuffle Club in Athens, Ga. on July 8 and at Mary’s in East Atlanta on July 9. I first saw the Ginas perform at MondoHomo 2007, and caught such a fever that I had to dig out my old sweatbands. Their previous album, Gina Gina Revolution, features tunes with such catchy lyrics as: “Straight Boys Love Us (But We Like the Girls),” and “I like butch dykes.”

IMHO, the Ginas are both Bling and Genius. Part camp, part rap, part high school cheerleader, part 80s hair band, this team is not your typical lesbian music duo. Team Gina will really take you back, playfully remind you of all the fun we had during the Reagan years, and bring out your inner Flashdancer. As Gina Bling might say, the Team Gina experience is “a total Landsberry.” If you’re not hip to the latest Gina Slang, you’ll just have to go to the show in Athens or Atlanta and ask them yourselves.

If you’ve never had the Team Gina experience, get a glimpse in their latest video:

For more info on Team Gina and the Products of the 80s Tour, visit Gina Bling and Gina Genius on myspace at myspace.com/teamgina. You’ll find other cities and show dates there for their nationwide tour.

Gina Bling was just in Atlanta to MC a show at MondoHomo 2008. She is looking good, and it only made my baby dyke crush worse. Ah, to be young again. Like I was in the 80s.

MondoHomo Chock Full O’ Great Music

MondoHomo’s Chock Full O’ Nuts concert at Lenny’s was chock full ‘o fun. Bigg Nugg made a return appearance this year. A genuinely nice bear of a guy, Bigg Nugg’s homo hop is as contagious as his friendly approach to his fellow MondoHomies. His album La Revolucion (2007) is full o’ catchy rants that seem to spur us to action. The title track talks of a gay revolution that seems both in-your-face angry and uplifting. It’s an interesting mix. The track I Remember is one of those songs that took me days to get out of my head. If I could stop playing it several times a day, that might help.

After seeing Bigg Nugg at MondoHomo 2007, I had befriended him on myspace. I remember getting a thank you that struck me as written by Bigg Nugg directly — canned “marketing” by an agent or manager does not usually seem that genuine and gracious. His comment to me on myspace was the same as his autograph on the La Revolucion CD I bought at MondoHomo 2008: “Thanks for the support.” Bigg Nugg’s second thank-you was punctuated with a genuinely warm hug and smile. I like this guy, and his music.

Also performing at Lenny’s was DaLyrical, Atlanta’s own HomoHopper. I first saw her perform at Black Pride a couple of years ago. She struck me then as very talented onstage and almost painfully shy offstage. A couple of years later, she seems to be growing into the increasing attention. I did not have the chance to talk with her offstage, but her onstage performance was more connected and more confident that I remembered. DaLyrical is getting sexier, and her performance with Ohio’s Unecc got many of us hot from more than the Atlanta spring heat. Before her performance, DaLyrical shared that family tragedy had her distracted, but she put aside personal worries and gave the MondoHomo crowd all she had.

If you missed MondoHomo, you still have a chance to experience the triple threat of Bigg Nugg, DaLyrical and Unecc. They are touring together in a Unity Tour this year. Keep an eye on the Unity Tour ‘08 schedule so you won’t miss the chance to experience these talents in a city near you. With luck, maybe they’ll warm up Hotlanta again.

MondoHomo ‘08 > HomoHop

Photos from Friday night’s MondoHomo HomoHop concert at Lenny’s Bar.

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Team Gina's Gina Bling

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Kin

MondoHomos Meet at Mary’s

MondoHomo Dirty South ‘08 got off to a great start last night. The Homo-a-rama Dance Party at Mary’s in East Atlanta immediately followed the art opening at the Tilt Gallery downtown. Many of the artists and musicians performing at the event appeared at Mary’s for some social time with the MondoHomo team, other artists and the rest of us. When I woke up this morning still feeling a little tipsy, I knew MondoHomo was definitely underway.

I asked Kiki, one of the organizers of the alterna-queer arts and music festival, about her expectations for MondoHomo v. 2. Kiki says she anticipates an increase in attendance this year, and hopes it will continue to grow in popularity, scope and impact every year.

The first MondoHomo last year was held the weekend after Atlanta Pride. But with the drought-induced re-arranging of Atlanta events this summer, I suppose it doesn’t make much sense to tie another event on Pride’s coattails. Besides, MondoHomo deserves its own time and attention. It’s focused on queer art and music just to the left of the mainstream. Okay, make that way, far left of the mainstream. A lot of Pride’s purpose has always been inclusion and acceptance. MondoHomo is more about celebrating our differences–including the many differences within the queer community itself. The MondoHomo’s moved the festival to Memorial Day weekend, where it will stay for future festivals, according to Kiki.

The music starts tonight at 8:00 p.m. at Lenny’s Bar with MondoHomo HipHop.  See you there.

Homos Hit Hotlanta Again

Take your vitamins and eat your Wheaties. You’ll need your strength for MondoHomo Dirty South 2008, hitting Atlanta this weekend for its second year. MondoHomo is not your “average” queer event. You could say it’s a festival for queers who are too mondo to be called simply homo.

MondoHomo is not your sugar daddy’s gay festival. Event organizer Kiki describes it as “one BADASS Culture-Fest full of queer rock, homo HipHop, visual art, film fests, burlesque, drag kings and queens, carnival sideshows, Indie workshops, fag football, Big Gay Dance Parties, and a whole b*ttload more!”

Based on my experience last year, I’d say that about covers it. The four-day music, arts and crafts event starts tomorrow night with an art opening at the Tilt Gallery, followed by Homo-a-rama, a free dance party at Mary’s in East Atlanta. A dance party at Mary’s is always interesting, with so little space to move. I swear that bar could triple in size and still be crowded. But it’s one of the friendliest, happiest little homo bars in the city. Last time I was there, the bartender came out from behind the bar, maneuvered through the crowd, tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I wanted another drink. Now that’s service! Not bad treatment for a lezzie in a boy-dominated establishment. Look around the next time you’re at Mary’s, and you’ll notice that everybody is smiling. It’s one happy homo watering hole.

I attended all four days of MondoHomo last year, and haven’t had as much fun since. Certainly I have not had the opportunity to hear better music across so many genres–most of it queer, a lot of it edgy, and all if it big fun. That’s why you’re likely to see me, beer in hand, dancing around East Atlanta, Cabbagetown and points in between this weekend.

It’s going to be one Mondo Memorial Day. Many events are free, some others are individually priced, or you can buy a pass for the whole MondoHomo enchilada for $50–cheaper than a tank of gas!

MondoHomo Dirty South 2008 Schedule

Mondo Art Opening
Thursday, May 22, 7-10pm | FREE, all ages, at Tilt Gallery | 274 Walker Street in Atlanta’s Castleberry gallery district. 20+ artists, mixed media.
Homo-a-rama Dance Party (free)
Mary’s in East Atlanta, 1287 Glenwood Ave SE, 30316
MondoHomo HipHop
Friday May 23rd, 8pm Lenny’s Bar, $15 | 486 Decatur St SE (at Boulevard), 30312
MC Tim’m West. HomoHop Artists: Nicky Click, Athens Boys Choir, Cateyez, Pam Jones, Foxx Jazell, BadKat, KIN (NYC), Las Krudas (Austin, TX), DJ Vicki Powell of Flux

Mondo Chock Full O’ Nuts!
Saturday May 24th, 7pm, Lenny’s Bar, $15
MC: Gina Bling (Seattle), Making Friendz (Brooklyn), The Dead Betties (NYC), Pariah Piranha, 8 Inch Betsy (Chicago), BIGG NUGG (Cleveland), Unecc, DaLyrical (ATL), DJ Kit (Philly)

Mondo Carnivale!
Saturday May 24th, noon-7pm | FREE, all ages, outdoors in Lenny’s parking lot. MC: Ms. Coyote of Idapalooza, the Fly Girls Aerialists, Anatural, Jeremy Gloff, The Bangers, Shitty Candy, Atlanta Sedition Orchestra, Plus: circus performers, graffitti demo by ATL’s own favorite graffiti son, Totem, skateboard demo by Skate Like a Girl (Seattle), bounce house, BBQ and queer midway games!
Mondo Day Camp
Sunday May 25th, noon-7pm | FREE, all ages, Tye Street Park at Kirkwood
DJ Gina Bling (Seattle), DJ Chuck Jones, Medea the Play, Funk/Punk Poetry Slam, Radical Workshops & Gay Games like Fag Football and other outdoor sports, Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship? (New Orleans)

Mondo Fagsploitation!
Sunday May 25th, 8pm at Eyedrum Gallery, $8 | 290 Martin Luther King Jr Dr S at Hill St, 30312
Indie films presented by Pink Eye: Featuring the new Pansy Division documentary Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band, plus Fagotronic shorts, and Ukelele by Ben Lerman (NYC)

Mondo Speakeasy Brunch & Closing Party
Monday May 26th, 11am-3pm, Ria’s Bluebird, $15 | 421 Memorial Dr. SE at Cherokee, 30316

Hurray for the Riff Raff (New Orleans), Vagina Jenkins, Darlinda Just Darlinda, Miss Mary Wanna, K.E.V.I.N., Ms. Stewart, Noah Redd, Heywood Wakefield (Boston), DJ Hawg-Tied

Standing with Women on Mother’s Day

As we prepare to celebrate the mothers in our lives on Mother’s Day, a group called Standing Women is encouraging women–and men– to also recognize the most important mother of all: Mother Earth. On Sunday, May 11 at 1 p.m., thousands of people around the globe will stand together in silence for five minutes in local parks, schools, churches and other gathering places to promote a better world for future generations. The result will be a 24-hour global wave of humanity standing to motivate and invigorate others to realize the dream of a better world for all.

In May of 2007, thousands of women stood together in 75 countries and on all the continents of the globe to show their support for the world of which they dream. Inspired by a story written by Sharon Mehdi of Ashland, Oregon, The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering, collectively they decided that it was time to take a stand to make a difference. By standing for a moment of silence, participants will recognize the importance for all of the children of the world of issues such as safe drinking water, clean air, food for all to eat, access to basic education, adequate health care and safety from violence.

Standing sites in all 50 U.S. states and around the globe are listed on the Standing Women Website and range from large-scale groups of a thousand or more to individual standings. Participants have the option of attending one of the gatherings listed or starting their own. There are promotional materials and a video about the effort on the Standing Women Website.

As of Sunday, April 27, the Standing Women Website lists 217 events listed in 9 nations, including 65 organizations. In Georgia, five public and private “standings are listed, including at the gazebo in Downtown Central Park In Canton, Ga., and around the pond in Shorty Howell Park in Duluth, Ga. More information on the event can be found at www.standingwomen.org.

Short-Attention-Span Dating for Lesbians Returns to Atlanta

For single women without the time or patience for personals, or who find the bar scene wanting, Atlanta event organizers Girls Gone Pride are bringing speed dating for lesbians back for another round on February 17th. Girls Gone Pride Co-founder Deanna tells me that the age range for the speed dating events have really been varied. “We have younger, older and those who are in between. I think we ended up with around 24 or so women at the last one,” she said.

Bird, the other half of Girls Gone Pride, added that the fast-daters were from all walks of life. A creation of the hetero world, speed dating is a relatively recent social phenomenon, no doubt a result of the increasingly fast, multitasked American lifestyle. Instant gratification no doubt has its advantages when you’re trying to deal with work, Atlanta traffic, a somewhat limited lesbian bar scene and stand-offish dykes.

In an episode of Logo TV’s Big Gay Sketch Show last season (episode 101), a spoof of lesbian speed dating was about the funniest skit I’ve ever seen. In it, two lesbians complete an entire relationship in the short window they are given to “speed date.” The characters move in together, adopt cats, fight, cheat and break up in just three minutes. Now that is taking U-hauling to a whole new level. It’s probably worth attending Girls Gone Pride’s event, if only to see how dykes, stereotypically fast in moving from a meet to a marriage, deal with the speed-dating movement in real life. The February speed dating event will be held at Birdi’s in Decatur, starting at 6:30 p.m. There’s a $5.00 registration fee. For more information, you can check out Girls Gone Pride’s myspace page.

Phelps Family Won’t Let Heath Ledger Rest in Peace

Fred Phelps and his family cult are at it again. His Westboro Baptist Church announced their intention to protest at actor Heath Ledger’s U.S. memorial services. The actor, who was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Tuesday, is expected to be buried in his native Australia.

Classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Westboro Baptist Church has picketed thousands of LGBT events, including funerals. The Topeka, Kansas group has more recently turned its rage toward the U.S. military, protesting the funerals of soldiers killed in action in Iraq. Their clearly irrational “rationale” is that God is punishing America for being tolerant of gays and lesbians by killing U.S. soldiers with IEDs.

Phelps’ church posted a bulletin on one of its many hate Websites announcing their intention to picket the actor’s U.S. memorial services, because he portrayed a gay cowboy in the ground-breaking film Brokeback Mountain. Heath Ledger was not a homosexual; he just played one in the movies.

And again, the media is covering Phelps’ announcement as a “church’s” protest. Yet Westboro Baptist “Church” is attended only by members of Fred Phelps’ immediate family. (Read my post about the Showtime documentary Fall from Grace for a full rant on the Phelps clan.) Just because Phelps twists the pages of the bible, picking and choosing the passages to follow, doesn’t make him a minister and doesn’t make his family a church. There is a more accurate term for Westboro. It’s clearly a cult built around the rage and abuse of one father, from which only four of his 13 children managed to escape.

From all media accounts (which, in their own right, have gone way overboard in sensationalizing the actor’s death), Heath Ledger was a tolerant man. His love for his daughter and family were obvious. If only those who were moved by Ledger’s art were less tolerant of the kind of hate and hurt that the Phelps family plans to interject into the actor’s memory. May Heath rest in peace.

Rose Rollins to Offer a Little L Word Foreplay for Atlanta Lesbians

Actress Rose Rollins, loved by lesbians for her role as “Tasha” on The L Word, will tease Atlanta women tonight at Foreplay, The L Word season 5 preview and ourchart.com launch party, at the Park Tavern in Midtown. Hosted by Girls in the Night and Girlology 101. Dancing, mixing and mingling will get underway at 10 p.m., with a big giveaway happening at 1:30 a.m., when two VIP passes to The Dinah 2008 will be raffled off. But everyone will be a winner, with an advance look at The L Word season 5 premiere, ourchart.com and Girls in the Night freebies, and the chance to get close to Tasha. Late this afternoon, Outwrite Bookstore staff said they had been giving out event passes all day, and in fact have run out. But you can get in at the door–There’s a $10 cover after 11.47 p.m. Find out more about the event on Girls in the Night’s MySpace page.

Ourchart.com is the new lesbian social network, based on the infamous whiteboard chart where the character Alice kept track of who had dated and/or hooked up with whom. Although heavily promoted during season four of The L Word last year, the “chart” was not quite ready for prime time. Promoters are taking advantage of the premier of season 5 to formally launch the site.

Life on Q will be at Foreplay tonight, in the person of yours truly, camera in tow. It’s the last big event for Atlanta women, and based on how quickly passes have gone, it is sure to blow out 2007 with bang. Check Life on Q tomorrow for photos from the event.

Update 12.30.07>>Photos from the event are now online! See the entire album here.

News of the Obvious: Jody Foster is a Big Dyke

Breaking News of the Obvious Alert. This news should move lesbians everywhere– like “t’ee in the way!” Jody Foster, the object of thousands of dyke crushes, has finally acknowledged that the sky is blue, the earth is round, and she is a lesbian. Accepting the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at the Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 event last week, Foster thanked “my beautiful Cydney” during her acceptance speech. She then added that Cydney “sticks with me through all the rotten and the bliss.”

Although references to and rumors of her lesbianism are many, the mention of producer Cydney Bernard in front of the Hollywood Reporter crowd is Foster’s first public reference to her 15-year relationship with Bernard. The two are reported to have met while Foster was filming Sommersby in 1993. Bernard was a production coordinator for the film. Foster has always refused to discuss the paternity of her children. She even ignored Out magazine’s picture of her on their cover (along with CNN’s Anderson Cooper) with the headline, “The Glass Closet: Why the Stars Won’t Come Out and Play.”

Interestingly, the Hollywood Reporter seems to be playing down the news, with no overt references to Foster’s self-acknowledgment on their Website. The only mass media references I could find were at The Arizona Republic’s website AZCentral and at The Times Online out of London. Both articles were published today, even though Foster’s comments were made on December 4.

Perhaps the mainstream media’s subtlety is testament to Foster’s power. The reknowned actress is the winner of two Academy Awards and more than two dozen other honors (including both a Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild Award for her performance in “Nell,” one of my personal favorites). She earns millions for her acting, including a $15 million check for The Brave One, released in September of this year. She ranks 57th on Entertainment Weekly’s “Greatest Movie Stars” of all time and most recently appeared on EW’s 2007 list of “The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.” Her clout and connections may be the cause of the lack of mainstream media coverage. Or perhaps a confirmation of what is already known is just not news.