Congratulations to Manuel Muñoz!

Some time ago, a little birdie told StinkyLulu that Manuel Muñoz was a sometime reader of StinkyLulu's "Supporting Actress Sundays." Such chisme normally doesn't sink into my consciousness much but, in the case of Mister Muñoz, it sorta snuck in on me. See, in the case of Señor Muñoz, StinkyLulu had been hearing buzz about this excellent emerging queer Latino writer named "Manuel Muñoz" and it sorta freaked me out that this cool writer guy was reading my stuff, that he had actually incorporated Supporting Actresses Sundays into his own Sunday writing rituals (or so said the little birdie). It made me all shy and stuff. You know how it goes. Anyways. Fast forward to today, when I got all weirdly HAPPY to learn that the one and the same Manuel Muñoz was just named recipient of one of the best prizes an emerging writer can get: The Whiting.

So, congratulations, alleged StinkyLulu reader Manuel Muñoz.
You rock.

And for the rest of y'all, buy the book!

Viva!

click image to be routed to video

My new favorite thing.
Makes me misty and happy, all at once.

5 Stinky Thoughts on the 64th Golden Globes

After a long day of semester prep, settled in for a bit of Golden Globing. But alas. Not too entertaining... So rather than offer some tributary ode or some blow by blow account (see my post-nomination post for Lulu's thoughts on the Supporting Actresses), please accept the following...

5 Stinky Thoughts on
the 64th Golden Globes

Thought #1:
Sometimes the Mountain Time Zone Just Sucks.
Being 2 hours behind (and 1 hour ahead) of the real Time Zones sometimes really messes with StinkyLulu's mind. See, tonight, Lulu tuned into the broadcast just as it was starting, and then clicked over to ModFab's Live Chat -- only to discover that the dang thing had already been on for an hour. (We Mountaineers had a tape-delay.) Which shouldn't be a problem but. Even the most innocent clicks around the interweb revealed all. And then with so many of the awards seemingly predetermined? Well. Not a single un-spoilered surprise. Which really took the wind out of StinkyLulu's awards-loving soul... Sad, sad, so sad.

Thought #2:
Latin Cutaways.
If Lulu drank, a perfect drinking game would be "The Latin Cutaway." Sip whenever the director cuts to a Latin celebrity for a reaction shot. Gulp when it's a Latin+Latin shot (as when they cut to Eva Longoria as America Ferrera accepted her award). Two gulps when it's a double whammy Latin shot (meaning as when they cut to America during Jennifer Hudson's acceptance speech - chubby girls of color in da house!) The Latin Cutaway was frankly the only sustainingly entertaining aspect of tonight's globes.

Thought #3:
Who Boiled David Geffen?
The man looked like a steamed kosher frank.

Thought #4:
Who's Scarier?
StinkyLulu will ever love Vanessa Williams. But that shrub on the back of her head tonight was just cumbersome. Looked all like a really long running bus'n'truck of Deena Jones. And then there's the generally terrifying Sharon Stone. No wonder The Gilded Moose is so scared.

Thought #5:
Meryl Gives Good Speech.
Streep's award-show dither schtick provides such a niftily humanizing contrast to her actorly precision. If it weren't enough of a treat to watch the woman act, it'd almost be worth giving MissMeryl prizes just to hear what she'd say. Ever politically astute, humble and funny.







That's all.

Charo Says "Taste My Taco!"

Some good stuff's a'cooking, lovely reader...

from After Dark: The National Magazine of Entertainment, March 1977, page 6.

StinkyLulu's got some tasty treats in store for the rest of the week, so keep checking in. You'll find...

• Hillbilly Harlots on Wednesday & Sunday!
• Sunday's 1958 Supporting Actress Smackdown with Nick and Nathaniel!
• Homo Heritage!
• And gosh knows what all!

Can't say if it'll be as fabulous as Charo's taco.
But it'll surely be as least as cute as Delilah.

Cher Does West Side Story?!?

StinkyLulu's been thinking about Cher today. (Can't think why...)

So just imagine Lulu's surprise when what should arrive in today's mail? But Cher's 1998 "stream of consciousness" (aka ADD) autobiography, The First Time.

It was sorta a surprise cuz Lulu got it via PaperBackSwap -- StinkyLulu's latest bookfiend obsession -- so, even though Lulu ordered it, the vicissitudes of media mail mean that one just never knows when which wondrous tome will arrive... And lo, today, it was CHER!!!

But, lovely reader, StinkyLulu needs your help!
On page 37, LaCher shares (say that 3-times-fast!) about "My First Broadway Fantasy":

My mom loved to buy cast albums...but my favorite was West Side Story. The others were period pieces with older characters, but West Side Story was about young people in a modern setting; I could relate to it. I'd never been to New York, and the movie version didn't come out till years later, but I could look at the album cover and visualize the rest.

I was shy but I loved to put on shows for my mother and sister. Except for West Side Story; that one was always private for me. I'd wait till nobody else was home, and then I'd turn up the volume on the record player full blast, and I'd dance around the living room singing all the parts. I identified with every character, not just the women. It takes a long time to learn a whole cast album, and I kept working on that musical for months. I never showed it to anyone, not even my mom. Years later, I played all the parts of West Side Story in a TV special I did. (Those months all alone in my living room really paid off.

Cher? All the parts in West Side Story? Wowiekazowie!
Does anyone know which Cher special this happens in?
StinkyLulu needs to know...

Charo ROCKS!

It's been a busy couple weeks for StinkyLulu. But the highlight happened just this past Saturday night...

StinkyLu's sister -- hereafter referred to as StinkySis -- had her birthday last monday, but StinkyLulu and MrStinky were still on their way back from the fabulosity of Palm Springs and the glamor, spectacle and sheer entertainment thrills of The Ramona Pageant (possibly more on that in a future blog). So, because StinkyLu & MrStinky missed the carnivore delight of StinkySis' birthday dinner -- they went to one of those South American Steak-On-A-Stick places -- MrStinky & Lulu made plans to treat StinkySis to sushi the next weekend...

THEN MrStinky discovers that Charo's playing at a casino between Santa Fe & ABQ.

The only night we can go is Saturday. Luckily, StinkySis is into adding some cuchi-cuchi to her sushi. (cuchi-sushi?) Ultimately, even the sushi gets chopped from the itinerary, as the whole Stinky gang go up to Santa Fe for a pre-mother's day brunch of pie (Frito & Diabetic Cool Whip Pie, respectively). Finally, MrStinky & StinkyLu whisked StinkySis off for a bit of KMart Blue-Light Special-ing -- breathe deep, that's the glamour of FantaSe -- before dinner at the amazing/incredible/delicious & quite cute Mu Du Noodles.

(Brief side note about dinner: MrStinky had the chicken special, StinkySis had the lamb special & StinkyLu had the duck special. All were f'n incredible. MrStinky noted that the meat -- all organic, farm-raised -- is consistently good at MuDu Noodles, perhaps suggesting that -- despite the restaurant's name -- the meat dishes are the real specialty at this noodle shop. StinkyLulu's dish -- described as a duck pizza (?!?!) -- was actually just a pile of really tasty slaw with shredded duck & mushrooms atop a flatbread, the whole thing slathered in hoisin sauce. The hoisin sauce was a touch rich when allowed to soak into the flatbread, but tasty. The hilarious owner lady -- in yoga pants, bedhead & really expensive specs -- even asked StinkyLu's thoughts on the dish, apparently appreciating StinkyLu's hoisin opinions enough to skidoo back to the kitchen promising to adjust the hoisin portion. StinkySis' lamb sate was garnished with a great steamed sweet stickyrice thing, which became a pre-dessert for the whole table. The actual dessert was basil ice cream, some other fancy strange chai ice cream & rice pudding cake. Boy howdy. Tasteeeeeeeee. Stinky Thumbs Up to MuDu Noodles!)

The Stinky Gang rolled down the highway to Casino Hollywood at San Felipe Pueblo, where for some reason tickets to the shows are FREE if you sign up for their players club thing & schlep all the way out to the middle of nowhere to pick them up in person. So, rolling in to the performance venue (just a teensy upgrade from a large black box set up, stackable chair seating, this place is surely available for your next wedding reception), the Stinky Gang's got seats in the 4th row. Viva la Casino Hollywood! The crowd is definitely AARP-eligible, 95% hispanic or Indian. The Stinky Gang appear to be the only people under 40 who came to this event entirely of their own accord, without parents, grandparents or in-laws to blame.

Finally: It's Charo Time!!!

The 80minute show has three acts -- aka 3 Outfits -- with two dance breaks -- aka 2 costume changes. Act/Outfit 1 -- a red, green & black mini-gown, with bugle beads in every cranny -- was a longish comedy set, with a couple musical numbers. Yes, Charo sings & Charo dances but Charo really brings on the funny. An astonishingly skilled comedian, Charo creates a stage persona whose charming naivete is belied by her savvy (and often quite "blue") malapropisms and commentary -- "Please don't misconscrue me when I saying..." -- which play off her basic schtick of a strange girl in a stranger land. It's really an effective persona & Charo's clearly figured out how to get an audience in the palm of her hand and to her substantial bosom.

Speaking of Charo's substantial bosom:
Act/Outfit 2 (pictured above) -- a pink & white jump suit -- was a more musical set, featuring Charo actually offering her vocal stylings of such latin-flavored classics as "Fernando", "Eres Tu" & -- of course -- "Livin' La Vida Loca." Charo lived her vida loca among the audience, salsa dancing among the crowd. At one point, not far from where the Stinky gang was seated, Charo executed what can only be called "The Booby Bop" -- holding the head of a male audience member still as she bopped her bosom repeatedly into his face. (No bugle bead lacerations were visible.) After the first & extended execution of the Booby Bop, Charo made her way down the row, eyed MrStinky's clear pate. Charo winked at StinkyLu as she grabbed MrStinky's bald head and squeezed it into her boobs, before moving down the row to embrace StinkyLu & StinkySis with her breasts. Quite a memorable encounter with a quite remarkable bosom.

And then Act/Outfit3 -- a sequined tuxedo, the only undeniably circus-y outfit of the evening -- for a set of some chatter, a teensy bit of singing, but mostly Charo playing flamenco and classical guitar sets. "For many years, the cuchi-cuchi was showing me the way to the bank. But this" -- she gestured to her guitar -- "is Charo." Charo played a sizable handful of fairly familiar songs -- "Bolero" & "Malaguena" and the like -- masterfully, at once impressive and satisfying, before rounding out the evening with some requisite encores, introductions of her dancers and band (each and every one "numero uno" and "a shtar"), and sending everyone home happy. A truly excellent set, showing her expertise at the cabaret/nightclub form. So much better than StinkyLu anticipated and all that StinkyLulu could have wished for from an evening with Charo.