I bought tickets nearly a year ago for this concert, but eventually December finally rolled around and I got to put them to use; seeing Lady Gaga perform live for the third time now. The seats may not have been the greatest (but they weren't the worst either) but it was still a great time with Mother Monster and my bruh Josh.
A trio of some of Ru's most popular queens came to town over the past two months. And Peppermint, Trinity the Tuck Taylor and Willam gave me life this winter.
Based on the unbelievable, but true events, I, Tonya is a darkly comedic tale of American figure skater, Tonya Harding, and one of the most sensational scandals in sports history. It's an absurd, irreverent, and piercing portrayal of Harding's life and career in all of its unchecked--and checkered--glory.-RT Easily will be one of my favorite movies of the year.
In Northern Italy in 1983, seventeen year-old Elio begins a relationship with visiting Oliver, his father's research assistant, with whom he bonds over his emerging sexuality, their Jewish heritage, and the beguiling Italian landscape. Call Me By Your Name offers a melancholy, powerfully affecting portrait of first love."-RT
Category Is: Holiday Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Extravaganza. Trinity, Sasha, Aja, Naomi, Latrice, Chi Chi, Kim Chi and Shea brought it to the runway for this fun festive national holiday drag tour. Of course you knew I'd be there!
In Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig reveals herself to be a bold new cinematic voice with her directorial debut, excavating both the humor and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter, set in Sacramento, California in 2002, amidst a rapidly shifting American economic landscape, Lady Bird is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home.' -RT
Silence! Bring Back Her All-Stars!
"Ingrid Thorburn is an unhinged social media stalker with a history of confusing "likes" for meaningful relationships. Taylor is an Instagram-famous "influencer" whose perfectly curated, boho-chic lifestyle becomes Ingrid's latest obsession. When Ingrid moves to LA and manages to insinuate herself into the social media star's life, their relationship quickly goes from #BFF to #WTF. Built around a brilliantly disarming performances, Ingrid Goes West savagely hilarious dark comedy that satirizes the modern world of social media and proves that being #perfect isn't all it's cracked up to be." -RT
I came for Courtney Act but got sucked into this edition of Celebrity Big Brother from across the pond. I must say out of the few seasons that I've seen of CBBUK, this was overall the most likable and entertaining casts yet. Bloody good on ya Court! And I still have a crush on Emma Willis.
I discovered this Australian singer/song-writer this month and couldn't get enough. Favorite Tracks Include: Lady Powers, Magazine, Fools and Regular Touch.
Last season Ryan Murphy dived back into the OJ Simpson saga. This year American Crime Story tackles another 90's headline news grabber with the Assassination of Gianni Versace.
"From master story teller, Guillermo del Toro, comes The Shape of Water - an other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa is trapped in a life of isolation. Her life is changed forever when she and co-worker discover a secret classified experiment. -RT
Who Drew The Dicks?
Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business & tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
David Letterman is back in his new Netflix series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. We've all missed Dave, but his first interview will Realllly make you miss our former President.
I got to try two local eateries this past month. Zest Kitchen & Bar is a healthy vegetarian & 100% gluten-free restaurant & cocktail bar. Spitz serves up Mediterranean street food. Both are freaking delicious. If you're in SLC, be sure to check them out, I know I'll be back!
In Salt Lake City, Utah, the religious monoculture severely complicated the AIDS crisis. Patients received no support from and were even exiled from the political, religious, or medical communities. Further, Mormon culture encouraged gay men to marry women and have a family to cure themselves of their "affliction," counsel which led to secret affairs and accidental marital transmissions of HIV. In the entire state and intermountain region there was only ONE doctor to serve all HIV/AIDS patients. This is the story of her fight to save the lives of a maligned population everyone else seemed willing to just let die. I really hope that this Sundance Film Festival documentary Quiet Heroes gets a distributor, because the work of these two remarkable women deserves to be heard. And when it does, have plenty of Kleenex on hand!
This was my sixth annual Year End Spotify compilation. It was literally playing on a loop all season. Clocking in at over 10 hours long, there's plenty of amazing ear candy for you to check out. Listen to it HERE.
Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead where he sets off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind his family history. Coco is rich and visually stunning; and like most Pixar flicks, in my book-- Perfection. I'm not saying you'll cry or anything- but you will.
Your reigning Season 9 drag super-star winner made her second, this time headlining, pit-stop in Salt Lake City a few weeks ago. Literally giving me life and leaving me dead at the same time. I've seen many a queen from Drag Race perform here, but dare I say, Ms. Velour might just have put on my favorite show yet. She commanded that stage, and the audience ate it up. You can easily see why she snatched that crown. Bow down to your queen betches.
Touko Laaksonen returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving his country in World War II, but life in Finland proves equally distressing. He finds Helsinki rampant with persecution of the homosexual and men around him even being pressured to marry women and have children. He finds refuge in his liberating art- free of inhibitions. His work became the emblem of a generation of men and fanned the flames of a gay revolution. Tom of Finland has always been an iconic inspiration of mine and I was beyond thrilled that this small important independent foreign film made it's way to Salt Lake City.
When we learned a couple months ago that Sia would be gifting a new holiday album for Crimmus, I knew it would find it's way on this list. And I was right. Every day is Christmas has pretty much playing every day since release. Thank you for the perfect present Sia. Some Favorite Tracks Include: Ho Ho Ho, Puppies are Forever, Every Day is Christmas and Santa's Coming For Us.
It's UNHhhh-mazing that these two funny Season 7 Ru Girls took their popular web series all the way to cable with their new hilarious TV show on Viceland: The Trixie and Katya Show! Honnnney! YAS!
Sia wasn't the only pop star jingling my playlist this season. Every one's top Hollaback Girl dropped a new festive holiday album this month and it too was also getting plenty of love. Favorite Tracks Include: Christmas Eve, Under the Christmas Lights, Jingle Bells, and You Make It Feel Like Christmas.
What? Yet another holly jolly-holiday musical offering?! You betta believe it. DJ Kaskade gave us his remix twist while you deck those halls and trim that tree. Favorite Tracks Include: Christmas Is Here, Deck The Halls, Winter Wonderland and This Christmas Night.
The search is on of our next drag super monster! Drag! Filth! Horror! Glamour! The Boulet Brothers are back for a creepy kooky gag-worthy fabulous sophomore season of their hit web-series competition Dragula.
Netflix recommended this travel series for me, and boy does Netflix know me well. Come for the host. Stay for the host. And as added bonus, enjoy discovering South Africa's Food, Booze and Tattoos But that host... Thanks again Netflix!
So I learned of Derrick Barry's Salt Lake visit the night-before-her-gig(!) She was performing at the Moose Lounge, which I quickly realized will never earn a spot on this List. From the annoying DJ (AIR-HORN!!!) to the small stage and the crowd, I literally hated everything about it. But being the trooper, Britney's drag doppelganger put on a entertaining Ms. Spears greatest hits performance. And I wasn't mad at that. Next time just go to Metro though, K?
After waiting an entire year for Stranger Things 2, it's time to head back to 1984 as we dig deeper into the mysterious goings on underneath the surface in Hawkins, Indiana.
TLC's heart-tugger of a series Long Lost Family is back for another season of moving reunions. Reunited and it feels so good. Just have your Kleenex ready.
I guess I have to officially have to come out as a Taylor Swift fan now, don't I? Does that ruin my reputation? Who would have ever thought... Favorite Tracks Include: Look What You Made Me Do, Gorgeous, ...Ready For It and Don't Blame Me.
In yet another sign that Salt Lake is growin' up fast to a fancy real big city, we now have a swanky groovy smooth jazz club in the heart of downtown. Be sure to check out Avant Groove if you're in the area.
Mothers Behaving Badly Part 2: Holiday Edition
Sometimes you just really need to get away, and when my friend Andy proposed a weekend getaway to Los Angeles, I took him up on the offer. Between the fierce Hamburger Mary's Drag Brunch in WeHo, to 'Pawnee' City Hall visit, and of course the top pre-Halloween gear party of the year; I really had the best time in sizzling hot SoCal. So much so, thanks to a broke down shuttle bus and LA's nightmare rush-hour traffic, I got to stay another night(!) Still California dreamin'.
The week I got back from California, I figured one October getaway just wasn't enough for me- and a road trip to Idaho was in the cards. With friends Greg, Jeff and Adam, we headed to Lava Hot Springs; location of most of my childhood family vacations. We had a great time at our adorable cabin, taking a dip in the toasty pools and soaking up the crazy rural nightlife.
Black Mirror is kind of a dark modern Twilight Zone series, and most episodes paint a bleak picture of the not to distant future. However, the Emmy award winning episode from their third season titled San Junipero is one of the very best things I've watched (and re-watched) this entire year. And yes, based on my experience, have some Kleenex handy! (Bonus: The amazing 80's inspired soundtrack!)
Why ya'll acting brand new!? She didn't come to Salt Lake to play.. she came to slay. And that's just what she did when the season 9 finalist took the stage at the Metro Music Hall a few weeks ago. Yas Queen!
If you love Amy Sedaris like I love Amy Sedaris, well then you will LOVE her new wacky and wonderful TruTV series At Home with Amy Sedaris. She cordially invites you into her home for all the crafting, cooking and hospitality tips you could ever want, need and never dream of.
Contender for my favorite New Album of the Year, St. Vincent dropped her fifth album Masseduction. There was a lot of new music to enjoy this month (as you'll see below) but I think St. Vincent got the most love (and plays.) Favorite Tracks Include: Sugar Boy, Pills, Los Ageless, Young Lover and New York.
Blade Runner 2049 takes place thirty years after the events of the first film, where a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for three decades.
My girl Pink (Can we just officially drop the ! now?) gave us the gift of new music this month. Her seventh album Beautiful Trauma dropped a few weeks ago. I just love her so much. #GirlCrush for sure! Favorite Tracks Include: Secrets, Beautiful Trauma, What About Us and Better Life.
In the hilarious dirty animated Netflix original series Big Mouth, teenage friends find their lives upended by the wonders and horrors of puberty. Bubbble baah-ths loving Mya Rudolph as the Hormone Monstress is my absolute favorite! Laugh, blush and learn something at the same time.
While in Los Angeles my friend Andy introduced me to electronic music duo ODESZA. It kind of provided the soundtrack for my California getaway. Favorite Tracks Include: A Moment Apart, Higher Ground, Late Night and Line of Sight.
Beck also dropped a new album this month! In fact, his thirteenth studio album(!) After listening to the first song, I was sold. Favorite Tracks Include: Colors, I'm So Free, Dear Life and Seventh Heaven.
In the stylish and thrilling Baby Driver, a talented, young getaway driver relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.
Some of my favorite sitcoms were back with new seasons this month. Last Man On Earth, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Black-ish and Schitts Creek all brought the laughs for my Must See Fall TV!
My friend Josh introduced me to electronic band Night Club while on our way to go see Shea. (Shout out to #4!) From the first sampling, I knew I was a fan. Favorite Tracks Include: Freak Like Me, Psychosuperlover, Dangerous Heart and Pray.
It's October, and on Food Network that can only mean one thing. Teams of talented decorators, pumpkin carvers, and candy makers go to war in the original trick-or-treat yearly series Halloween Wars!
