CANNED HAM

Last night, I attended a preview performance of Tom Judson's auto-biographical solo show “Canned Ham”. The show documents hunky Mr Judson’s strange trajectory from Off-Off Broadway composer and performance artist to Broadway actor to this surprising career turn as gay porn superstar Gus Mattox!

In between wonderful accordion arrangements of familiar showtunes, Tom recounts working with such folks as director Rob Marshall, stage goddess Ann Magnuson (who was in attendance), actress Teri Hatcher, and porn mogul Chi Chi LaRue. Show biz stories, male escort adventures and touching remembrances of his late partner Bruce make for an evening of both laughter and tears.

“Canned Ham” is opens tonight - Friday, April 30 at 9pm and will run Fridays and Saturdays at 9pm and Sundays at 7pm through May 16. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door and are available online here. The Cavern Club Theater at Casita del Campo is located at 1920 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake.Visit Tom's blog here.

Holly Cole: A Dougsploitation Diva

Presenting the return of a popular Dougsploitation feature (popular with me at least) – my ongoing tribute to the talented women who I turn to as an antidote to many of overrated cookie-cutter disposable “divas” in today’s music industry.

I have been a fan of Canadian songstress Holly Cole for over 15 years now. I don’t know where I first heard her intelligent and sophisticated voice, but it has left a lasting impression on me.

What I love most about Holly is that she has the ability to take a well-worn standard and make it seem brand new. It’s almost like she deconstructs the lyrics and discovers new ways to sing them, in ways that others singers just don’t have the insight to do.
Her voice is both sensuous and innocent at the same time. She has a sense of honesty in her delivery that really makes you understand these songs even though you may have heard them a hundred times before. The influence of jazz legend Betty Carter can be heard in many of her early recordings.

Her 1990 album with the Holly Cole Trio, “Girl Talk” featured covers of Nina Simone’s “My Baby Just Cares for Me” and Petula Clark’s “Downtown”. These takes are so unique, they don’t even feel like covers.

1993’s “Blame It On My Youth” is a jazzy outing with the Trio and included songs by such diverse writers like Tom Waits and Lyle Lovett , as well as show tunes like as "If I Were a Bell" from Guys and Dolls and "On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady and even a cover of "Trust In Me", from Disney's The Jungle Book. My favorite track is Holly’s version of “Calling You” from the film BAGDAD CAFÉ.

“Don’t Smoke in Bed” (also 1993) brought us Holly’s iconic version of “I Can See Clearly Now” as well as the most sobering version of “Que Sera Sera” ever recorded.
In 1995, “Temptation” covered 16 Tom Waits songs. “Tango Til They’re Sore” is the stand-out track. 1996 brought us “It Happened One Night,” a wonderful live recording highlighted by Sondheim’s “Losing My Mind.”

Holly went more contemporary in 1997 with “Dark Dear Heart” - featuring a eclectic mix including “Onion Girl” – which was used in the wacky Elisabeth Shue film MOLLY. You can read my review of MOLLY here.

“Romantically Helpless” followed in 2000, mixing Paul Simon with standards by Sammy Cahn, Stephen Sondheim and Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer.

“Shade” came in 2003 and the self-titled “Holly Cole” arrived in 2007- including a collection of standards like “Charade”, “Reaching For The Moon”, “I Will Wait For You” as well her first self composed song entitled “Larger Than Life”. Each one of these albums is a gem, a fine blend of jazz, pop, folk and other influences make them a smart alternative to the tired screeching divas that crowd the pop charts today.

I’ve been privileged to see Holly perform live a few times, and look forward to the day when I can be in her presence once again. You can check out more Holly here.

The Other Side of House Hunters' Suzanne Whang

Suzanne Whang is a woman of many talents. She has been the host of HOUSE HUNTERS since 1999 (the #1 rated show on HGTV) as well as the spinoff series, HOUSE HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL. She has also hosted numerous specials on HGTV and guest hosted GSN Live on the Game Show Network. Among her other credits: co-hosting TV's CENSORED BLOOPERS (NBC) and a red carpet host for ABC's Academy Awards coverage.

Aside from her numerous hosting duties, Ms. Whang has also fostered a career as an R-rated stand-up comedian, winning the Andy Kaufman Award at the New York Comedy Festival! She also won Best Up & Coming Comedian at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, epitomized by her outrageous slogan: "Don't judge a gook by her cover."

You can see her LIVE on Stage This Thursday– October 15 at 7:30 PM at the Spotlight Comedy Club (at Aura) in Studio City, (12215 Ventura Blvd., #209). For reservations visit their website.

Check out Suzanne's website for more info about her and her two worlds.