WHEN IT COMES to promoting the transgender community, you wont ...
Still, I feel kind of obliged to note that she's telling me all this while I'm watching a lapdance take place over her shoulder.
"Oh, yeah," Glorya notes, "but they're not allowed to pull anything out."
And that's perfectly acceptable, since I'm just here to appreciate the glory of Madiva. This equestrian/medical student/Madonna curator is the Lara Croft of the NYC drag scene. Madiva is also the rare impersonator who's an improvement on her inspiration, summoning up the inner Stevie Nicks and Billy Idol that Madonna herself can no longer find.
Also, she's skipped the Botox and can still make facial expressions.
Madiva's a charmer, too, with natural energy, which explains why she accomplishes more in a day than most of her contemporaries do before waking up at 3 p.m. "Well, that's when I wake up, too" she laughs, raising the bar for excess. She's a realist, too, noting that her most recent relationship was "a really long one?um, by our standards." That's a year and a half, and it's still possible that Madiva might be spending a lot of time out in Iowa with that longtime boyfriend. Too bad for local guys, but at least we might finally get a reality show that's worth comparing to Green Acres.
Things are more traditionally heterosexual at the Maybelline/Jane Reader-Produced CD Listening Party, as hosted by a publication that recommends picking up guys outside the wakes of dead gang members at an L.A. funeral parlor. Not surprisingly, it's a fairly white crowd at Mugsy's Garage, which, despite the cutesy name, is a much better bar than back when it was called Patio.
And it's certainly a classic Jane crowd, right down to Maggie Kim?selected as the readers' favorite artist from last year's CD?who is boldly giving photographers the finger. That is, she's giving photographers the finger while standing in front of the Jane/Maybelline backdrop that's been brought in for the photographers. That's the kind of glamorous rebellion that Jane really gets behind.
No comment on the magazine aligning themselves with The Donnas as the day's celebrity judges. You probably couldn't get much comment from the band, either. Their demeanor suggests that they've really only come into the place to use the bathroom. ("They're not very happy with me right now," notes their publicist.) Still, it's nice to see the gals out again. That major-label debut may be bad news for older fans, but the good news is that Donna R. and Donna F. are off their diets and have gained back their sex appeal.
The Donnas dutifully sit through about 30 seconds of each song that's been submitted by various musicians in the Jane readership. NYC fares pretty well, too. Expect to see the privileged boys of Dopo Yume successfully contending for spots on the upcoming comp, in addition to Brooklyn Synthsayers, the International Male, and Donnas-soundalikes The Boxes.
In contrast, the ladies of Starla Dear wuz robbed. The Donnas demonstrate relatively good taste, though, and there are certainly worse ways to spend a summer day than getting drunk and seeing a favorite band playing 20 rounds of Rate-A-Record. There are also plenty of free, fine Maybelline products that partygoers of both genders gladly swipe. There isn't, however, much demand for that Caramel EverFresh foundation. As noted, it's a pretty white crowd.