Show #4 - Los Angeles - FRONT ROW!...FINALLY!!

Best concert of my life - what an amazing experience.

Show #3 - Anaheim - The full groupie experience

Last night was my 3rd concert of the many I will see during Tina's tour. I went by myself, and although I'd always prefer to share the experience with someone I love, going alone brought about some experiences that reminded me of "the good old days" when I followed Tina's last tour in 2000.

First off, being alone means you can upgrade your seat much much easier because they only have to come up with one good seat as opposed to finding two together. Plus you don't have to convince anyone to shell out the extra cash at the last minute. So I was able to jump 13 rows closer to the stage than I originally was ticketed for.

During the show is when I realy wish had someone with me, because its o fun to dance and sing along with someone who's not a stranger. But I improvised, instantly naming the two ladies o my right "Thelma" and "Louise" and partying with them. Being alone also allowed me to pay more attention to the minutae of the show that I haven't noticed being that Ive been so caught up in the spectacle. I got to really see some of the choreography and how the set works, etc.

Then after the show, I got my picture taken with Philip, the hottest of Tina's male dancers (don't you hate when you take a piture with a hottie and they come out looking flawless and yet somehow its a very unflattering picture of yourself?)

Then exiting the arena, my friend Donovan and I met up with Tina Turner's sister Aillene and escorted her up the stairs (quite an ordeal, especially in comparison to her little sister who could have run up the stairs without losing a breath!) But it was cool to be with her and imagine that she grew up with the little girl in Tennessee who has become my idol!

After we left I swung by the tour busses and got to see Clare an Solange, the two dancers I knew from the last tour. They introduced me to the new girl dancers Djeneba and Furly and we chatted for awhile which was really nice.

Then as I was driving away, perfectly contented I entered the freeway and found myself right behind the tour buses carrying the dancers and the band. We ended up driving almost all the way back to LA in tandem, and for just a moment I felt once again like I was "ON THE ROAD WITH TINA TURNER"

REVIEW FROM THE STAPLES CENTER, LOS ANGELES, 10/13:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-turner15-2008oct15,0,2929663.story

Tina Turner: Live in Kansas City - Show #1

Ok, so I'm back from the best Tina Turner show I've ever seen in my life!! (and that's saying something after having seen her 16 times before!)
Her opening night in Kansas City was a blast!! Sitting in the sixth row I got such an amazing view as the non-stop spectacle unfolded. She put on a show more comparable to Cher or Madonna where it was more than just a performance, yet unlike those two her performance didn't suffer or fade to the background of the spectacle. It was merely enhanced. She tore through almost every classic hit she's ever had and has barely shown any signs of slow down since her last tour in 2000. I won't give away too many secrets since I expect anyone who reads this to go see her and experience it in person, and I don't wanna ruin the surprises! But here are a few pics from the show:

Tina's two new songs!

Tina Turner will be releasing a new greatest hits album entitled "Tina!" on Septemeber 30th - it contains many of her greatest hits plus two new recordings: I'm Ready and It Would Be a Crime.
Here they are :)

I'm Ready

It Would Be a Crime

Kinda sad ... :(

So if you know me you know how much I love Tina Turner ...
So imagine my excitement when I found out that this morning TicketMaster was putting onsale VIP packages to Meet and Greet Tina before some of her shows!!!
I was up at 8am ready to max out my credit card to finally meet my idol!
...
Then I found out that
- These packages were selling for $1500 each
- They had to be bought in pairs (meaning it would cost $3000 and I know no one I know would pay $1500 to go with me)
- They are only offered at the Michigan, Florida and Toronto concerts

I was so disappointed!!! I guess I could have spent $3000 and flown to one of these places, but the rational adult part of me just had to say no. No to meeting Tina after all of these years :(

Adding to this frustration is that I have learned that she is holding rehearsals for her tour not just in California, not just in Los Angeles, but somewhere in Studio City - my town - at an undisclosed location. She is within miles of me all week long and I have no idea where :(

The only bright spot of this situation is that the bartender at my local bar knows the owner of the Staples Center here in LA and has a backstage pass to see Tina there, and is now trying to work on getting me one too. So there's still hope ...

In the meantime, I am still very excited and blessed to be able to see her
Oct. 1st in Kansas City (opening night of the tour)
Oct. 13th and 16th in Los Angeles
Oct. 14th in Anaheim
Oct. 22nd in Sacramento
Nov. 26th in Newark
Dec. 1st in New York City
and Dec. 3rd on Long Island
(plus I'm trying to work out a whirlwind tour to Amsterdam, Paris and London in the spring!)

Summer Movies

I have seen a ton of movies lately. I find it so much more fun to go to an actual theater than to watch a DVD at home. At home I always get distracted or sleepy, and its so easy to hit the pause button that my investment flies out the window. That's why I've sold most of the DVDs in my collection this summer. But at the theater, you feel like its an event, and while some of the movies I've seen kinda blew (Disaster Movie chief among those), some were great.
Top prizes go to Tropic Thunder (so fulfillingly funny all the way through) and The Dark Knight (beautiful shot, darkly creepy, and brilliantly acted). I even saw the Dark Knight a second time (in IMAX). Being a fan of comedies, I also loved The House Bunny and Hamlet 2. I think Sex and the City was captivating and a tribute to the show (while X Files was almost torture, I was so fidgety and oculdn't wait to leave the theater - I was THAT bored!) The Happening and The Strangers both excited me with their premises and while both delivered great thrills and some moments of genius, btoh fell flat ultimately from being truly good movies. Mamma Mia was so beautiful to look at, and there were moments that were so fun. There were also painful moments (like pretty much anything involving Pierce Brosnnan making a pass at musicality) Thank god I was in the back row making out with my boyfriend during the bad parts - if I had left and missed Meryl Streep singing Winner Takes All I would've missed out on another truly brilliant performance moment from one of the best actresses of our time! Indiana Jones was kitschy but missed the mark; What Happens in Vegas was really funny, but kinda predictable; Forgetting Sarah Marshall was really enjoyable and even includes real live penis on film!! WALL - E was way better than I had expected and made the perfect date movie of the summer!! Burn After Reading got some of the biggest laughs out of me, but I think the movie will fall flat with a lot of people - I loved its left of centerness, but I think most people will leave confused and disappointed.

Now I'm looking forward to Julianne Moore in Blindness!!

My first exhibition ... of sorts

So after my photos of a certain "adult entertainer" were a hit at our local gay bar yesterday, they've asked for a more PG-13 set that they can actually display legitimately ... and there should be some money in it for me!! So here are some examples of what I'm come up with so far ...