A Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love 2

Many of you may walk away from today's blog post saying, "She is SUCH a cheese ball" ... and that's OK. I'm prepared for this backlash. But I don't think it's proper to write a Rockabilly themed blog each and every day without giving you a little background as to why I love this style so.

Let's take it back to the roots. As a child I had a HUGE onscreen crush on Johnny Depp in the film, Cry-Baby.

Yes ... take a moment and laugh if you must.

But I have to say, I STILL have a crush on this fictional character. And probably always will.

I mean, take a look at this guy! He's so darn adorable it makes me want to cry, and drink my own bottled tears, naturally. ;)

He had great hair, a black leather jacket, was in a Rockabilly band, rode a motorcycle, went to prison ...



Oh, and he hung out with Traci Lords, for pete's sake.
What more can you ask for!?!?


I was 8 when this movie came out, so yes ... it made quite the impression on me. And yes, it is a musical, per se, so if you can't handle watching the whole thing, here is a nifty little recap that should tickle your fancy. ;)

I'll also throw in "Please Mr. Jailer" ... one of the best songs of all time as far as my 8 year old self was concerned. Make sure to look out for Johnny's "grrrrrr." So hot. ;)

For the Love of Burlesque: Part 6

It's time for another Burlesque Review. Yay!!

Quite recently I had the pleasure of watching Brooklyn's own, "Dangerous Curves Ahead" troupe perform at Club Deluxe here in San Francisco.   
(Pizza and Burlesque ... SUCH a great combo...)
 
And once again, I had the pleasure of watching Miss GiGi LaFemme grace the stage with her creative style and outrageous curves. (She's pretty darn adorable, ladies & gentlemen.)

I first saw GiGi at the infamous Slipper Room, and then continued to see her at the once a month "Under St. Marks," showing in Manhattan.
So I must say, it was super exciting to see the girls from my "hood" performing on the West coast!

The video clip below shows GiGi LaFemme strutting her stuff for the camera. Something she's especially good at. ;)

If you are interested in catching one of their fun and playful shows, you can check out their tour dates on this site: www.burlesqueonthegogo.com

Want to lose 5 pounds in 5 seconds?

Well then ... Stand Up Straight !

This is my new motto, which I've been perfecting through my daily ballet inspired bar method classes.

When I was a dancer in my "youth" I had amazing posture.
Then, 12 hours a day at a computer really took a toll.

My New Year's Resolution, along with being able to do the splits again, was to work on my posture.
And why do so? 

Well ... for one, you WILL look 5 pounds slimmer immediately upon standing up straight.
It's true! Go over to a mirror and try it!

Not only will you look slimmer, you will also look more confident, which is always a plus. Have you ever seen a slouching Pin-Up model? I think not...

And, dare I say, you might even feel 10 times better?

Slouching causes pain and discomfort. So why do it?

Laziness ... that's why.

Just think about it. Bad posture ages you. It makes you look weak and shy. It certainly doesn't suggest "classy lady"... and quite frankly, it's unattractive.

So I challenge you ... and myself ... to make this a top priority for the rest of this week.

Here's a great guide to "Good Posture" worth checking out.

http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Posture

Good luck ladies !! :)

Lunch Hour Luxury

What could be better during your lunch break than a peek at Bettie putting on her stockings and high heels? So innocent, yet so ... well.

In my opinion, women today seem to be missing the long lost art of "dressing."

Let's all take a lesson from Ms. Page, shall we?

BBQ. The Key to Happiness.

Some may disagree, but I firmly believe that all proper Rockabilly gals should eat, and love, BBQ.






I don't care if it's BBQ chicken, brisket, ribs or turkey.
They're all created equal as far as I'm concerned. So you can imagine my excitement when Frederik introduced me to an AMAZING BBQ joint here in San Francisco, called Memphis Minnie's.


The decor is "pig" ... hundreds of pigs.
And meat, of course. Super colorful and fun ... as places in San Francisco should be.

Now, my grandpa was a BBQ man. And I was raised a BBQ girl. So I'm pretty picky when it comes to this stuff. And surprisingly, I gave this joint 2 thumbs up with the very first visit!


Their potato salad is to die for, brisket is slow cooked / melt in your mouth perfect with just the right amount of "char" ... and the portions are Texas size.

Funny enough, I tend to lean towards their North Carolina Mustard sauce!?!?

I smother EVERYTHING in it ... even the potato salad.
My only gripe is that they could do better with their "Texas Sauce" ... but hey, that's a tough act to follow. 

So, if you're in the Bay Area, give me a call!
I'll grab my white dress and white heels ... garters and lace. We can swing by Lower Haight, grab a few pounds of meat, and maybe enjoy a little picnic in Dolores Park?
Sounds like Heaven to me :)

A Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love

Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore spotlighting Pin Up girls from the past and present, and I will continue the "Around the World in 80 Pin-Ups" section of my blog come hell or high water!

But I feel it's only fitting that I give those hunky Rockabilly boys a "shout out" as well. What do you say?



So with that said, I'll start my "A Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love" series with a charming and strikingly handsome man who holds a very special place in my heart ...
Paul Newman.



He may not be "Rockabilly" per se ... but I think his style influenced the Rockabilly scene immensely.
And besides ... those blue eyes are worth talking about, no matter what crowd he fell into. ;)


So aside from being gorgeous, and a phenomenal actor in films ranging from Cool Hand Luke, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Sting ... he was also a huge auto racing enthusiast! 


(And I'll be damned if "us Rockabillies" aren't all a bit enthusiastic about fast cars and the smell of nitrous oxide!) 

He was a frequent competitor in the Sports Car Club of America, he drove in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans in Dick Barbour's Porsche 935 and finished in second place, he drove for Bob Sharp Racing team, and even eventually owned his OWN racing team!

Talk about a "Man's Man" !!

Check out the video below...

It's a great re-cap of his acting and racing career...
and a wonderful excuse to listen to his sexy voice for 5 or so minutes. Enjoy!

"All I Could Do Was Cry"

This past weekend in Vegas I was interviewing people in my company for "Employee Spotlights" in an attempt to find out some interesting details about their personalities.

One of the questions was, "What movie could you watch over and over and over again and still love?"

There are so many films that come to mind when I try to answer this question ...  Amélie, Dirty Dancing, Dr. Zhivago, Three Amigos ... But one film that I absolutely can't live without is Cadillac Records.

It may not have been a box office hit, but I am still ... to this day ... completely blown away by the performances given by Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Eamonn Walker and Beyonce as they try to recreate the lives of Etta James, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Walter and Leonard Chess.

I understand ... it may be a stretch to think you could actually like something that Beyonce has done musically. But I would encourage you to watch this clip from Cadillac Records where she portrays Etta James, auditioning for Leonard Chess and a shot to be with Chess Records in 1960.

Her voice is so powerful, and in some ways, I think she knocks this song out of the park even better than Etta did herself. Almost brings tears to your eyes!

And then there is Eamonn Walker ... or "Howlin' Wolf" reincarnated. This performance is so good, I've probably watched it 100 times.  He actually scares me AND gives me goosebumps at the same time. If you haven't seen the entire film, I would strongly encourage you to do so. It's an absolute MUST for any Rockabilly gal who has a love for our musical roots. :)

Olivia De Berardinis

Over the years I've become especially partial to the Pin-Up art by the incredibly talented  -
Olivia De Berardinis.




Her art is a bit more "racy" than the traditional Pin-Up art, but it still retains the same playful and sultry qualities that captivated GI's across the globe during WWII. Olivia's "ladies" perfectly mix eroticism with a twist of sophistication, and I've picked out 2 thus far for tattoos on my back and forearm.

(More to come, no doubt ;)





The first, and by far my favorite, was this Bettie Page pirate rendition, which I conveniently picked out only months before going to Jamaica for the first time.








The second, was this adorable "Bettie inspired" cowgirl on the right. I snatched her up in a Swedish Playboy while traveling through Scandinavia many many years ago when I was living in Russia.




I absolutely adore the color schemes, and they ended up being perfect for my skin tone!

Now if only people would stop asking me "When will you be gettin' them there tattoos colored in??" ... and ... "Who drew that picture of Katy Perry??"

Mike Adair, a phenomenal tattoo artist now based out of Vancouver, Washington was the lucky man who got to attempt to replicate these works of art on my skin.

And I must say, in some ways, I think his work is even better than the originals!

If you are in the Vancouver area, make sure to check out Electric Boogaloo Tattoo ! I'll get some good pictures of the art so you can see what I'm talking about.
But for now, let's enjoy some of Olivia's other works of art that I'm considering for future tattoos ...
Mike, are you ready? ;)

Around the World in 80 Pin-Ups

After a whirl-wind weekend in Vegas, with amazing people from 27 different countries, I think it's only fitting to post a new "International Pin-Up Appreciation Post" for today's Rockabilly Sophisticate. :)

There is one French style icon that comes to mind, who I know you've all heard of. And that is no other than the breathtaking Brigitte Bardot.



Bardot: The woman who was said to have "done more for the French international trade balance than the entire French car industry!"

Beyond her incredibly successful film and music career, she was one of the most important style icons of her time.

She single handedly popularized the bikini, and even coined the term "Bardot Neckline" for wearing shirts and dresses with necklines that exposed the collar bone and both shoulders. Talk about sexy!


Bardot was born in Paris in 1934, and became one of the few European actresses to find mass media attention across the globe, including the US.


The Beatles adored her, women all over the world tried to imitate what she called the "choucroute" ... or "sauerkraut" hair style she wore. (A sort of messy blonde beehive) ... Andy Warhol used her as a subject in his paintings, and Bob Dylan even dedicated the first song he ever wrote to the French beauty who so clearly penetrated all international boundaries.

Talk about an amazing "Pin-Up" and an amazing life to boot. :)

Vintage Vegas

In preparation for all the upcoming Vegas fun, 
how about some Vintage Vegas with your morning coffee?

 

 Viva !!!

Lonestar Round Up - 2011 !!