“Trevor LIVE closes a historic year for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community as the tragic losses of young people have caused a resounding national outcry calling for an end to the bullying aimed at LGBTQ young people,” said Charles Robbins, Executive Director of The Trevor Project. “This event honors vanguards Kathy Griffin and Levi Strauss & Co. who are helping to usher in positive cultural change in this country. Their contributions to the LGBTQ community have always been significant, but especially recently, when young people looking for role models needed them, Kathy Griffin and Levi Strauss & Co. made their voices heard.”

WHAT:
“Trevor LIVE,” an evening of irreverent comedy, music and awards benefitting The Trevor Project, providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

WHEN:
Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010

WHERE:
The Hollywood Palladium
6215 W Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA

WHO:
Honoring: Kathy Griffin, Trevor Life Award and Levi Strauss & Co., Trevor Hope Award

Performances by: Wayne Brady, The Dan Band, Taye Diggs & Idina Menzel, Neil Patrick Harris & James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Telly Leung, Sarah Silverman, and Tracie Thoms

With Celebrity Guests: Jessica Alba, Will Arnett, Skylar Astin, Kristin Bauer, Meredith Baxter, Cat Cora, Rachael Harris, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Anna Kendrick, Jane Lynch and the cast of Glee, Joe Manganiello, Dave Navarro, Amy Poehler, and Brittany Snow

Live Auctioneer: Andrea Fiuczynski, President of Christieâ€s Los Angeles

TICKETS:
Individual and group tickets for the dinner and show or the show alone are available at http://bit.ly/TrevorLIVEtickets. Individual ticket prices start at $100 (show only), with Titanium tickets (priority dinner seating, Celebrity VIP reception and Gift Bag) at $1,500.

ABOUT THE TREVOR PROJECT:
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on crisis intervention and suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth. Every day, The Trevor Project saves young lives through its free and confidential lifeline, in-school workshops, educational materials, online resources and advocacy. For more information, visit www.TheTrevorProject.org.
Trevor LIVE at the Hollywood Palladium is the signature annual event of The Trevor Project and this year has both a new name and a new location. As always, this December event brings together top entertainers and corporate leaders to support the organizationâ€s lifesaving initiatives, including its free and confidential lifeline, suicide prevention workshops, community outreach, advocacy efforts and educational resources. (More at www.thetrevorproject.org/trevorlive)

The post Trevor LIVE at the Hollywood Palladium first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

PrideFest also offers a celebrity-packed weekend that’s got more stars than an episode of The Love Boat. Kathy Griffin, Patti LaBelle, and Joan Rivers each headline their own day, while Bruce Vilanch, Robert Verdi, and Melissa Ferrick round out the cast of supporting players.

Plus, thereâ€s a youth stage, a health & wellness stage, dance floors, sky cabs, and fireworks!

The post COME SEE BRUCE VILANCH AT MILWAUKEE PRIDEFEST – JUNE 11-13, 2010 first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Greg In HollyWood
Stage: Rip Taylorâ€s surprisingly serious “It Ainâ€t All Confetti” show gets a star-studded launch
By Greg Hernandez on May 24, 2010 1:44 pm

If you want laughs, you will get plenty watching Rip Taylorâ€s one-man show It Ainâ€t All Confetti at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. But you will also be deeply moved by the monologues he delivers about his life and what performing in front of an audience means to him.

After tossing off dozens of silly jokes rapid-fire with confetti and various props in the mix, Rip literally rips off his toupee and gets real. He tells about a tough childhood which included being in foster care where he was molested and learning to make bullies laugh in school to escape their fists.

He tells of working in the U.S. Capitol as a congressional page before joining the Navy where, unexpectedly, he got his start in showbiz. From then on, the anecdotes flow. There were 20 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and nearly as many on The Jackie Gleason Show until “The Great One” flew into a rage because Rip casually touched him while they shared a laugh.

His shtick of ripping up index cards after a joke fails was born during what he thought was a bomb appearance on The Merv Griffin Show. Rip thought he was going over so badly that he began ripping up cards and throwing shoes then stormed off the set. He was invited back the next day by Merv and asked to be that crazy man again.

He hasnâ€t stopped since.

Rip didnâ€t talk at all about The $1.98 Beauty Show, thew syndicated show from the late 70s that I remember him so well for or his time as a regular on The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. Maybe thatâ€s because he has so many other accomplishments including a three-time Entertainer of the Year winner in Las Vegas and serious acting roles in such films as Indecent Proposal where he played Demi Mooreâ€s boss, unrecognizable in a dramatic role sans toupee.

The running theme of the show is how the spotlight was a cure-all for Rip and it is clear that it still is for this star now in his mid-70s. Iâ€ve interviewed him on several red carpets and he has at times appeared a little shaky because of knee surgery. But as I watched him own the stage Friday, it was as if 25 years had melted away and he was still in his prime.

Fascinating to watch.

Ripâ€s show is performed inside the El Portalâ€s 99-seat Forum Theater so there is a real intimacy to the show which has already been extended through June 6. (click HERE for ticket info).

Rip is well-regarded by his peers and many showed up for Friday nightâ€s official grand opening including Kathy Griffin (pictured, left, with Rip after the show) along with Ruta Lee, Alek Trebeck, Julie Newmar, Bruce Vilanch, Anne Jeffreys, Dee Wallace, Dick and Pat Van Patten, Susan Olsen (pictured below with Rip and Jane Kean), Judy Tenuta, Kate Linder, Rich Little, Margaret Oâ€Brien and others.

I talked to some of these folks before the show began and asked them what made this show a must-see:

Ruta Lee: “Rip Taylor, beyond being one of the funniest people God put on this Earth, is also one of the nicest people God put on this Earth. Heâ€s generous, heâ€s warm, heâ€s very loving and heâ€s totally insane which makes him an angel.”

Bruce Vilanch: “I loaned him my hair 20 years ago and Iâ€ve come to collect it.”

Susan Olsen: “I loved Rip [on the Brady Bunch Variety Hour), he was a sweetheart. He’s still a sweetheart. He contributed to our book Love to Love You Brady which was about the variety show. He was a doll.”

Jane Kean: “He’s one of my favorites., he’s just a natural funny man. He got a ticket for jay walking with my sister once, that makes us very close [laughs].”

Judy Tenuta: “Weâ€re both high maintenance and wild.”

Fellow comedian Rich Little said he wouldnâ€t want to share a marquee with Rip because: “I donâ€t think Iâ€d want to because no one would notice me.”

Kathy Griffin didnâ€t do press but she did sign autographs for a very aggressive group that also swarmed around Alex Trebek and Susan Olsen. Publicist Harlan Boll, who was handling PR for the event, had profanities and slurs shouted at him by some of the autograph hounds and the police had to be called. Thankfully, most of the audience was already inside the theater and blissfully unaware of the ugliness going on outside.

The post Bruce Vilanch Takes In Rip Taylor’s “It Ain’t All Confetti” first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

www.bloggingkeywest.com
Comedy Writer Bruce Vilanch brings humor to Memorial Weekend in Key West
Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Bruce Vilanch became well known as a wisecracking regular on seasons 1-4 of the revamped Hollywood Squares, appearing with Whoopi Goldberg. Tourists spending Memorial Day in Key West will have the opportunity to enjoy an evening with Vilanch as he makes a special appearance. Vilanchâ€s one man show will take place at Key Westâ€s premiere gay bar, the Bourbon St. Pub.

“Viper-tongued Vilanch” is a multi-talented comedian whose career includes writing comedy material for numerous award shows, celebrities, as well as using his musical talent performing as Edna Turnbald in the national touring version of “Hairspray, the Musical”. Vilanch has also made it to the big screen in the movie You Donâ€t Mess with the Zohan and has had many cameos either as himself or in character.

The opening for Vilanch will be award-winning TV personality and host, the “Hilarious Hottie”, Scott Nevins. Nevins seems to be taking showbiz by storm on the TruTV hit show The Smoking Gun Presents, with critics calling him “A young, sexy, gay-er, Kathy Griffin“. This gorgeous guy will provide a performance jam packed with insider Hollywood gossip, outrageous tales and personal anecdotes.

Performances at the Bourbon St. Pub will take place Thursday and Friday, May 27 and 28. Showtime is at 9 p.m. and tickets are only $25. If you are looking to vacation in Key West during Memorial Day Weekend, consider a stay at the Knowles House Bed and Breakfast to make your Memorial celebration memorable.

The post Bruce Vilanch To Play Key West Memorial Day Weekend first appeared on We Got Bruce!.