"Gallery Girls" + The Arts

Last week, I caught the series premiere of Gallery Girls, the latest reality TV show on the Bravo network. It's about a group of young women -- many of which "come from money" -- who aspire to have careers in the New York City art scene. Most of them are working in galleries as interns. Some of them want to be art dealers/buyers. Some of them are working to open their own galleries.

The NYC art blogosphere has blown up in response over this past week -- in fact, some NYC artsies have invented drinking games to go along with the show.

And in spite of my appreciation for the girls' sense of style, I have to admit that I side with majority of commentary from the artsy blogs I've read. The tragic flaw with these girls is that they want the money and the fabulous life of the NYC art world, but don't seem to be willing to do much of the work that it takes to get there. I have to laugh at the absurdity of the girls sweeping gallery floors in mile-high Louboutin heels. I shake my head at those intern girls who balk at the idea that they might actually be expected to do things and show up on time while they are at work.

Not to mention the fact that when it comes to working in any type of art (and in that, I include writing, music, and other mediums besides paint or sculpture), it takes time to be successful. In fact, most artists do not see financial success in their lifetimes. If you know your art history -- as many of these art-history-degree-holding gallerinas should -- then you know that many of the greatest artists did not see monetary success in their lifetimes. So many artists throughout history have spent their lives in poverty while they struggled to make livings for themselves through their art. As a result of the frustrations brought on by this struggle, many of them succumbed to depression, drug/alcohol addiction, and other demons ... which is part of the reason why one sees so many great artists who died at age 40 or younger. And then, of course, after the artist's death is when their work will actually start to bank.

But none of this matters to the gallerinas. They go on blowing their parents' trust funds, thinking that the money will just continue to fall into their laps -- and then they act surprised when people are upset with them for showing up late (or not at all), or when they're otherwise not willing/ready to work. (They also act surprised when Mom & Dad cut them off.)

That's my two cents (or more) on it, anyhoo. There's more vids where the trailer came from on Bravo's Gallery Girls webpage, if you wanna check it out and get the full extent of what I'm talking about. The next episode will be on tomorrow night as well; check your listings.

T.G.I.F. + TV + Tonys!

Katy Perry's Last Friday Night Music Video from Katy Perry

BIG pop culture day today!  First off, today is the world premiere of the music video for Katy Perry’s latest single:  “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”  The vid features several cameos from many well-known faces such as Darren Criss and Kevin McHale from the smash hit TV show Glee, cewebrity Rebecca Black, and 90s music stars Hanson and Kenny G.

Theatre buffs will have their eyes glued to the Tony Awards tonight, which will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.  In the US, the awards will be broadcast on CBS – check your local listings for time and channel.  You can check out the nominees and choose your favorites at the official website for the Tony Awards!

And those of you who have been watching Oprah Winfrey’s new television network – which she has been focusing on since finishing the run of her show – tonight, you’ll get to watch the premiere of Finding Sarah, which chronicles the personal struggles of Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York.  Check the Oprah Winfrey Network website for time and channel in your location.

The Tony Awards

Last night's Tony Awards were described by some of this humble blogger's acquaintances as "a hot mess".  The #tonys hashtag on Twitter was full of people complaining about the audio gaffes, as well as a few of the performances.  (In particular, Catherine Zeta-Jones' rendition of Sondheim's "Send In the Clowns" got a lot of mixed reaction.)  We also saw an ever-increasing number of film and television actors transitioning over to the stage, with Denzel Washington winning his first Tony for his performance in this year's revival of Fences, which also got the win for Best Revival of a Play.

Nonetheless, it had some very touching highlights.  Of course, there was also lots of fangirling out of me to see some of my favorite ladies of Broadway -- Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Bernadette Peters, and Angela Lansbury -- as well as much coveting of Scarlett Johansson's dress.  It also featured a number of plays and musicals that I would be very excited to see.  I'm hoping that some of them will go on national tours soon, so that I might get the chance to see them in Chicago.  Maybe before my birthday in less than a month?  Hint hint?  ;-)  HINT HINT?  Anyway, here's a list of them.

FELA!  The Musical - Produced for Broadway by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith, "Fela!" is a celebration of the life and work of Nigerian musician and political activist Fela Kuti.  Fela Kuti is one of many artists responsible for bringing the Afrobeat genre to a global audience, and this musical features a number of his best-known songs.  From what I saw at the Tonys, it is an explosive, colorful musical featuring fantastic music and spectacular choreography.  In fact, Bill T. Jones took home the Tony for Best Choreography last night for this show.  Visit the official site for ticket info, news, and more!

In The Next Room, or the vibrator play - "In The Next Room" is a comedic look at late Victorian-era methods for treating what they called "female hysteria" -- or what in truth is female sexual arousal/frustration/tension.  Yes, "hysteria" was a commonly given -- and medically treated -- diagnosis at the time, and doctors would actually treat it by using what amounts to an electric vibrator.  (Read more info about all this at Wikipedia.)  But this play is more than just a silly comedy with a scandalous gimmick;  it's about love and relationships as well.  It appears as though the play is not currently open on Broadway, but I do hope to see it performed soon, in both professional and community theatre companies all over!

La Cage Aux Folles - The campy and riotous musical about Georges and Albin, a gay male couple who have been in a relationship for many years, and own a nightclub in Saint-Tropez. Georges works at the club as the emcee, and Albin is the headliner, performing in drag under the name Zaza. Georges also has a son who is engaged to a woman. When Georges' son wants to introduce his fiancée's rigid and conservative parents to Georges and Albin, hilarity ensues. This revival took home the Tony last night for Best Revival of a Musical.  The revival stars Kelsey Grammer as Georges, and Douglas Hodge as Albin/Zaza.  Their performance at the awards last night was one of the highlights of the ceremony, so if you can get a chance to see it, it is not to be missed!  Visit the official site for ticket info, news, and more!

Memphis - And the Tony winner last night for Best Musical!  It's about the early days of rock n' roll, underground clubs, the corruption and segregation of radio stations, and the racial tension in general that punctuated the time period.  It was said by many Tony tweeters last night that the "Memphis" performance at the ceremony did not do the actual show justice.  I would really like to see if the word on the Tweet was right.  Visit the official site for ticket info, news, and more!

Latest TV Addiction: RuPaul's Drag Race

Image from Wikipedia

Speaking as a so-called "actual" woman -- and by that, I mean a person who was biologically born female and continues to identify herself as such -- I have always harbored an admiration for drag queens. It has always seemed to me as though they have an outlook, a sense of style, and a perception of self that "actual" women, including myself, can learn from.

Which is probably the reason why I get so much enjoyment out of RuPaul's reality competition on the Logo television network (and also airing on VH1), entitled RuPaul's Drag Race -- which is coming up to the end of its second season. To illustrate what I am talking about when I refer to that perception of self that drag queens seem to possess, but seems to be lacking in many so-called "actual" women, I quote the line that Ru uses to close every episode of this show: "if you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gon' love somebody else?" You certainly get an amen from me, Ru.

In any case, this is a really fun show, with lots of laughable moments, and several competitors who, unlike many other reality shows, you genuinely want to root for. In particular, I refer to Ongina from Season 1, who makes a very shocking and poignant revelation at the end of the MAC Viva Glam episode.

I have included a link in my Amazon.com store where you can purchase episodes that are available for download, or you can also watch full streaming episodes of Season 1 and Season 2 on the official website. Check it out!