The Amber Live! Interviews: Recent Episodes
Amber Live!
Celebrities, famous and infamous people, and the most interesting among us! Amber LeMay is the "Larry King of drag queens," and these are the interviews from the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live! New interviews released weekly or watch www.AmberLive.tv.
Our guests have included Carole Baskin of Tiger King, Comedian K. Trevor Wilson of Letterkenny, Francois Clemmons of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, actor Hal Sparks of Queer as Folk, hip hop superstar DC Glenn of Tag Team, Charles Busch, RuPaul’s Drag Race alumna including Charlie Hides, Mrs. Kasha Davis and Tammie Brown, and MANY more! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/amberlive/support
What happens when drag queens fly? Find out this week when Amber sits down with Jay Claypool, also known as Dixie Crystal! Jay spent many years in the Air Force, and Amber finds out all about that, Jay's drag career, and the famous politicians Jay served. Jay Claypool is a 20+ year Air Force veteran, and freshman author originally from Augusta, Georgia. As a young drag performer, and frequent night club fixture, Jay strives to be a source of inspiration to anyone with wild ambition who also may be doubting their sexuality, individuality, and artistic freedom, specifically within the ranks of the military. Jay currently lives in Washington, DC with his Navy veteran husband, Douglas.
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Another week, another show! This time it's with the incredible Stella D'oro who can call Amber YOUNG KID! You'll have to watch the show to find out Stella's age, but she is still performing every week in NYC! She is also working harder than ever to bring awareness to HIV vaccine trials throughout the country. Stella is one amazing gal, who has had an incredible life. PLUS, special guest host Rocco Zamboni, Boog 'n Shoog, News Briefs, and all the craziness that happens each week on Amber Live!
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It's happened again. Someone threatened a Drag Story Hour, this time in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Just a few weeks ago, James Lantz was on Amber Live talking about the problem of suicide in the Lancaster transgender community, and now we can see the proof that the transgender community is under attack there. Amie Vanité joins Amber to share her life and her experiences with this incident that shut down her story hour.
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Amber loves a great show, and this week's guest puts on an amazing show! Robert Anthony Jones (RAJ) has acted on stages all over the country, and has even been in a show with our own Rocco Zamboni! RAJ has lots of great stories, and he and Amber swap stories of the stage! You won't want to miss it!
RAJ was proudly born and raised on Long Island, New York! Just a stone's throw away from the city, his parents took him to see Broadway shows all the time. He first fell in love with theatre when he was cast as a workhouse orphan in Oliver at school. I didn't get Oliver, because according to the producer I was too "healthy looking."
RAJ graduated from Hofstra University holding a BFA in Theatre Arts. With Shakespeare under his belt and his Long Island accent under control, he was ready to take on the world! He worked extensively in regional houses, internationally in Italy and Spain, and all over New York City. He even starred in a children's video series, Drew's Famous Magical Jukebox, for which he says he can be openly mocked to this day!
RAJ appeared in the original Off-Broadway Cast (and original Off-Broadway Cast recordings) of The Prince and the Pauper at the historic Lamb's Theatre in the heart of Times Square, and Bunnicula (based on the children's books) at the Daryl Roth Theatre. Not long after that RAJ made his Broadway debut in Finding Neverland, playing the roles of Mr. Cromer and Mr. Henshaw on and off for over a year. Eventually he took over the role of Mr. Cromer and was part of the final company. Three weeks later, he joined the National Tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway mega-hit, The Phantom of the Opera.
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Justin Elizabeth Sayre is a playwright and performer who Michael Musto called, “Oscar Wilde meets Whoopi Goldberg.” Sayre is a fixture of the Downtown Cabaret Scene in New York, first with their long-running variety show, The Meeting (Bistro Award-winning & 2 MAC nominations). They are currently in residency at Joe's Pub at the Public with their new variety show, Assorted Fruit. As a playwright, Sayre’s work has appeared at Dixon Place, The Wild Project, The Celebration Theatre, Dynasty Typewriter, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre.
Their 12-part-epic Ravenswood Manor, a Camp-Horror-Soap-Opera, called “a sharply written and well-acted exemplar of the horror comedy genre,” by the LA Times and is currently being developed with Sony Television and Rupaul.
Sayre has written a series of YA Novels, Husky, Pretty, and Mean, released by Penguin Books, and the book, From Gay to Z: A Compendium of Queer Culture just released by Chronicle Books. Sayre has written for Television, working with Michael Patrick King on his Hit CBS comedy, 2 Broke Girls and Fox's The Cool Kids. Sayre also appeared on HBO’s The Comeback with Lisa Kudrow. They are NYCLU artist ambassador and a 2023 MacDowell Fellow.
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James Lantz, the Angry Gay Grandpa, is incredible. Let's just say it up front. And this week, he returns to Amber Live to tell you about his very important new projects, and some personal news. You won't want to miss this episode to hear what is going on with James.
James Lantz is an award-winning filmmaker and playwright who has been writing and directing film and theater work for over three decades.
As a teen, James began working as a country radio DJ in the same station where music legend Patsy Cline got her start where he learned the craft from a number of colorful old timers. Later he taught high school in a farming program called Vocational Agriculture where he was honored to be named Teacher of the Year.
He has written, directed and produced over 200 commercial and corporate films, many for Fortune 500 Companies such as American Airlines, Alamo Rental Cars, Amtrak and Mobil Oil.
As a playwright, James’s work has been produced Off-Broadway, played nationally and internationally. New York theater critic Weston Clay called his award-winning LGBTQ play, THE BUS, “Theater magic,” and British Theatre Guide said it was “fascinating.” On its premiere in Vermont the Burlington Free Press called it, “Extraordinary.”
THE BUS won the State Winner Award for The Clauder Prize in 2016.
His play, AMERICAN MACHINE, was a co-commissioned project of The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts and premiered to sold out houses and positive reviews. The Burlington Free Press called it, “Powerful.”
His Kickstarter-funded documentary about a Vermont trademark conflict over the phrase “Eat More Kale” premiered in Vermont in 2021. SevenDays gave VERMONT AND THE BRIGHT GREEN NOTHING a Four-Star review and called it “…a fascinating case study in documentary filmmaking.”
James recently completed touring his Award-Winning Short Film A JUDDERING on the national film festival circuit where it was honored at ten different festivals winning Best Director, Best Short Film and Critic’s Choice awards. Previously James programmed films for The Brooklyn Museum of Art, and worked as an adjunct college instructor.
Currently he’s developing a commercial film project called, NOT LOSING YOU, about the father of a Trans teen contending with new anti-Trans laws.
James is also developing Angry Gay Grandpa, a web series about three Trans teen suicides that occurred in a single year in a small town in Pennsylvania, along with a PSA supporting Trans and Queer Youth.
He came out as gay two years ago on National Coming Out Day. You can read his Coming Out letter to his wife here.
James has also been public about his diagnosis five years ago with a rare Sarcoma cancer which has left him partially disabled. Despite it metastasizing to stage 4, he still believes it’s possible to change the world for the better — and he’s working to complete critical parts of the Not Losing You Film Project prior to the 2024 presidential election.
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Maripat Donovan is a Chicago-born actress and writer best known as the creator and original star of the hit comedy play Late Nite Catechism. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Donovan attended Catholic grammar and high school before studying at Loyola University on the city's North Side.Donovan's early career was rooted in theater, working behind the scenes building and designing sets for her high school and college theater departments. She later started her own construction company renovating houses for several years. In 1985, Donovan returned to acting as an understudy in the play Portrait of a Shiksa, earning a Jeff Citation for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. She received another Jeff Citation for her ensemble work in The Good Times Are Killing Me.In 1993, Donovan co-created the comedy Late Nite Catechism with her writing partner Vicki Quade. The participatory theater piece features a sole actress playing a Catholic nun interacting with the audience as students. Donovan originated the role of "Sister" and has starred in virtually every production across the United States, London, Dublin and Toronto over the past three decades.Late Nite Catechism became a massive hit, becoming the longest-running show in Chicago history and the longest-running one-character comedy off-Broadway. For her work, Donovan was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award and two Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, winning for Best Solo Performance in 1999. The show has raised over $2 million for retired nuns in need as of 2012.
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Amber LeMay loves finding new talent, and this week we bring you the brought her show to the well known cabaret 54 Below! Amber and Tara chat all about her career, how she got started and where she wants to go! Tara BullTara Bull is an emerging NYC drag queen that began her journey in 2018. First performing at The Duplex then going on to host her own show, the self-titled “Tara Bull Show” at City Winery. She moved on to debut at 54 Below creating the popular show “Broadway’s A Drag”, an all drag queen cast singing Broadway’s best show tunes with the all drag band “The Bad Judies”. Tara can also be seen on Youtube on the ‘Haus of Jizzelle’ channel where you can see her in “Gays Guessing Sports”, “Gays Guessing Bods”, and “Too Big”, a music video she co-wrote and starred in. Previous appearances include: “Sahourny Beaver’s Christmas in July Spectacular”, “Slay Belles”, and “Category Is”. Tara can also be found at pop up gigs and open competitions at The Ritz and The Spot, and anything else she can get her hands on.
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Amber loves a good political story, and the Rooster LOVES to crow about them. Meet D.J. Byrnes, the past Ohio House candidate, who broke the infamous Urban Meyer lap dance story, causing the Wall Street Journal to write a story about him. D.J. writes and publishes The Rooster on Substack and has covered all the depravity of Ohio politics and more. "D.J. Byrnes, a former Ohio House candidate from [Marion, Ohio] and the person who broke the Urban Meyer lap dance story, digs for dirt and casts a jaundiced eye on what he calls “the corrupt lizard cabal that controls Ohio’s local and state governments.”- Columbus MonthlyYou won't want to miss this one, as you won't believe the tales he has to tell. Just what IS going on in Ohio? D.J. Byrnes can tell you, so sit down and listen.
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Amber loves shiny, and glitter always gets her attention! This week it's Glitter and Concrete, a new book by Elyssa Maxx Goodman. Amber and Elyssa will explore the history of drag in NYC! You'll want to see every second of this interview.Elyssa Goodman is a writer and photographer specializing in arts and culture. Her work has been published in Vogue, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Vanity Fair, and others online and in print. Elyssa has also written about LGBTQ+ history and culture for Conde Nast’s them, where she was the site’s “Drag Herstory” and Queer Women's History columnist. She has been a freelance writer for 19 years and in love with drag for 28 years, since the age of seven. Glitter and Concrete is her first book.
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Renowned Artist and Painter Paul VerBurg
Amber LeMay loves to meet amazing new people, and this week is no exception! The amazing artist, Paul VerBurg, spends time with Amber to explore the history and depth of his work, as well as some fun stories from his life. Find out what influenced his career as Paul shows off work from his current exhibit at the Evanston Art Center, as well as his sculptures, landscapes, and even his incredible series of cowboys of the American west. Paul also has a big announcement to make to the Amber Live community. PAUL VERBURGverburgstudio.comPaul VerBurg is a full time artist and painter, trained in drawing and painting at The Art Institute of Chicago (BFA), and Art Center College of Design. A recent transplant from Arizona, he now lives in Okemos, Michigan.Experimentation with media and blending of genres began for him in the 1980’s. The majority of his work now focuses on the abstract qualities found in the physical world and translating them into drawings and paintings. His current studio practice includes not only oil on canvas painting, but drawing and sculptural/assemblage work.His earlier more traditional cowboy work was seen in several national museum shows (Eiteljorg Museum, Autry Museum of the American West, Wichita Art Museum, and the Museum of Northern Arizona), as well as galleries from coast to coast. His work has been featured in Southwest Art Magazine, and Art of the West.“Over the years the evolution of my artistic endeavors came about organically. For 35 years I was largely self-taught and my practice followed what I could learn on my own from artist books and viewing original work. I began by drawing and painting the people and life around me. Rodeo was a part of my life then, and the landscape was easily accessible, so my subjects were what I knew, the people and the land and my imagery reflected that realism. But I’ve always been drawn to the American Modernists and the Abstract Expressionists so early on I made a conscious choice to always begin work with an eye toward the abstract qualities of an image.When I turned 50, I went back to school to see if I was missing out on anything … the resulting work I am very happy with. My current show ISOLATION AND INTROSPECTION, at the Evanston Art Center, Evanston Illinois, is up until February 18th."
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Paige TurnerNYC’s most recognizable names in drag “Showbiz Spitfire” PAIGE TURNER! Known as the love child of Barbie & Pee Wee Herman, This 2-time Glam Award winner tours internationally in her All -Live Sung one woman shows. She recently signed on as a headliner for OUTBOUND TRAVEL and has a summer residency in Provincetown at the acclaimed Post Office Café & Cabaret. Paige coined the phrase Slurp! which was NYC’s longest running drag show for 9.5 years. She was an original cast member of the reality show Shade: QUEENS OF NYC, on the Fusion Network and has been featured numerous times on WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE! With Andy Cohen On Bravo, even portraying Mary Poppins for Dame Julie Andrews! Most recently she guest starred on Law and Order in a Drag Story Hour relate episode. “Paige Turner is the ultimate theater queen and always gets everyone to sing along.” THE NEW YORK TIMES“Paige has a Broadway powerhouse voice, filled with good cheer and openness! CABARET SCENES“Hilarious and delectably witty!” OUT MAGAZINEIn the same vein as the Carol Burnett Show and Pee Wee Herman!” HUFFINGTON POST“Paige is an excellent singer and performer with a gift for selling songs!” BROADWAY WORLD
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Mr. Roger Neighborhood's Officer Francois Clemmons on 2023, 2024 and what we can expect! Amber LeMay interviews one of her favorite subjects on his life, the world, and she even gets him to sing a song! Don't miss the incredibly amazing Francois Clemmons, aka Divaman!
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Andrew Seidel of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State talks with Amber LeMay about his life, career, and Christian Nationalism's affect on our country and democracy.Andrew is a constitutional and civil rights attorney and the author of two books: The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American and American Crusade: How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom. He's also co-editor of an academic text, Law and Religion: Cases and Materials 5th Edition, with Prof. Leslie Griffin of UNLV law school.Andrew’s been fighting to keep state and church separate for more than a decade. Currently, Andrew is the VP of Strategic Communications at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the largest organization fighting for that founding principle. Previously, Andrew served as a constitutional attorney at the Freedom From Religion Foundation beginning in 2011 and later as the Director of Strategic Response, running a nimble unit known as the Strategic Response Team.Andrew is a Senior Correspondent at Religion Dispatches, a prolific author of opeds and scholarly articles. He organized and contributed to the groundbreaking report “Christian Nationalism at the January 6, 2021, Insurrection,” which was published by the Baptist Joint Committee and FFRF and which aroused congressional interest. He’s appeared on Fox News to debate Bill O’Reilly, MSNBC, and hundreds of other media outlets.Andrew graduated cum laude from Tulane University ('04) with a B.S. in neuroscience and environmental science and magna cum laude from Tulane University Law School ('09, part of the first post-Katrina class), where he was awarded the Haber J. McCarthy Award for excellence in environmental law. He studied human rights and international law at the University of Amsterdam and traveled the world on Semester at Sea. Andrew completed his Master of Laws at Denver University Sturm College of Law ('11) with a perfect GPA and was awarded the Outstanding L.L.M. Award for his work as the Erik Bluemel International Environmental Law Fellow. Before dedicating his life and law degree to keeping state and church separate, Andrew was a Grand Canyon tour guide and an accomplished nature photographer.
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Drag King Legend Mo B. Dick
Cited as one of the founding fathers of the modern day drag king movement, drag king legend Mo B. Dick pioneered many firsts. In 1996, Mo created Club Casanova in New York City, which was the world's first weekly drag king party. In 1998 Mo took Club Casanova on the road for the first ever drag king tour of U.S. and Canada.
Mo caught the attention of famed cult filmmaker, John Waters, who personally cast Mo in his film Pecker. And Mo was featured in Troma Entertainment's film Terror Firmer, History Lessons by Barbara Hammer; documentaries: Venus Boyz; Y2K: Drag Kings on MTV; God Shave the Queen on HBO; television shows: Sex & the City, Super Fun Night and multiple theater productions.
In 2018, Mo teamed up with fellow drag king Ken Vegas of Washington, D.C. to co-create the website DragKingHistory.com. In 2020, they granted permission for the website to be archived in The U.S. Library of Congress. Also in 2020, Mo hosted and co-produced Kings of the World, a monthly global cyber drag king variety show, that featured drag kings from 6 of the 7 continents which had never been done before.
Mo B. Dick has been the subject of books, documentaries, articles, periodicals, podcasts and more on drag kings proving he is a force to reckon with.
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Cory Allen grew up in rural western Pennsylvania before a divorce between his parents moved the family to a conservative suburb of Richmond, Virginia. He got his first job at fifteen at a family restaurant and bar. He soon found his voice and love for music and took steps to become a performer, even traveling to Nashville, TN to record in a studio. Floundering aimlessly, he ended up in the Air Force in 2001, which led to a career in local law enforcement. However, this meant hiding his sexual orientation.In 2009, Cory quietly married his first boyfriend and came out to his family. He was later hired by the U.S. Secret Service as a Special Agent and sent to Miami, FL, working high level protective assignments and criminal investigations. He and his husband relocated to Washington, D.C., but extensive Secret Service work weakened the relationship and the couple later divorced. At the pinnacle of his career, he left the Secret Service to restart his life in California and begin the process of finally being his own person.
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Make Me Gorgeous! is the fabulous and incredible true story of Kenneth Marlowe, an oft-overlooked trailblazer in LGBTQ+ history. Described as one of mid-Century America’s gayest and most openly homosexual personalities, Marlowe took on many roles in life. Kenneth was a private hairdresser to the stars; the madam of a notorious gay prostitution ring in Hollywood; an author; a hustler; a female impersonator; a private in the U.S. Army; a call boy; a Christian missionary; a mortuary cosmetologist; a newspaper columnist … and for the final decade of an incredibly lived life, Marlowe was a woman, having transitioned to become Kate Marlowe.Make Me Gorgeous! is adapted from Donnie’s book, Mr. Madam: The Life and Times of Kenneth/Kate Marlowe, the culmination of years of research and interviews and establishing Donnie as one of the foremost historians to chronicle Kenneth/Kate Marlowe’s life. A new edition of the book, retitled Us, further explores the life of Kenneth/Kate Marlowe.triangle productions! will present the new York premiere of Make Me Gorgeous!, The True Story of Kenneth "Mr. Madam" Marlowe, written and directed by Donnie, and starring Wade McCollum (Broadway: Wicked, the upcoming Water For Elephants. West End: It Happened In Key West), who also contributed additional material. The limited engagement is now playing Off-Broadway at Playhouse 46 at St. Luke’s (308 W. 46th Street) through December 31. The official opening night takes place during Transgender Awareness Week, November 15 at 7PM. For tickets and further information, visit GorgeousPlay.com.“Throughout my career it’s been important to me to tell the stories of real people who have inspired me and who could inspire others. When I discovered Kenneth Marlowe, I knew I had to tell their story,” says Donnie. “Kenneth/Kate Marlow has been almost-forgotten pioneer of the LGBTQ movement. Unabashed with their life, you could say that they were a trailblazer before there was a trail to be blazed. After writing his story as a book book, I am now delighted to be debuting Make Me Gorgeous in New York during Transgender Awareness Week.”
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An interview with actress and cabaret performer Christine PediChristine the “Lady of 1000 Voices" first discovered her talent for multiple personalities (Merman, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters etc) thru her long association with the legendary off Broadway revue FORBIDDEN BROADWAY having performed in companies all over the world including Londons West End, Japan, Los Angeles, NYC, Singapore & DEEtroit. She received a Drama Desk nomination for her work in FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD (Liza, Rosie Perez, Judi Dench, Sharon Stone etc) as well as an LA Ovation & NAACP AwardShe also brought her collection of Divas to off B'ways long running NEWSICAL the Musical and recently starred in and co-produced SPAMILTON: An American Parody written by Forbidden Broadways creator Gerard Allessandrini..On Broadway she played Mama Morton ( yes just one character...all night) in the 2nd longest running musical of all time CHICAGO (THE longest running AMERICAN musical BTW.) Her Broadway debut was in LITTLE ME with Martin Short & Faith Prince, directed by Rob Marshall and she played several peculiar callers (again with the voices) opposite Liev Schreiber (well not opposite ... she was in the basement of the Longacre Theatre talking into a microphone while he was acting and smoking on stage but it was dynamic) in Eric Bogosians TALK RADIO directed by Robert Falls.Speaking of radio she is the daily host of SIRIUS XM RADIOS On Broadway channel playing music of the stage & screen and interviewing Show Biz legends (Mon-Fri 9am-3pm ch 72) On Saturday she and the "aMAHzing" Seth Rudetsky co-host the DUELING DIVAS. Fans of Howard Stern can hear her provide the occasional celebrity voice on his Sirius morning show. Off Broadway she played the title role in MISS ABIGAILS GUIDE TO DATING MATING AND MARRIAGE and A BROADWAY DIVA CHRISTMAS. At The York Theatre she performed in JERRYS GIRLS and had the coveted (yes COVETED!) Joann Worley track in THE MAD SHOW as well as the Lanie Kazan role in MY FAVORITE YEAR. She's appeared in many incarnations of THE A TRAIN PLAYS, THE 24 HOUR PLAYS and many glorious PROJECT SHAWS. Her cabaret show GREAT DAMES has won the New York Bistro & Nitelife Awards and has played NYC, Los Angeles, London, South Africa & beyond. THERE’S NO BIZNESS LIKE SNOW BIZNESS her holiday show has been a seasonal staple in NYC since 2008. She’s performed in that “cutie patootie” John McD’s Cabaret Corner on the Rosie O’Donnell Show and sung in many major NYC venues & cruiseships including Birdland, Feinsteins/54 Below, The Iridium, ,The Metropolitan Room, The Algonquin, The Laurie Beechman, Avery Fisher Hall, Don’t Tell Mamas...and the QE2...AND she's performed for President & Mrs Clinton (playing a singing HIllary!) Fans of THE SOPRANOS may recognize her as Mrs Bobby Baccala. (4 scenes, 5 lines ... dead. BUT he loved her so much he couldn't defrost her ziti!) and she recently escaped the clutches of DR DEATH on NBC PEACOCK She has many popular comic videos on Youtube includin many SHIT LIZA SAYS videos including LIZA :At This Performance and LIZA: HELLO DOLLY AUDITIONS.
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LIFESTYLE GURU GIVES TOP TIPS ON LIFE OUTSIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
A MULTI-talented lifestyle specialist is taking the inspirational tips he’s shared on his
online channels and turned them into a “must have” book.
Former TV presenter Robert E Blackmon is a well-known face, having spent more
than 30 years in front of the camera, commenting on everything from celebrities to
fashion.
Born in the mid-West, Robert lived in LA working for major networks such as
Paramount and E! and could often be spotted at such glittering events as Elton
John’s Oscar Party.
He gave up his star-studded lifestyle to live in the Canadian countryside with his
partner but has now found a new audience online – clocking up around two million
followers.
And now his advice on everything from writing a thank you letter to hosting a dinner
party is being shared in print, thanks to a partnership with a unique print company
which turns creators’ online content into stylish books.
Robert has written a number of books over the years, beginning with a unique
wedding guide aimed at same sex couples.
“At the time there was absolutely no advice for gay couples on how to plan a
wedding, so I decided I’d write one,” he said.
It is finding a gap in the market that has inspired Robert, which is why he has created
Home 365 – How to Enjoy Your Living Space All Year Round in conjunction with
publishing company, Found.
“While social media can be amazing – and it’s where I have found an incredible
following – it’s also important that people live a life outside of it,” he said.
“I realized that we seemed to have completely lost the art of conversation and the
ability to do simple things that in the past people have taken for granted.
“Things like writing a letter, sending a thank you card, how to set the table - just
everyday things that show good manners and are also real skills for life.
“What I’ve tried to do is come with things that you can build into your life every day
and hopefully it will enhance it.”
Robert’s no nonsense, simply solutions to everyday problems have helped gain him
a captive audience on social media and it this advice which he is sharing in his new
book.
And fans will also be able to enjoy Robert’s advice throughout the year, as he is also
releasing his very own calendar for 2024.
It’s the latest twist on a life which has seen Robert create a whole host of
opportunities - from launching his own diet plan after he lost 20lbs to writing a book
about his mother.
He draws inspiration from the queen of hosting, cooking and entertaining – Martha
Stewart.
“I am the gay, black version of Martha Stewart,” said Robert with a smile.
“I want to use my 20 years plus of giving advice on all aspects of creating your own
lifestyle and making the most of your home to ensure that people really can live their
best lives.”
Copies of Robert’s book is available at
https://found.us/lifestyle-books/650ad1ab498a6b9df8a34639 at CA$52.99 and
US$36.99.
Robert also has a Calendar available at
https://found.us/calendars/6541247c97b6217fe478bcc9 at CA$33.39 and US$25.49
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Kyle Lukoff, award winning children's book authorKyle Lukoff is the author of many books for young readers. His debut middle-grade novel, Too Bright To See, received a Newbery honor, the Stonewall award, and was a National Book Award finalist. His picture book When Aidan Became A Brother also won the Stonewall, and his book Call Me Max has been banned in schools across the country. He has forthcoming books about apologies, vegetables, death, unicycles, and lots of other topics. While becoming a writer he worked as a bookseller for ten years, and then nine more years as a school librarian.
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Human Bone Jewelry and a Gay Ghost | Meet Darker Arts' Raquel "Rocky" DigatiRaquel "Rocky" Digati is an artist, writer and musician who hails originally from Bristol, Rhode Island. She has loved bones, skulls, bones and all things odd and grim since she was a kid walking around in the historic cemeteries of New England. Her dad ( and her sister, uncle and cousin) all were/are artists and art teachers. She's the black sheep of the family... as she works in the medical IT field by day, is an artist and writer by night, and a ( sometime) rock star singing and playing music on the weekends. She lives in a spooky old Victorian home in rural, South NJ. She thanks you for stopping by... and hopes you find bones, her work, and the world around us to be as curious odd, and beautiful as she does.
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A Scary Tale From Thea Lewis Ghost Tour Guide and AuthorThea Lewis Vermont native Thea Lewis is a writer and creator of special events. When not touring, she’s stirring up fun with speaking engagements, pop-up events and big productions like Queen City Ghostwalk’s Halloween season showing of the classic film, Rocky Horror Picture Show. In addition to her work with The History Press, Thea has written a book for kids, There’s a Witch In My Sock Drawer! (Peapod Press, 2011). Her new book, True Crime Stories of Burlington, Vermont, was released in September, 2023. Find all of her books at independent booksellers like Phoenix Books in Burlington and Essex, Vermont and at amazon.com.
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A Village Ghost by Duane Scott CernyDuane Scott Cerny Duane Scott Cerny is the co-owner of The Broadway Antique Market, Chicago oldest and largest multi-dealer vintage emporium. He is an essayist (New York Times), columnist (It's All My Fault, NYC's Village View), Poet, Performance Storyteller & Recording Artist, Les Disques De La Mort, France. He can be seen on AmberLive.TV, Vermont's LGBTQ comedy talk show, with his segments "Amber's Crazy in the Attic."
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Charles F. Rosenay!!! True Ghost Stories of Connecticut!Charles F. RosenayCharles F. Rosenay!!! of Orange may be best known in Connecticut as the producer of the Connecticut Beatles conventions and festivals for over four decades, or as a professional DJ/MC/Entertainer for as many years. Last year, he published his first book, a pop culture collection titled “The Book of Top 10 Horror Lists,” which presented lists of favorite monster movies, actors, and other themes from one hundred celebrities. That first effort was finished during the pandemic, and now Charles has completed his second book, “True Ghost Stories of Connecticut.” In this new book, some of Connecticut’s best-known paranormal investigators, psychics, mediums, and ghost-hunters join everyday people in sharing their most memorable, scariest, and most unbelievable – but true - stories of the supernatural. Not only are they all true, but they happened in Connecticut, one of the most haunted states in America.
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Tara Lipsyncki: Activist, Author of Letter From The Queen, and Owner of Mosaics: Community Bookstore & Venue in Provo, UTTara Lipsyncki (They/Them) is above all else, a proud transgender activist. With hundreds of published interviews and panel discussions on the topics of drag history, anti-trans legislation, First Amendment rights, body autonomy rights of minors and women, and more, Tara has been on the frontline of queer advocacy for over a decade. Since relocating back to Salt Lake City, UT from San Francisco, CA in 2019, Tara has worked tirelessly to bring diversity and inclusion to the forefront in the queer nightlife and entertainment communities. From being part of ARTEL talent in 2020, the first exclusively PoC and Trans owned and operated collective of queer artists in Utah history, to recently being the founding President of the non-profit The United Drag Alliance, an all Trans lead group bringing financial assistance to struggling members of the LGBTQIA+ community through the art of drag, in 2023.Coming from an extensive professional performance background, including skating professionally on Disney on Ice, Tara also has received professional recognitions including a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate for Drag Queens on Ice in 2018, Miss Golden Gate 2019, Miss Gay Pride 2021, and Miss Gay USofA Newcomer West Coast 2021. In 2023 Tara published their first children's book, Letter From The Queen, and is opening their own queer bookstore and performance venue 5 minutes from the Mormon stronghold of BYU in Provo, UT.
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Olivia Hill, Council Member at Large in Nashville fighting for transgender rights and more!Metro Nashville Councilmember At-Large Olivia Hill was elected to office on September 14, 2023. The first out transgender person to ever run for office in the Volunteer State, she is one of five At-Large members elected countywide. A Nashville native, Olivia is a product of public schools. She is a Navy veteran who served in the engineering division for a decade, seeing combat in Desert Storm. While in service, she gained expertise in electrical engineering, a skill set she used to become the Senior Supervisor of the Vanderbilt University power plant, where she managed a 24/7 operation with a budget of more than $100 million. In recent years, Olivia has emerged as a community leader, educating the public about difficulties faced by women and the LGBTQ+ community. She is frequently invited to speak to many organizations, including the Metro Nashville Police Academy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville School of Law, churches, and Metro Nashville Social Services. A member of the board of directors of the Tennessee Pride Chamber, she was the 2023 Grand Marshall of the city’s Pride celebration. She received Vanderbilt University’s Chancellor’s Heart and Soul Award in 2019 and was chosen as the LGBTQ Advocate of the Year in 2020. In 2021, she sued Vanderbilt University for discrimination she endured after her transition, a suit she settled the following year. Olivia is completing her book chronicling her life with gender dysphoria and her transition beginning in 2018.
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The Haunting Robusta Capp
Robusta Capp is a live singing drag performer and sometime male actress based in New York City. Working with nightlife folks such as Will Clark and former Empress of the Imperial Court of New York, Witti Repartee, honed her craft at The Ritz and Uncle Charlies in New York. She has also taken her incredibly well received two "girl" act, Dirty Little Ditties, with sister in song, Miss Jane Aquilina, across the United States. Robusta and her husband, P. William Pinto, also co-own their own theatre production company, Bizarre Noir, where they've put on over 30 shows in New York and Massachusetts over the past 16 years including Little Shop of Horrors, The Bad Seed, Die, Mommie, Die, and countless cabaret style shows, of which our latest is called Oh Wh*rey Night to premiere at the legendary Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street.
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Batman, Marc Tyler Nobleman, and Don't Say GayMarc Tyler Nobleman talks a lot about the creation of Batman. A lot. He has written about it, and there's even a documentary based on his work! An important point in the narrative that he tells uses the word 'gay." It's part of the story. But recently he was spoken to after his first talk in a series at a Georgia school and told not to say "gay" again. That made national news. Now, it's happened again in Texas. Find out directly from Marc what happened and what he did about it. Marc Tyler Nobleman, author/speakerMarc Tyler Nobleman is an author of books for young readers including Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, which helped change the Batman credit line and inspired the Hulu documentary Batman & Bill.
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Los Angeles' first Drag Laureate Pickle!Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live.Subscribe to our Youtube channel and visit our websitehttps://www.amberlive.tvPicklePickle is a live-singing, drag queen host, entertainer, and storyteller. A Los Angeles native, she attended Hamilton High School Academy of Music before receiving her BA in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College. Pickle has focused on blending education initiatives into her drag work and runs the LA chapter of Drag Story Hour. She has partnered with many organizations, including the Academy Museum, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the City of West Hollywood, the Independent Shakespeare Company, LA County Library, LA Public Library, LACMA, the Music Center, Tinder, and many more, to present unique and dynamic drag programming. Pickle is dedicated to expanding drag as a medium both for herself and for the community as a whole. She has appeared on television on NBC’s The Weakest Link, the Discovery Channel’s Dodgeball Thunderdome, and Tyler Perry’s Sistas. She collaborates regularly with live musicians to incorporate big-band sound into her performances and is committed to exploring new technologies for the art of drag, including artificial intelligence and virtual reality. She is the first Drag Laureate of the City of West Hollywood.
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House music pioneer Danny Alias shares the world premiere of his brand new music video Bed Bug LoveBrought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live.Subscribe to our Youtube channel and visit our websitehttps://www.amberlive.tvDanny AliasDanny Alias is an American house music artist and playwright born in Norridge, Illinois. In 1984, he co-founded Persona Records with David Bell and released the single “Civil Defense,” an early example of Chicago house music which was played by DJ Ron Hardy. The label went on to release the first two singles by Jamie Principle and Frankie Knuckles: “Waiting on My Angel” and “Your Love.” In 2012, “Civil Defense” was re-issued on Kill the DJ, a French label founded by DJ Ivan Smagghe.In 1990, Alias created Chicago’s Broadway Antique Market, a 20,000 square-foot multi-dealer shop specializing in mid-century modern collectibles. In 2018, Thunderground Press published his book Selling Dead People’s Things: Inexplicably True Tales, Vintage Fails & Objects of Objectionable Estates with anecdotes from his career as a vintage dealer.Alias has also written two LGBT comedic spoofs, “Mrs. Hyde and the Case of the Gaslight Buggerings,” which debuted at the Athenaeum Theatre in 2009, and “The Bloody Fabulous Curse of Dragula,” which debuted at Mary’s Attic Theatre in 2010.
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Tony nominated playwright, actor, & author, Charles Busch reads to us from his brand new book, Leading Lady! Amber also sits down with him to discuss his this new book, his new movie, and his upcoming new play. Charles Busch does it all! Find out where Charles is having appearances, book signings, and screenings of his work. CHARLES BUSCH has forged a unique place in the world of entertainment as playwright, actor, director, novelist, cabaret performer and drag icon. He is the author and star of over twenty-five plays including The Divine Sister, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, The Tribute Artist, The Confession of Lily Dareand Vampire Lesbians of Sodom; one of the longest running plays in the history of Off-Broadway. His play The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife ran for 777 performances on Broadway, won the Outer Circle Critics’ John L. Gassner Award for playwrighting, received a Tony nomination for Best Play and is the longest running Broadway comedy of the past twenty-five years. He wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays, Psycho Beach Party and Die Mommie Die, the latter of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival. For two seasons, he appeared as Nat Ginzburg on the HBO series OZ and is the author of the auto-biographical novel Whores of Lost Atlantis. He has directed two films; the Showtime short subject, Personal Assistant, and a feature, A Very Serious Person, which won an honorable mention at the Tribeca Film Festival. Due to his love and knowledge of film and theatre history, he has appeared as a guest programmer and in numerous documentaries for Turner Classic Movies, and has lectured and conducted master classes at many colleges and universities including NYU, Harvard, UCLA and Amherst College. In 2003, Mr. Busch received a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both performer and playwright and was given a star on the Playwrights Walk outside the Lucille Lortel Theatre. He is also the subject of the acclaimed documentary film The Lady in Question is Charles Busch.He is a two-time MAC award winner and has performed his cabaret act in many cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, London, Paris, Barcelona and New York. In winter of 2016, his show The Lady at the Mic premiered at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series. His first CD, Charles Busch Live at Feinstein’s 54 Below, was released by Broadway Records.
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The price of hate in the south as talented people move out! Dr. Jake Kleinmahon!In 2023, lawmakers in 46 states have introduced more than 650 anti-LGBTQ University for his undergraduate degree and then went on to obtain his MD and completed his residency in Pediatrics at Tulane University. He went on to complete subspecialty training in Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric Heart Transplant, Heart Failure, and Ventricular Assist Devices at Children’s Hospital Colorado. He joined the faculty at Ochsner Hospital for Children in 2018 where he served as the medical director of Ochsners pediatric heart transplant, heart failure and ventricular assist device programs. He also has advanced training in taking care of infants and children with pulmonary hypertension and runs a clinic dedicated to taking care of patients with pulmonary hypertension. While in Colorado, he was awarded the Colorado Chapter of the Pediatric Congenital Heart Association's Doctor of the Year award in 2017. He was also elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society as a resident.Dr. Kleinmahon is active in the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation and has been asked to present multiple times at international conferences. He is also active within the Pediatric Heart Transplant Society and works to improve healthcare disparities among different racial groups in pediatric heart transplant recipients. He is the principal investigator of the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study and Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network (ACTION) at Ochsner. He has been a part of the It Gets Better Project, serves on the Board of Directors of Covenant House New Orleans, and was awarded New Orleans Gay Man of the Year in 2022. He is married to his husband Tom and they have 2 kids, Isabel and Connor.
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The Man Who Fights for Your Rights, Mark Segal!
Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live. Subscribe to our Youtube channel and visit our website https://www.amberlive.tv
From the Stonewall riots to disrupting a live broadcast on CBS, meet the man who fights for your rights - Mark Segal. You won't believe your eyes and ears as Mark Segal shares the many stories of his life with Amber. The incredible things he has done to promote gay rights are too numerous to count, and it proves that one man can make a huge difference in this world.
Mark Segal
From pioneering history as a participant at the Stonewall Riots, to being a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front NY 1969-71 and founder of Gay Youth (the nation’s first organization to deal with bullying and suicide of LGBT youth), to being a marshal and member of the Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day Committee which created the world’s first Gay Pride in 1970, Mark Segal has been involved in LGBT civil rights since he moved to New York in May 1969.His campaign to end the invisibility of the LGBT Community in media had him create the campaign against the TV Networks to disrupt live TV shows, including The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite and the Today Show with Barbara Walters. Those disruptions changed the media and forced them to start covering the LGBT community fairly. As 5-time Emmy award winner Bruce Vilanch states “Before Will and Grace and Ellen, there was Mark Segal.” Almost 50 years after he disrupted NBC live broadcasts, today Mark serves on the Joint Diversity Council of Comcast NBC/Universal to continue to educate the network on LGBT issues.Founder of the Philadelphia Gay News and past president of both The National LGBT Press Association and The National Gay Newspaper Guild, Segal’s memoir “And Then I Danced: Traveling the road to LGBT Equality," was named best book by The National LGBT Journalists Association. His weekly syndicated column, “Mark My Words” has won numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalist and the National Newspaper Association.He partnered with the Obama administration to create and build the nation’s first official “LGBT Friendly” senior affordable housing apartment building. The 19.8 million dollar project, known as The John C. Anderson Apartments, opened in 2013.
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Three time Emmy Award winning actress, Cady McClain pops into Amber's studio to talk about her career in the soaps, her early movies and commercials, a documentary, and even her new role in Brad Forenza's podcast, Around The Sun. Cady shares great stories with Amber from all aspects of her amazing career. AND, Brad Forenza stops in to chat all about the new project Cady is a part of, season 3 of the Around the Sun podcast!
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Josh Brandon is the host of Overthinking Everything, a deconstruction of the cultisms that lead us down psychologically, ideologically, and spiritually dangerous paths. Through the lens of the social sciences, Josh explores the social phenomenon he calls "Toxic White Southern Culture" as well as the deliberate "Dumbing Down and Numbing Down of America". From generational trauma, religion, politics, pop-culture, hobbies, and more, Josh explores how, if we aren't educating ourselves and thinking critically, we're all subject to this culture of cultism.
Josh is a voice actor and performer for film, television, commercial, and stage. A public speaker, communication coach, and author, Josh's first Overthinking Everything e-Book "A Compassion Self-Analysis and Critical Thinking Workbook" is available now. A former radio personality, Josh programmed country radio stations for several years, offering a unique perspective to America's current racial climate. Josh is an anti-fascism activist, fighting white supremacy, anti-trans/anti-drag legislation, and calling out socio-cultural toxicities.
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Maebe A. Girl runs for US Congress!
Maebe A. Girl is the first drag queen ever elected to a public office in the United States, serving on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles since 2019. She was recently re-elected for a third term and serves as Treasurer and At-Large Representative.
Maebe is currently running for a seat in the US House of Representatives to represent CA-30 -the seat being vacated by Adam Schiff in 2024. She came in 2nd place out of 9 candidates in 2022 with over 60,000 votes in the General Election. If elected, she would be the first trans person federally elected to the United States government.
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Jimmy Gale (he/him), Southern Decadence Grand Marshal XLVII
Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live. Subscribe to our Youtube channel and visit our website https://www.amberlive.tv
Jimmy Gale has worked in the field of HIV Prevention and Care for nearly 15 years, following his own diagnosis. He now leads discussions on health equity, social justice and stigma reduction and the impacts they have on our fight to end HIV. A SF Bay Area native by birth, he has proudly called New Orleans his home for nearly 4 years. In the Bay, he was well known for his Drag persona and community mobilizing, but packed the wigs away when he moved to New Orleans… except for special occasions.
Jimmy is one of three Grand Marshals for this years Southern Decadence Parade, along with Nicole DuBois and Monica Synclaire-Kennedy. He is heavily involved with the leather and fetish community, serving on the board for the CrescentCity Leathermen, and bring sex positivity and sexual health education to the LGBTQ+ Community. Jimmy can be found slinging drinks behind the bar at the historic New Orleans Phoenix, the crescent city's only Leather/Bear/Fetish Bar, which recently celebrated 40 years.
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Francisco Ramos, Wellness Consultant & Owner of Zen Casa
Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live. Subscribe to our Youtube channel and visit our website https://www.amberlive.tv
As owner of Zen Casa, Francisco brings over 10 years of teaching and grounding practices to each of his students. He is a 500 hr trained yoga instructor, an ordained minister in New Thought, a breath work and sound bath facilitator, and a corporate wellness consultant. Francisco bridges the space of mind, body, and spirit to celebrate the unique expression in each of his students. Whether in corporate offices, individual homes, or at Zen Casa produced wellness retreats, Francisco assists in shifting perception to embrace the creative expansive being that is your True Self.
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Pole Dancer Colleen Jolly, CEO and Owner of PoleCon!
Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live. Subscribe to our Youtube channel and visit our website https://www.amberlive.tv
Amber takes a walk on the wild side when she talks with Colleen Jolly, CEO and Owner of PoleCon! Find out how Colleen started pole dancing, and why she is pulling Pole Con's annual convention out of Florida.
Colleen Jolly, CEO and Owner PoleCon
Colleen came to fitness later in life (29) and after a serious motorcycle accident shattered her right leg. Her teaching style and methods for training are a mix of functional movement, physical therapy, and contortion. She firmly believes that everyone can improve their mobility—she even wrote the book on it.
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California Gay Adventures! Founder and Executive Director Chris Kuwahara-Smith
Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live. Subscribe to our Youtube channel and visit our website https://www.amberlive.tv
Chris Kuwahara-Smith, Founder and Executive Director of California Gay Adventures chats with Amber about his amazing organization. Hear from Chris about both his round-the-world and everyday adventures!
Chris Kuwahara-Smith, Founder and Executive Director
California Gay Adventures mission is to create a community of connection and adventure for our LGBTQIA+ members through social events, outdoor activities, education, and community action. We offer an inclusive safe space where community members can come together to collaborate and develop new friendships. We call this our #CGAFam!
Our adventurous members live throughout California and beyond and enjoy getting together to explore and experience this BIG state, country, and world together... sometimes roughing it and learning from our experiences. Our events and adventures include a wide variety of outdoor activities from hiking to camping to bowling nights, pool parties, international trips, cabin rentals, and much more.
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Josh Edlow, Mormon, award winning trial attorney, podcaster and professional wrestler!
Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live. Subscribe to our Youtube channel and visit our website https://www.amberlive.tv
Josh Edlow is an award winning Northern California trial attorney based in the Sacramento area. He also hosts a weekly human interest podcast titled "the Edlow Podcast" designed to bring parties of all backgrounds, races, creeds, religions and orientations together. The purpose? To highlight that everyone you meet is having a very real human experience.
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Juicy Garland tells about her very scary experience with the Proud Boys.
Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live. Subscribe to our Youtube channel and visit our website https://www.amberlive.tv
Juicy Garland is a Boston area drag queen and super nerd who performs in the Boston area and New Hampshire. She also does ttrpg actual play live streams in a variety of places.
Last time Juicy Garland was on the show, her Story Hour at the Teatotaller Cafe in Concord, NH was met with protests from armed Proud Boys wearing skull masks and religious groups. She didn't back down and they came back to another Story Hour to try to frighten her and her audience. Hear first hand how they handled the incident!
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Ginger Minj is back with AMAZING news about a summer show, her life, RuPauls Drag Race, and a book!
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Ginger Minj Long before she held court as a finalist on season 7 of RuPauls Drag Race, Ginger reigned as The Comedy Queen of The South from her homebase in Orlando, Florida. The self-professed nicest b_tch you'll ever meet cites classic funny ladies Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball as her idols. Anyone who can pile three wigs on their head, squeeze their body into a beaded and rhinestoned gown and serve humor alongside the glamour is my hero, says Ginger. That's why she coined the term Glamour Toad to describe her unique persona. After spending the past year and a half touring the world, performing showtunes for Broadway royalty on national television and recording her debut studio album, Ginger will be seen on this summer in Ptown!
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Miss Conception takes off her clothes like no one else! Meet this amazing quick change drag queen!
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Miss Conception Relive your childhood as MISS CONCEPTION takes you back to the most iconic cartoons in history! Miss Conception will perform THE SIMPSONS, RAINBOW BRITE, SCOOBY-DOO, THE FLINTSTONES, HE-MAN/SHE-RA, INSPECTOR GADGET, JESSICA RABBIT, TOY STORY, and many more! With tons of COSTUME CHANGES before your eyes and ALL-LIVE VOCALS, come and see why this Drag Queen sells out shows around the world!
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Miss Richfield 1981 has a new show this summer! Don't miss out on all the details! Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live!
Subscribe to our Youtube channel and visit our website https://www.amberlive.tv
“Good advice is always annoying”, says Miss Richfield. “But bad advice never is!” So join Miss R as she unpacks a healthy heap of advice that promises to leave you entertained & maybe just a little annoyed!
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Brenda Currin star of In Cold Blood | CHUD | The World According to Garp | TAPS | Reds
Amber does it again! The amazing Brenda Currin and Amber chat this week, and Brenda shares so many stories you won't believe it! She has had an incredible career and worked with so many heavy hitters in the industry. AND she continues to act and work on other projects. Find out what they are, and hear the stories she says she rarely tells!
Brenda Currin grew up in North Carolina. She began her career portraying Nancy Clutter in the film of In Cold Blood. Other films include The World According to Garp (Pooh Percy), Taps, Reds, and the cult classic C.H.U.D. More recently: Daughter of the Bride and Gossamer
Folds. Brenda’s extensive theater work is acclaimed for Sister and Miss Lexie adapted from
Eudora Welty's stories with director/writer
David Kaplan, My Sister in this House (OBIE Award), In the Summer House, many Tennessee Williams play: Suddenly Last Summer, Something Unspoken, Orpheus Descending, The Rose Tattoo and The Glass Menagerie where she played Amanda Wingfield in St. Louis at the actual site where Williams based the play. Her TV work includes Claws, Gossip Girl and Wu-Tang, An American Saga. Brenda co-founded What Girls Know, a theatre program for adolescent girls. She is a member of Houses on the Moon, theater dedicated to amplifying unheard voices. She told her own story in gUN COUNTRY, and worked with trans teenagers and their families to create
TRANSformations.
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Jacob Kelley
Founder of Mx. Kelley Queer Education
Queer Inclusive Sex Educator
Jacob Kelley is a phenomenal sex and sexuality educator, influencer, and content creator that lives in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They are a nonbinary queer-inclusive sex educator who has worked in sex-positive and sexual education in rural communities to be inclusive to culturally diverse communities. Mx. Kelley has a Master of Education in Human Sexuality Education from Widener University and a B.A. in Communications Studies (Concentration, Interpersonal Communication) and Psychology from the Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. A queer educator, Mx. Kelley is a current Ph.D. student studying Human Sexuality Philosophy and spent several years developing, researching, learning, and creating content around LGBTQA+ diversity and inclusion. They help people understand where one might hold values regarding their sex, sexuality, and gender. They are driven by wanting to help people live their most whole and authentic lives by helping people gain knowledge, awareness, and understanding of one’s values. Jacob also is the drag persona of Trixy Valentine and has been performing and producing shows for almost ten years. Their recent accomplishment is coming out with a book, “Tipping is a Must, 100 Tips for a Drag Show” now on Amazon.
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Kevin Bolling
Executive director, Secular Student Alliance
Kevin Bolling is the executive director of the Secular Student Alliance. He has served in that position since 2017. Kevin brings with him 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience. His career has included over 10 years of student association management and on-campus program development from Los Angeles to Boston. For 10 years, Kevin served as the Executive Director of the California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Foundation, a charitable trust serving the healthcare needs of the industries’ largely immigrant workforce. Most recently, Kevin served as the Director of Philanthropy at the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, a major LGBTQ arts advocacy organization, whose youth outreach work has moved thousands of hearts and minds across the US towards embracing LGBTQ equality.
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Rev. Yolanda Roger Anthony Mapes
Rev. Yolanda Roger Anthony Mapes is a singer/songwriter/trans-femme genderqueer performance artist and interfaith minister, originally from Muscle Shoals, Alabama—The Hit Recording Capital of the World. They have been making music professionally for 35 years, winning the NYC MAC Award twice and were inducted into both the NY Blues Hall of Fame and The GLBT Hall of Fame. Performance credits include STONEWALL, A RHAPSODY ON RESISTANCE (AEA Showcase), HIGH MAINTENANCE (HBO), and SKELETON CREW (Sidekick Productions).
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Amy Leigh Celestial, Drag Queen
Amy Leigh Celestial has been doing drag for just over a decade in the Rutland Vermont area. Starting with her show at “The Local” nightclub. After the closing of the club she has done shows all around VT, NH and NY. A staple in the Rutland gay community, Amy works alongside the Rutland county pride center hosting and performing at their monthly shows. She is looking forward to Rutland County’s first Annual Pride Festival and continuing working towards making a better Rutland for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Moonshine Shorey
Co-Chair for Rutland County Pride
Moonshine Shorey is was born in Rutland VT and has been spending his time, being a board member on Rutland County Pride, Traveling the World making large scale balloon installations and spreading love, high fives and Fun. When not traveling Moonshine calls home Fair Haven,VT with his deaf 20pd cat Toro Blanco.
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Chris Caputo, City Commissioner
Chris Caputo was elected to the Wilton Manors City Commission in November 2020 for a four-year term. Chris is a proud, long- time resident of the Wilton Manors area, currently residing in a Central Area home with his two dogs, Spartan and Fusilli. Chris was born in Buffalo, NY and raised in Fort Myers, FL. Chris’ long history of community involvement extends well beyond SMART Ride and the Pride Center. Chris has personally raised over $110,000 for local and regional charities, including Make-a-Wish South Florida, Poverello, Florida AIDS Walk, Broward House, and more. Chris, along with the rest of his team at Development Partners, consistently volunteer their technical skills to help community non-profits and agencies more efficiently reach and serve their constituents.
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Amber is spending some time with one of our brave service members. Meet Joshua Kelley, also known as Harpy Daniels. Joshua is an active duty 2nd Class Petty Officer in the US Navy and was named the first Digital Ambassador for the Navy. Find out what happened after that was announced to the public!
Joshua Kelley is an active duty 2nd Class Petty Officer in the US Navy. Currently serving 7 years, deployed the Western Pacific. While in Japan 2016-2019 he received 2 Navy Achievements from Western Pacific Deployment.
In 2018 The Public Media Titled Harpy Daniels, Josh's Drag Persona, as "The Navy Drag Queen." Harpy Daniels has performed in full drag on the USS Ronald Reagan during their deployment. Joshua received media coverage on NBC, Navy Times, Gay Star News, and many others with 5.1M views. Currently stationed in VA (2019 to present). Received two Sailor of the Quarter awards and a Navy Achievement Medal. Community Leader and advocate to local area, volunteered with Hampton Roads as Military Liaison and Communication chairman (2021-2022) & Stonewall sport asst. Events Director(2020-2021). He was appointed as first Navy Digital Ambassador during the pilot from March 2022 to November 2023, being the first LGBTQ+ Sailor representation and Drag Queen.
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Jessica Watkins is a standup comedian, actor, filmmaker, and adventure enthusiast. Jessica grew up in East Nashville, TN. At 18 Watkins moved to Los Angeles to attend The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she found her love of making people laugh. Following graduation Jessica began performing sketch, improv, and after only a few times on stage and six years in California, Watkins moved to New York City to pursue standup comedy.
After five years honing her craft in NYC, in an attempt to jump start her career, Watkins quit her day job waiting tables to walk across The US performing standup comedy. In 2014 Jessica spent 8 months walking solo from Delaware to California, performing standup comedy, living off the kindness of strangers, and filming the trek for her first comedy special, Jessica Watkins: SPECIALish. Mixed with footage from the road and stand up upon her return, Jessica shot, wrote, directed, and produced the award winning feature length docu-comedy.
Jessica Watkins: SPECIALish was released through Random Media and 1091 Pictures May 11th, 2021, is named “exceptional” by The New York Times, “11th best comedy special of 2021” by Paste Magazine, and is available NOW on all streaming and On Demand platforms.
Unclear if the “jump start” worked, Jessica lives in Astoria, Queens and can be found performing standup regularly in New York City, and on adventures around the globe.
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Michael Brian Dunn is a NYC based Actor where he lives with his husband Kurt. Michael’s career has spanned 4 decades and includes Broadway, Off Broadway, National and International tours, countless regional theater jobs across the country as well as Film and Television.
Some notable credits include The Film Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep. This season's Hallmark Feature, A Holiday Spectacular with the NYC Rockettes. The National tour and Toronto Companies of COME FROM AWAY. On Broadway in CATS, Doctor Zhivago, THE LIFE, Guys & Dolls, Big River, Baby and more. He has traveled with theater productions to Japan, Singapore, Italy, and all across the United States. He is presently spending time in Utica NY, and NYC where he enjoys coaching and teaching the incredible young students of BKA with husband Kurt.
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Emoji Nightmare's conservative nightmare! What happened when she read a book at the State House in Vermont?
Emoji Nightmare (Justin Marsh) has been performing across Vermont and the region since 2015 and is one of the state’s leading drag entertainers. She has hosted, performed in, and/or produced several major events over the past decade, including New Queers Eve, Pride Ball, First Friday, Glitter & Duct Tape, The Vermont Pride Festival, Paint: A Drag Cabaret, Queen City Drag Cabaret, Queer Pop-Up Dance Party, and SASS. She is a frequent guest on Amber Live! and a multi-year nominee for Seven Days’ annual Daysies Awards for Best Drag Performer in Vermont.
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Bernies Mittens Maker, Jen Ellis!
Jen Ellis, the creator of Bernie's Mittens is back with her new book about her very interesting life.
Jen Ellis is a Vermont teacher, mother, and crafter. Originally from Maine, Ellis attended the University of Vermont. She started her teaching career with Teach For America in rural North Carolina before returning to Vermont to teach elementary school. She used her flash of fame to raise money for non-profits in her community. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her partner Liz and daughter Helen. She enjoys long walks, finding new swimming holes in the Green Mountain State, and writing songs. Ellis is currently pursuing a masters in counseling from the University of Vermont.
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Robusta Capp has a brand new show all about Bea Arthur that is opening at the Stonewall Inn
Robusta Capp is a live singing drag performer and sometime male actress based in New York City. Working with nightlife folks such as Will Clark and former Empress of the Imperial Court of New York, Witti Repartee, honed her craft at The Ritz and Uncle Charlies in New York. She has also taken her incredibly well received two "girl" act, Dirty Little Ditties, with sister in song, Miss Jane Aquilina, across the United States. Robusta and her husband, P. William Pinto, also co-own their own theatre production company, Bizarre Noir, where they've put on over 30 shows in New York and Massachusetts over the past 16 years including Little Shop of Horrors, The Bad Seed, Die, Mommie, Die, and countless cabaret style shows, of which our latest is called Oh Wh*rey Night to premiere at the legendary Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street.
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Brought to you by the Drag Queen Comedy Talk Show, Amber Live! Be sure to subscribe to YouTube and visit our websitehttps://www.amberlive.tvAmber loves to dance, but her moves are nothing like James Whiteside's incredible moves! This week, Amber gets the chance to talk with the multi-talented James Whiteside about dance, pop music, drag queens, podcasts and even being an author! James has done it all. And Rocco and Rusty will pop in for a visit as well! Don't miss this very moving episode of Amber Live! James Whiteside is redefining the meaning of multihyphenate as a principal dancer and choreographer for the American Ballet Theater, hilarious pop music performer, drag queen, host of the “Front Row” podcast, and author of “Center Center”.He began his ballet training at age nine at the D’Valda & Sirico Dance and Music Centre in Fairfield, CT. After completing his training, he was a principal dancer with Boston Ballet until 2012 and has been a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre since 2013, dancing principal roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Giselle, and many more. Additionally, Whiteside has choreographed for pop stars Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift. He continues to choreograph for music videos, commercials, film and ballet including New American Romance and City of Women for American Ballet Theatre and Marilyn’s Funeral for The Juilliard School.Off the ABT stage, Whiteside published his first book, “Center Center: A Funny, Sexy, Sad Almost Memoir of a Boy in Ballet”. He also performs pop music under the stage name JbDubs. He writes and produces his own music and choreographs his performances and music videos, which have viewership in the millions. Whiteside’s social media channels have nearly one million followers and his sponsorships include brands such as St. Germain, Sonos, Uber, and more. He also hosts his own popular podcast, “Front Row with James Whiteside.” Whiteside has completed Harvard Business School’s Crossover Into Business program.
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The Secrets of Roberta Degnore, friend to Robert Mapplethorpe's artistic mentor, Sam WagstaffWhat a week it has been, and Amber is ending it on a high note! Amber gets to talk with the incredible force of nature, Roberta Degnore, who has done it all and traveled the world. Roberta has a new memoir coming out, and you will want to hear all about it! Plus some rants, Amber's Alter-cations, and even Rocco and Boog 'n Shoog are stopping in! Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live!Roberta Degnore is an American author, filmmaker, psychologist, and educator. She wrote novels under numerous pen names before pursuing graduate studies in psychology and filmmaking. A lifelong solo traveler, she's a modern explorer. Roberta currently teaches an innovative course she developed at FIT: The Psychology of Gender, Perception, and Self-Expression in Fashion.
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Josh Brandon, Host of Overthinking Everything, Voice Actor, Actorvist
Josh Brandon is the host of Overthinking Everything, a deconstruction of the cultisms that lead us down psychologically, ideologically, and spiritually dangerous paths. Through the lens of the social sciences, Josh explores the social phenomenon he calls "Toxic White Southern Culture" as well as the deliberate "Dumbing Down and Numbing Down of America". From generational trauma, religion, politics, pop-culture, hobbies, and more, Josh explores how, if we aren't educating ourselves and thinking critically, we're all subject to this culture of cultism.
Josh is a voice actor and performer for film, television, commercial, and stage. A public speaker, communication coach, and author, Josh's first Overthinking Everything e-Book "A Compassion Self-Analysis and Critical Thinking Workbook" is available now. A former radio personality, Josh programmed country radio stations for several years, offering a unique perspective to America's current racial climate. Josh is an anti-fascism activist, fighting white supremacy, anti-trans/anti-drag legislation, and calling out socio-cultural toxicities.
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Abe Gurko, Creative Producer, Opinionator
When Abe Gurko packed his bags and moved from New York City to Hollywood, he wasn’t leaving a career in the fashion industry to chase the usual dream of becoming a movie star. “I wanted to be a mechanic to the machine called celebrity,” he said. “I wanted to know how it worked.” Over the next
few years, he developed his skills as a behind-the-scenes creative force by working on a couple of daily variety-talk shows and worked for several years with arguably the coolest woman in Hollywood, Carrie Fisher. There, he acquired an intimate knowledge of the entertainment industry or as he says, “I was like Alice careening through the Looking Glass, Mad Hatter and all.”
Abe has also produced countless high–profile events under his own moniker for years. With a sensibility honed within the inner circles of New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Reykjavik, he has produced film premieres, fashion shows, music videos, photo shoots, product launches, and even races
in Central Park. His fundraising activities have helped raise millions of dollars for AIDS and other charities as well as theatrical productions and documentaries.
Abe is in production of two documentaries:
1) WON’T BE SILENT about the women of protest music with Selena Gomez & Stacey Abrams.
2) WOLF’S SONG about a piece of music written in a concentration camp as a song of resistance to the Nazis by his uncle Wolf, who was killed hours before the liberation.
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The Fabulous Wonder Mama
Wonder Mama first appeared at the world famous Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Parade in 2014 and has been appearing in the parade every year since! She even won best small parade entry in 2017 when she flew into Mardi Gras in her invisible jet!
Wonder Mama traveled to New York City joining Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to represent Australia in their bid for World Pride 2023 and In 2017 she won most humorous entry at WonderCon in Anaheim California!
Wonder Mama (also known by her secret identity name, Wilma Powers!) hosts her 5-star rated Drink and Draw with a Drag Queen Workshops around Sydney where students create fabulous artworks using oil pastels! You can also find her on Sydney’s Golden Mile and LGBT Hub – Oxford Street Darlinghurst – where she hosts her wonderful weekly Walking Tour of the area featuring local LGBT businesses, landmarks, the history of the area, and Sydney Mardi Gras!
Wonder Mama/ Wilma inspires the world to be loving, compassionate and accepting of all people, races and species!
Wonder Mama’s alter ego and creator, Renny Roccon is a former graphic designer and has written and illustrated 3 storybooks – The Fabulous Story of Wonder Mama, It’s OK to be ME, and “Wonder Mama in Parade Pandemonium – The Return of Queen Mean!”
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This week, we will be looking at the life, spirit and incredible creativity of Margaurite LeMay (Michael Hayes). A founding member of the House of LeMay, amazing performer, and incredible costumer, Margaurite will be greatly missed by all who knew her and Mike.
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Amber has been excited before, but this week she can barely keep her bloomers on! The Liberal Redneck, Trae Crowder is stopping by to chat with Amber about everything! From his career to drag queens, it's all on the table.
Trae Crowder first gained international attention (or notoriety depending on your politics) in 2016 for his hugely viral series of “Liberal Redneck” comedic “porch rant” videos. Since then, Trae has written a best-selling book, The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin Dixie Outta The Dark, toured the country thrice over playing sold out theatre shows under the WellRED Comedy Tour banner, appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO), Nightline (ABC), The View, Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell (MSNBC), NPR, WTF with Marc Maron, MTV, CNN, Huffington Post and in the Veronica Mars reboot, as “Chattanooga Charlie”, among many others.
Initially from rural Celina, TN, Trae now lives in Los Angeles, CA and has developed and sold five scripted pilots for Warner Bros TV, ABC, and FOX and continues to] work as a writer. Trae stars in and produces regular sketches for Comedy Central, Funny or Die, ATTN, Facebook Watch, New York Daily News which have garnered tens of millions of views online. Crowder also co-wrote and produced an hour-long documentary titled Inherent Good, featuring Crowder and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, about universal basic income.
Additionally, Trae co-hosts the hugely popular “WellRED,” “Evening Skews” and “Puttin’ On Airs” podcasts. His debut 30-minute standup comedy special was taped in 2021 in Nashville, TN. He also continues to rant and rave on the internet to the mostly-delight of his lovely fanbase.
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Tarik Rever
Tarik Rever says "I am a disabled model, artist, activist, inventor for the disabled, and singer. I used to be a dancer and martial artist. Over time I developed myasthenia gravis and my health declined. I am still disabled but I built up my health from a very low point. At first I was barely conscious and had trouble speaking. Nowadays I still have rough days but it is much better than before. I channel my energy to helping others as an influencer, activist, and model. Using social media as a platform to help others in the disabled community have a voice. I ask others that are disabled or have medical issues to share their experience on my post so my reach as an influencer lends its energy to others. I am trying to create a movement where there is more emotional support for the disabled. We are helping each other lift each other up. "
"I am developing tech that helps those that are disabled gain more mobility and strength. There are a lot of prototypes that I am building that show great promise. I could do more with more funding and resources. Right now I created a glove that dramatically increases the grip of the wearer. There is an articulated neck brace that gives more natural movement while still supporting the head and neck muscles. In the works is a body support that will have ways to improve breathing and support the spine."
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Chris Caputo
Chris Caputo is City Commissioner in Wilton Manors and a Peak Fitness Founder. He reports "In case you haven’t seen the news, the Progress Flag was just defaced in Fort Lauderdale. The Governor has made targeting LGBTQ visibility a prime goal, and this legislature has signed on for the ride. You can not afford to stand by; it’s time to grab your heels and March. On March 26th, we're going to slay the streets and take action at These Heels Were Made For Fightin’ -- a unique "action-filled" event to fight back against anti-LGBTQ legislation like HB 1011 -- and the anti-drag efforts of our Governor."
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Machaela Cavanaugh
The legislative year had hardly begun in Nebraska when the new Republican majority advanced a fetal "heartbeat" bill, a permitless "concealed carry" gun bill and, Legislative Bill 574, which would forbid health-care workers from providing gender-affirming care to anyone under the age of 19.
Senator Cavanaugh announced “If this legislature collectively decides that legislating hate against children is our priority, then I am going to make it painful; painful for everyone. Because if you want to inflict pain upon our children, I am going to inflict pain upon this body. I have nothing, nothing but time. And I am going to use all of it. You cannot stop me. I will not be stopped. If LB574 gets an early floor debate and moves forward, it will be very painful for this body. And if people are like, ‘Is she threatening us?’ Let me be clear: Yes, I am threatening you."
Machaela Cavanaugh is an Omaha native with nearly 20 years’ experience in community engagement and public affairs represents the 6th District (Central, West-Central Omaha) in the Nebraska State Legislature. Before her time in the Legislature, Cavanaugh worked at the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska. Prior to her work with the Buffett Institute, Cavanaugh served as the Director of Development for Opera Omaha and the American Province of the Servants of Mary, and a Staff Assistant in Washington D.C. for U.S. Senator Ben Nelson.
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Honey West, the Chicago cabaret legend, share all about her career from start to finish! Amber keeps striving to bring you amazing interviews, and this week is no exception! The incredible Honey West takes time out of her schedule to chat with Amber about her career, her charity work, and all the wonderful things she has done. Not to mention the incredible people she has worked with over the years. Don't miss this chance to hear it all, straight from Honey herself! Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live!
Entertainer Honey West, has been a hit on the cabaret circuit since her debut in the 1990 one-woman show, “A Taste of Honey”. She has won two After Dark Awards as Chicago’s Outstanding Cabaret Entertainer as well as several other honors and accolades.
Her charm and versatility as a singer and comedian have attracted a wide and loyal following in Chicago and beyond. She has performed on cruise ships, at awards shows, for dozens of AIDS and LGBT fundraisers, and in numerous concert and cabaret venues from the Park West to Cabaret Metro, and from Gentry to Hotel Allegro. In 1997 she released the CD “Take Honey West Home” and seven years later released a second collection, “My Big Fat Cheesy Lounge Act”.
Among her many gigs, West was seen on “Oprah” backing up Cyndi Lauper and was crowned Ms. Morton Downey Jr. by a panel of celebrity judges on Downey’s talk show. She even performed for Julie Andrews and the company of “Victor/Victoria” at their gala opening-night party. West starred opposite her dear friend Alexandra Billings in the comedy Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and has been featured in dozens of stage productions such as “Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding”, “Pussy on the House”, “Diva Diaries, The Musical”, “Music Kills a Memory”, “The Wizard of A.I.D.S.”, “Sexy Baby”, “Applause”, and “Jerry’s Girls”. West also performed as Don Auxier in “Dirty Dreams of a Clean-Cut Kid”, one of the first musicals to address the AIDS epidemic.
She has appeared in the film “Velvets”, which was shown at the Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival, and recorded the love theme for the Judy Tenuta film “Butch Camp”. In addition, West hosted and was a part of special programming for Amberg Communications and LesBiGay Radio for six years. The popular entertainer has been profiled in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Poz, Daily Herald, Boston Herald, New York Native, Chicago’s Reader, and other periodicals worldwide.
Throughout her long career, West has worked tirelessly to break down walls and to dispel myths and misconceptions about trans performers. She has enriched the Chicago cabaret, stage, and entertainment worlds and has used her talents to give back to LGBT communities. As co-star Alexandra Billings said, “Honey’s never said no to an AIDS benefit and never said no to a charity. She’s always been there, free of charge and giving in her spirit and her time.”
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Candi Shell is the bighearted, otherworldly drag singing sensation of Honolulu with a vast library of comedy spoofs and her own original music. Candi began her singing career in Dallas, TX, then moved to New York City where she opened for comedy legend Joan Rivers and even appeared as herself alongside RuPaul on an episode of TV's Ugly Betty. She has hosted and performed at countless venues across the country, opening for Ludacris last year in San Diego, serving as host to Honolulu's Virtual Pride Party two years in a row, and, just this past November, starred in BEYOND HAPA, singing with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra at the historic Hawaii Theatre. In Honolulu, she can be seen at her monthly cabaret shows at Hula's Bar & Lei Stand and Hard Rock Cafe Waikiki.
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Lisa David Olson, Business Humorist, Author and Podcaster on Amber Live! Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live! Lisa David Olson is a humorist speaker, author, podcaster and performer who shares how humor saved her life. Her interactive style and ‘improv for real life' message demonstrates how humor is healthy and is a cohesive human connector. Ask about her project in bravery! Olson is a TEDx Speaker who also trains those who want to craft their own talk or start their book; she is a creative collaborator! Olson’s two decades of improvisation and performing are pivotal to coach workplace teams or a play-shop for adults. Get your creativity in motion! What if? Why not? Rediscover exploration, laughter and daring ourselves daily! 'Laughs On Wry' is a memoir made of short stories capped off with thoughts to ponder. Her creativity journal is "What Ifs and Why Nots". Her podcast: Stranger Connections: celebrating weird life stories and quirky careers (and pranks). Olson's comedy album of actual telemarketer calls is Phun on the Phone (iTunes). Her two TEDx talks were released in 2021. Whether it's a keynote presentation, workshop or breakout session, her passion is contagious! Ask about creativity workshops for groups who crave to find a different angle for their project or team dynamic. Improvisation, when taught for the workplace, provides new energy for stale thinking. “Lisa doesn’t just make you laugh, she relaxes your left brain allowing creativity to flow. When you're happy, some walls come down, and your true-self can shine brighter with her encouragement.”
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The Trans Handy Ma'am, Mercury Stardust tells her story on Amber Live!
This week on Amber Live, the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Interviewed the incredible home maintenance expert, Mercury Stardust! Mercury Stardust is a Professional Home Maintenance Technician, burlesque performer, and award-winning activist. Known widely as the Trans Handy Ma'am, her unique brand of compassionate education in the Home Repair space has earned her internet fame. With over 2 million followers on TikTok, Mercury spreads DIY knowledge with love. Her expertise includes rental maintenance, landlord negotiations, clogs, drywall, painting, minor electrical repairs, caulking, and more. Her story inspires, teaches, and connects with audiences while also advocating for change for the LGBTQIA+ community. Her hope is to inspire a new generation of queer youth to live their truth boldly, for allies to protect the most vulnerable in the community, and to teach others life long skills for their homes in order to be able to provide themselves with a safe sanctuary in a tumultuous world.
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The Golden Gals Live! Amber chats with the cast including Ginger Minj and with Senator Megan Hunt. Picture it: Miami, 1991! A Hurricane comes to town, bringing with it unwanted house guests, old flames, new loves and nonstop nostalgia. Written, directed and starring Ginger Minj from Rupaul's Drag Race and Hocus Pocus 2 comes The Golden Gals Live! This all new show pairs iconic moments you know with characters you love and weaves them into an original adventure chock full of funny! The Golden Gals Live! presented by FruitWine Productions
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Why did Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt amend a bill to ban children from attending “religious indoctrination” camps? Amber gets the chance to ask her! You won't what to miss what she has to say on this subject.
Senator Megan Hunt is a small business owner, community activist, and mother first elected to the Nebraska State Legislature in 2018 and re-elected in 2022 to represent District 8; becoming the first LGBTQ+ person ever elected to the Legislature, and the first woman ever from the district. A sixth-generation Nebraskan, Megan has lived and worked in the district for the past 18 years. Megan founded Hello Holiday, a community-facing boutique and e-commerce company in 2012.
Today, she is the owner of a stationary shop in Benson. Senator Hunt currently sits on five committees in the Legislature; Business and Labor, Urban Affairs, Government, Military and Veterans Affairs, Committee on Committees, and State-Tribal Relations.
The opportunity for public service through elective office opened for her in 2015, when Hunt’s public school district was considering a new comprehensive sex education curriculum to educate students about sexual health, consent, and healthy relationships. Since then, she has remained committed to uplifting the voices of the marginalized and forgotten. Megan is passionate about public education, reproductive justice and gender equity, workforce development, and reducing brain drain in the Midwest. Since taking office, she has worked with other senators from across the state to tackle food stamp reform, tenants’ rights, access to healthcare, and affordable housing in Nebraska. Megan has introduced 45 bills and cosponsored 131 bills, 46 of which passed with bipartisan support and were signed by the Governor.
Megan is the founder and Vice President of Safe Space Nebraska, a 501(c)3 working to end harassment and assault in nightlife establishments. She is a trustee of the Business Ethics Alliance and has served on the boards of Charles Drew Health Center, Friends of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Friends of the Nebraska AIDS Project, and Omaha Area Youth Orchestras. Megan’s work and impact has been featured in dozens of publications including Forbes, INC, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, the Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and others. In acknowledgment of her legislative efforts, she has been awarded the Henry Toll Fellowship, David Bohnett Leaders Fellowship, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance Leadership Award, and CSG’s Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development Fellowship, among others.
As a business owner, community leader, and parent, Megan has worked with commitment and discipline to help people from all walks of life prosper in our state. Her track record stems from her belief that the more everyday Nebraskans are empowered and supported to improve their quality of life, the easier it is for all of us to live the good life in the Cornhusker State.
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As a writer, interviewer, activist, and historian, Owen Keehnen has helped create and nurture the vibrant cultural landscape of Chicago’s LGBT communities. His articles have appeared in local and national LGBT newspapers and magazines, and his work includes short stories, novels, and historical essays. He has served on the board of Chicago’s Gerber/Hart Library, and has published numerous books.
From 1988 to 2004, he worked at Unabridged Bookstore, where he coordinated the gay men’s reading group and recommended thousands of LGBT titles to readers. Keehnen began interviewing authors, activists, and artists in the darkest part of the AIDS era. He felt compelled to record the LGBT experience of the time with more than 200 interviews. A compilation of more than 100 of his interviews is the basis of his book “We’re Here, We’re Queer: The Gay ’90s and Beyond”.
Dedicated to the preservation of LGBT history, Keehnen contributed 10 articles to the 2008 book “Out and Proud in Chicago” and co-edited “Nothing Personal: Chronicles of Chicago’s LGBTQ Community 1977–1997”, a compilation of the columns of the late Jon-Henri Damski. With Tracy Baim, Keehnen was co-author of two extensive biographies of Chicago LGBT legends, “Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow” and “Jim Flint: The Boy From Peoria”. Both works help to preserve and chronicle the rich cultural, social, and political development of Chicago LGBT life from the 1950s to the present.
Keehnen was on the founding committee of The Legacy Project, an organization dedicated to installing bronze plaques along the North Halsted Street corridor to honor notable LGBT historical figures as well as to educate the public. He is the project’s board secretary and wrote many of the nominee biographies on its website. In 2009–10 he served on the board of Gerber/Hart Library and Archives as chair of programming.
Keehnen’s work has been published in newspapers, periodicals, and anthologies worldwide, including The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review and the New York Native, and was often in the iconic gay literary magazine Christopher Street. He was also co-editor of the “Windy City Pride Literary Supplement” for several years. His novel “The Sand Bar” will appear in 2012, and his humorous coming-out novel “I May Not Be Much But I’m All I Think About” is at e-gaymag.com
He served as monitor for several NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt displays, worked as a massage therapist for AIDS Care Chicago, delivered meals for Open Hand Chicago, stocked shelves for its GroceryLand, volunteered for Howard Brown Health Center, was a team captain of the first AIDS Walk in Chicago in 1990, and participated in various ACT UP/Chicago demonstrations.
Owen Keehnen has used his gifts as a writer to help foster LGBT literary culture and preserve the rich LGBT past, and he has used his heart to make life better for those in need. (Note: information listed has not been updated since the member’s induction).
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Robert E. Blackmon talks about the recent attacks on the LGBTQ, drag queen, and trans community and gives us an update on the Church Muva’s upcoming LIVE appearance! Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live!
For more than two decades Robert has shared his advice with celebrities and clients around the globe. His brand, RobertEBlackmon.com®, began with a wedding planning advice book and has since expanded into an entire lifestyle brand that covers: food/home entertaining, fashion, fitness, DIY/décor, and how-to's for living your best life "Exactly Where You Are". He also consults with companies on how to expand their visibility through the use of GIFs and TikTok.
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Investigative journalist Becca Andrews explains Drag Panic and the fall of Roe V. Wade!
Becca Andrews tells Amber about the Right’s homophobic campaign against drag performers. Her recent article in Reckon News looks at how it played out in Jackson, TN. Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live!
Becca Andrews is an investigative journalist at Reckon News who writes about reproductive justice, religion, and inequality. Her work has appeared in Mother Jones, Wired, The New Republic, and Jezebel, among other publications.
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Amber is thrilled to chat with the amazing talent that will be at Stowe's LGBTQ Winter Pride Festival, Winter Rendezvous: Miss Richfield 1981, Jackie Beat, DJ cRAIG mITCHELL, and Debby Holiday! Celebrating 40 years, Winter Rendezvous offers a host of outdoor activities, parties, and entertainment sure to delight avid skiers and non-skiers alike!
Debby Holiday
Debby Holiday, International singer/songwriter with 17 Billboard Top 20 Dance Chart Hits, broke onto the dance scene with her #5 Billboard summer anthem Dive in 2004. Holiday followed the smash hit Dive with her power ballad Half A Mile Away, which shot into the Billboard Top 10, along with Debby's follow-up dance hit Bring It On. All of Debby’s subsequent dance singles broke into the Billboard Top 20 including, Piece of My Love & Surrender Me (with the incredible Tony Moran), Joyful Sound, featured in the hit show Sordid Lives: The Series, from writer/director/producer Del Shores, starring Olivia Newton John.
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Amber is thrilled to chat with the amazing talent that will be at Stowe's LGBTQ Winter Pride Festival, Winter Rendezvous: Miss Richfield 1981, Jackie Beat, DJ cRAIG mITCHELL, and Debby Holiday! Celebrating 40 years, Winter Rendezvous offers a host of outdoor activities, parties, and entertainment sure to delight avid skiers and non-skiers alike!
DJ cRAIG mITCHELL
With nearly 27 years behind the decks, cRAIG mITCHELL has served as a resident at New York City's legendary Tunnel and Limelight nightclubs and has played many of the country's most celebrated venues and club nights, while also doing his thing for international crowds in Canada, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. He continues residencies at Rise in Boston and Twist in Miami, but focuses on his several more open format weeklies in Burlington, VT, these days as a break from travel and production.
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Amber is thrilled to chat with the amazing talent that will be at Stowe's LGBTQ Winter Pride Festival, Winter Rendezvous: Miss Richfield 1981, Jackie Beat, DJ cRAIG mITCHELL, and Debby Holiday! Celebrating 40 years, Winter Rendezvous offers a host of outdoor activities, parties, and entertainment sure to delight avid skiers and non-skiers alike!
Miss Richfield 1981
Dedicating her life to the friendly citizens and responsible merchants of her hometown of Richfield, Minnesota, “where butter is a spice and gravy is a beverage”, Miss Richfield 1981 is fast becoming one of America’s national treasures. This Midwestern maven is winning over theater audiences around the country with an interactive format that combines homespun warmth and edgy improv, leaving audiences in hysterics.
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Amber is thrilled to chat with the amazing talend that will be at Stowe's LGBTQ Winter Pride Festival, Winter Rendezvous: Miss Richfield 1981, Jackie Beat, DJ cRAIG mITCHELL, and Debby Holiday! Celebrating 40 years, Winter Rendezvous offers a host of outdoor activities, parties, and entertainment sure to delight avid skiers and non-skiers alike!
JACKIE BEAT
Drag superstar JACKIE BEAT has been entertaining audiences across the U.S. and in Europe for over TWENTY-FIVE YEARS with her razor-sharp comedy and hysterical song parodies. Jackie not only warps hits by Britney Spears, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Cher, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Mariah Carey and many others, but she flawlessly sings her twisted new versions LIVE — hitting every last note.
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The amazing Yolanda stops by to talk about Transparent the musical and sing Love Divine!
Rev. Yolanda is a singer/songwriter/trans-femme genderqueer performance artist and interfaith minister, originally from Muscle Shoals Alabama- The Hit Recording Capital Of The World. Rev. Yolanda's ministry and body of musical work has been captured with the movie "Rev. Yolanda's Old Time Gospel Hour" and has been honored with induction into the The GLBT Hall Of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, and two MAC Awards. Rev. Yolanda is currently working on a full length, autobiographical musical theater piece entitled "The Church Of The Alien Love Child Presents: The Passion of Rev. Yolanda".
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François Clemmons shares his beautiful spirit and two songs! Dont miss this incredible chat!
François Scarborough Clemmons is an American singer, actor, writer and teacher. He is known for his appearances as "Officer Clemmons" on the PBS television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1968 to 1993. For 25 years, Clemmons performed the role of Officer Clemmons, a friendly neighborhood policeman, in the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" on the children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the neighborhood itself, Clemmons ran a singing and dance studio located in the building diagonally across the street from Mister Rogers' house. He was one of the first African Americans to have a recurring role on a children's TV series, and his presentation – as both a beloved neighbor to Mister Rogers and as a respected authority figure – has been described as a ground-breaking message in race relations. For example, in 1969, when racially integrated community swimming pools were still controversial, Mr. Rogers invited Officer Clemmons to cool his feet with him in a small, plastic wading pool. Mr. Rogers lent Officer Clemmons a towel to dry his feet and then used the same towel to dry his own feet, breaking a well-known color barrier. Clemmons told the story of how he became "Officer Clemmons" on StoryCorps.
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Brad Forenza stops by with an update on Around the Sun, Season 2 and all the celebs involved!
Around the Sun is a scripted, episodic audio drama that explores human connections, made and missed, with an existential flare. Whether consumed together or independently, the comedy, tragedy, and soul of Around the Sun embraces one character’s assertion that, “We’re never alone… even if it feels like the opposite is often true.” The series was created by Brad Forenza, and produced via remote technology throughout the pandemic, and onward. The incredible cast of Around the Sun includes...
Brad Forenza,
Austin Pendleton,
Marsha Mason,
Richard Kind,
BD Wong,
Sally Struthers,
Alysia Reiner,
Vincent Pastore,
Maureen Van Zandt,
Veanne Cox,
David Alan Basche,
Lilli Cooper,
Dolores Catania,
Joanna Bonaro,
Ryan Wotherspoon,
David LaRosa,
Piper Laurie,
Caroline Aaron,
Mindy Cohn,
Adassa,
Richard Kline,
Bruce Vilanch,
Jennie Kwan,
Taylor A. Purdee,
François Scarborough Clemmons,
A.J. Ciccotelli,
Brian Dashew,
Ashley Monique Menard,
Joshua R. Pangborn,
Duane Scott Cerny
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In part 2 of this fantastic interview, Amber continues speaking with the incredibly talented, Emmy award winning Jai Rodriguez! From the stage, to the little screen, and now even the big screen, he is one busy man. Find out how he got into show biz. Hear some great stories from his career, and find out what's next for the man who has done it all. Well, not yet, but he's working on it!
Emmy Award-winning television host/actor Jai Rodriguez began his career at age 18 when he was cast in the role of Angel in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical RENT. Jai continued his Broadway career, appearing in shows like The Producers and Spinning Into Butter, and he created and performed the title role of Zanna in the Off-Broadway sensation Zanna, Don't!. In tandem with his Broadway career, Jai became a star in the firmament of New York City nightlife when he created his long-running Twisted Cabaret, a concert series that ran for three consecutive years at one of New York City's most notable hot-spots - Club XL.
Most recognized for his role in Bravo's culturally groundbreaking series Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Jai created a niche role on the Emmy Award-winning series as the 'Culture Vulture,' a youthfully savvy addition to the show's already dynamic cast. Working regularly as an authority in culture and style, Jai has hosted for a veritable grab-bag of lifestyle entertainment programming including Styleyes Miami (SiTv), America's Prom Queen (ABC Family), Ultimate Style (Style Network), two consecutive season's of Groomer Has It (Animal Planet), and Model Latina (SiTv). He was also an ABC official pre-show host for the 2009 American Music Awards.
Jai returned to TV in dramatic roles on NBCs Harrys Law, ABCs Detroit 187, and Days Of Our Lives. He also plays Wayne Bradys husband Tom on CBS hit How I Met Your Mother. Other roles include guest star appearances on NBCs Are You There Chelsea?, FOXs Bones, and as a transgender woman Amanda Knott on NBCs Harrys Law. Lately Jai has been seen in Bros, Uncoupled, and will soon be seen on Fantasy Island.
Jai continues to be an advocate for issues he is passionate about, working with organizations like the NOH8 Campaign, Aids Walk, Project Angel Food, the Trevor Project and Love is Louder campaign which fights bullying.
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Amber has the extreme privilege of speaking with the incredibly talented, Emmy award winning Jai Rodriguez! From the stage, to the little screen, and now even the big screen, he is one busy man. Find out how he got into show biz. Hear some great stories from his career, and find out what's next for the man who has done it all. Well, not yet, but he's working on it! Emmy Award-winning television host/actor Jai Rodriguez began his career at age 18 when he was cast in the role of Angel in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical RENT. Jai continued his Broadway career, appearing in shows like The Producers and Spinning Into Butter, and he created and performed the title role of Zanna in the Off-Broadway sensation Zanna, Don't!. In tandem with his Broadway career, Jai became a star in the firmament of New York City nightlife when he created his long-running Twisted Cabaret, a concert series that ran for three consecutive years at one of New York City's most notable hot-spots - Club XL. Most recognized for his role in Bravo's culturally groundbreaking series Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Jai created a niche role on the Emmy Award-winning series as the 'Culture Vulture,' a youthfully savvy addition to the show's already dynamic cast. Working regularly as an authority in culture and style, Jai has hosted for a veritable grab-bag of lifestyle entertainment programming including Styleyes Miami (SiTv), America's Prom Queen (ABC Family), Ultimate Style (Style Network), two consecutive season's of Groomer Has It (Animal Planet), and Model Latina (SiTv). He was also an ABC official pre-show host for the 2009 American Music Awards. Jai returned to TV in dramatic roles on NBCs Harrys Law, ABCs Detroit 187, and Days Of Our Lives. He also plays Wayne Bradys husband Tom on CBS hit How I Met Your Mother. Other roles include guest star appearances on NBCs Are You There Chelsea?, FOXs Bones, and as a transgender woman Amanda Knott on NBCs Harrys Law. Lately Jai has been seen in Bros, Uncoupled, and will soon be seen on Fantasy Island. Jai continues to be an advocate for issues he is passionate about, working with organizations like the NOH8 Campaign, Aids Walk, Project Angel Food, the Trevor Project and Love is Louder campaign which fights bullying.
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Laura Cayouette
Amber LOVES New Orleans, and this week she talks to Laura Cayouette, an actress, author, and Pussyfooter from the Big Easy! Laura has had an amazing career as an actress, having worked with Quentin Tarantino numerous times. She has acted with an incredible list of celebs! Find out who. She is also, very active in New Orleans as a Pussyfooter. What's that? Listen in to find out.
Best known for her role as Leonardo DiCaprio’s sister in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, Laura has acted in over 45 films including Now You See Me, Enemy of the State and Kill Bill. Television appearances include True Detective, Friends, a recurring role on Queen Sugar and more than 60 commercials. Laura has written numerous books, and also teaches acting classes.
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From music to movies, literature to dance – the arts have always been influenced by the work of LGBTQ people. LGBTQ+ Icons spotlights the history and contributions of 50 pioneering artists who lived and worked around the world. Bold, whimsical illustrations by David Lee Csicsko (The Skin You Live In) and concise bios from historian Owen Keehnen celebrate a diverse group of artists, from LGBTQ icons James Baldwin, Frida Kahlo, and Freddie Mercury to lesser-known colorful characters like vaudeville performer Ada “Bricktop” Smith, the toast of 1920s Paris café society who opened a queer-friendly club where all were welcomed, and Australian dandy Leigh Bowery, whose unapologetic flamboyance influenced an entire generation of fashion designers.
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Protests, attacks, and violence against the LGBTQ+ community are becoming more commonplace! Amber was going to spend the holiday weekend sleeping on her couch, but after the recent horrific attack at club Q in Colorado, she decided to do a second special episode to cover this topic. Meet Miss Majesty Divine, Crystal Quartz, and Juicy Garland, three drag queens who have experienced the hate first hand.
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Amber is exploring the work of John Waters and Divine by talking with a superfan, an artist, and a actor who all have a devotion or connection to the amazing John Waters. In part 1, Scott Elkins is a superfan, enthusiast, and memorabilia collector who runs the incredible John Waters Divine Trash Page account on Instagram. In part 2, Mr. B Nation is an artist specializing in work featuring John Waters and Divine. And finally in part 3, Irving Green is back to talk about the new movie he is in, WITH John Waters! If you have even a passing interest in anything from Pink Flamingos to Hairspray, this is the episode of Amber Live! for you! Check out all three parts, here on the Amber Interviews!
Scott Elkins
John Waters and Divine superfan, enthusiast, and memorabilia collector. Instagram @john_waters_divine_trash_page
Mr. B Nation
Mr. B Nation is an artist who designs and sells t-shirts, pins, and other products inspired by John Waters’ movies and other cult characters and personalities. Visit his site at https://misterbnation.com
Irving Green
Irving Green is originally from Miami, Florida. He had his breakout role as "Troy" on AMC's Mad Men (2007). Irving has recurring roles in web-series, as well as several main character roles in AAA video games, including Blizzard Entertainment's Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (2014). In addition to doing both on camera and voice work, he is a stand up comedian and writer.
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Amber is exploring the work of John Waters and Divine by talking with a superfan, an artist, and a actor who all have a devotion or connection to the amazing John Waters. In part 1, Scott Elkins is a superfan, enthusiast, and memorabilia collector who runs the incredible John Waters Divine Trash Page account on Instagram. In part 2, Mr. B Nation is an artist specializing in work featuring John Waters and Divine. And finally in part 3, Irving Green is back to talk about the new movie he is in, WITH John Waters! If you have even a passing interest in anything from Pink Flamingos to Hairspray, this is the episode of Amber Live! for you! Check out all three parts, here on the Amber Interviews!
Scott Elkins
John Waters and Divine superfan, enthusiast, and memorabilia collector. Instagram @john_waters_divine_trash_page
Mr. B Nation
Mr. B Nation is an artist who designs and sells t-shirts, pins, and other products inspired by John Waters’ movies and other cult characters and personalities. Visit his site at https://misterbnation.com
Irving Green
Irving Green is originally from Miami, Florida. He had his breakout role as "Troy" on AMC's Mad Men (2007). Irving has recurring roles in web-series, as well as several main character roles in AAA video games, including Blizzard Entertainment's Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (2014). In addition to doing both on camera and voice work, he is a stand up comedian and writer.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/amberlive/support
Amber is exploring the work of John Waters and Divine by talking with a superfan, an artist, and a actor who all have a devotion or connection to the amazing John Waters. In part 1, Scott Elkins is a superfan, enthusiast, and memorabilia collector who runs the incredible John Waters Divine Trash Page account on Instagram. In part 2, Mr. B Nation is an artist specializing in work featuring John Waters and Divine. And finally in part 3, Irving Green is back to talk about the new movie he is in, WITH John Waters! If you have even a passing interest in anything from Pink Flamingos to Hairspray, this is the episode of Amber Live! for you! Check out all three parts, here on the Amber Interviews!
Scott Elkins
John Waters and Divine superfan, enthusiast, and memorabilia collector. Instagram @john_waters_divine_trash_page
Mr. B Nation
Mr. B Nation is an artist who designs and sells t-shirts, pins, and other products inspired by John Waters’ movies and other cult characters and personalities. Visit his site at https://misterbnation.com
Irving Green
Irving Green is originally from Miami, Florida. He had his breakout role as "Troy" on AMC's Mad Men (2007). Irving has recurring roles in web-series, as well as several main character roles in AAA video games, including Blizzard Entertainment's Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (2014). In addition to doing both on camera and voice work, he is a stand up comedian and writer.
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It's going to be a wild week on Amber Live! with dark humor comedian Brad Gosse! If Brad is anything like his books, and he is, who knows what he might say! Send your kids to bed before this one! Brad Gosse made it big on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and now he's here to share some of his humor with you! With titles like Mike Hunt Smells Like Fish, My Racist Dog, Mom Runs Trains, Dad's a Cuck, Sweat Shop Kids, Thirst Traps, Moms Only Fans, Race Wars, Why Daddy Hits Mommy, Dead Babies and more. Brad’s books will either make you laugh hysterically, or you’ll be triggered.
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Amber celebrates a ghostly Halloween with the talented psychic Corbie Mitlied, who reads Amber's Tarot cards and does a little numerology to find out what might be in store for Amber! Corbie Mitleid is a world-renowned psychic medium based in upstate New York, nestled in the northwest Catskill Mountains. She is a a Certified Tarot Master, Certified Professional Tarot Reader, professional Psychic Medium, past life specialist and ordained minister.
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Amber celebrates a ghostly Halloween with the Queen of Halloween Thea Lewis! Thea stops by to share some scary new tales of real ghosts seen in Vermont. Thea Lewis is a Vermont native and the creator of Queen City Ghostwalk, the walking tour chosen "Best Scary Stroll" by Yankee magazine. Known as Vermont's Queen of Halloween, she's been scaring visitors with her haunted tours, special events and books for adults and children since 2002.
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Let's see if we can make Amber BLUSH! This week she meets Alexander Cheves, a LGBTQ+ sex writer, worker and activist, is devoted to fetish and kink. Cheves is best known for his work as a sex columnist for Out Magazine and as a contributing editor at The Advocate Magazine, where he writes the widely read "Sexy Beast" column. He also runs "Love, Beastly," an advice blog known for its frank, unflinching answers to questions about Queer sex and love. His work has appeared in VICE, Them and The Body, among many other publications. Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live! Alexander Cheves, one of America’s leading sex writers, is best known for his work as a contributing editor at The Advocate and his widely read “Sexy Beast” column. He is currently a columnist for Out Magazine and also runs the popular Love, Beastly advice blog, notable for its frank, unflinching answers to questions about queer sex. His work has also appeared in VICE, Them, the famed kink magazine Drummer, and other magazines. He is a recipient of a 2021 Excellence in Journalism award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. In 2021, he was named to the Out 100, Out Magazine's list of the 100 most influential queer people, and appeared alongside Dr. Ruth and other sexual health experts in the Netflix special Sex Unzipped. His debut book, My Love Is a Beast: Confessions from Unbound Edition Press, was named a #1 bestseller on Amazon and the #1 bestseller memoir from Small Press Distribution within weeks of publication, and has remained on multiple bestseller lists. His work will appear in the forthcoming Unsafe Words: Queering Consent in the #MeToo Era from Rutgers University Press, and in an experimental anthology from Unbound Edition Press. His second book will publish in 2024.
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Amber loves to talk politics, and this week she gets the chance to discuss it with one her favorite politicians: the incredible Taylor Small! Find out what is going on out in the world and with Taylor as we rapidly approach the midterm elections.
Taylor Small was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in the 2020 general election and is the state's first openly transgender legislator, and the fifth in the nation. She is the recent recipient of One Young World’s politician of the year award.
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Amber loves to talk politics, and this week she gets the chance to discuss it with one her favorite politicians and an amazing artist: John Killacky! Find out what is going on out in the world as we rapidly approach the midterm elections. AND, find out what he plans to do next as his term in office ends.
John Killacky moved to Vermont in 2010 to run the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts after a multi-faceted career as a nonprofit arts administrator in New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and San Francisco. He is a two term State representative in Vermont, who will not be seeking reelection, as he plans to focus on other aspects of his life, including new artistic projects.
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Amber loves to talk politics, and this week she gets the chance to discuss it with one her favorite politicians: Brian Sims! Find out what is going on out in the world as we rapidly approach the midterm elections. AND, find out what he plans to do next as his term in office ends.
Brian Sims is a politician, activist and attorney. He has been a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 182nd district since 2012. Sims is also a lawyer and advocate for LGBT civil rights. Sims is the first openly-gay elected state legislator in Pennsylvania history.
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Amber is thrilled to have the chance to chat with Alexis Lynn this week! Alexis is an incredible Canadian singer-songwriter with a brand new album - Real Talk! And because Alexis is known for being hands on in all parts of the creative process, Amber has plenty of questions about all aspects of the music industry for her.
Alexis Lynn is a singer-songwriter from Surrey, British Columbia. A captivating performer with a honeyed vocal tone and an edge underneath it, Alexis crafts deceptively sweet pop anthems that never shy away from her ethos of honesty and empowerment. Inspired by the worlds of hip-hop and R&B, her music
radiates confidence and examines our insecurities in equal measure. With an ambitious year ahead of her, Alexis Lynn’s fans know that ultra-catchy hooks and radio-ready production are a given; the stories she’s telling with them just might surprise you.
Growing up outside of Vancouver, Alexis Lynn knew from her earliest days that she wanted to be a singer. It was when she took up songwriting as a teen that she knew she was destined to be an artist. Having always loved writing, Alexis found that speaking her truths through music came naturally, and her family
roots in Canada’s First Nations further inspired her commitment to storytelling and her belief in the importance of sharing our life experiences. With unapologetic greats like Amy Winehouse and Rihanna as guiding influences, Alexis developed a raw style of songwriting that belies her sweet demeanor, confident in tackling any topic that she feels passionate about. An unabashed feminist and an advocate for mental health awareness, Alexis writes songs that cut the small talk, helping people of all stripes to feel heard in their struggles and inspiring listeners to know their own worth and to never settle. And with a work ethic like hers, settling isn’t on the table for Alexis Lynn: with a hand in the whole creative process, from art design to music video editing, Alexis has the drive and artistic clarity to make her aspirations a reality.
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Drag events are being targeted around the country, and Amber Live! brings you the latest on this scary situation. Amber talks with four leaders who have had their events targeted. Barbie Wyre will share with us about the event that got shut down in Memphis when armed protesters showed up! Hear about what happened to Corinna Sac's bakery when she announced a drag brunch! Jonathan Hamilt, the executive Director of Drag Queen Story Hour will tell Amber about what has happened at their events. AND, we will also be joined by our own Emoji Nightmare to talk about about Drag Queen Story Hour in Vermont and the issues she has faced. DON'T MISS this very important episode of Amber Live!
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Dantès Alexander, the Prince Regent of EDM, recently released his highly anticipated new remix album "NEW JACK CITY III: ALL MIXED UP." In 2021, He was nominated for a Chicago music award due to his multi-platinum 3rd single on Spotify.
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Kate Rice is a battle-scarred veteran of three different religions who pulls back the veil on Christian nationalism, revealing its racist roots. She shines a spotlight on the misogyny of muscular Christianity and explains our nation’s wrestling match with religion, politics, and sex by viewing it through the prism of her own struggles.
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Larry Blum has done it all, and Amber LeMay has the chance to sit down with him and hear the stories! Larry has been an actor since his early days in the touring show of A Chorus Line. Since then he has been seen in movies like Xanadu, TV shows such as The Golden Girls and Roseanne, and he has repeatedly been on Soap Operas including General Hospital and Days of our Lives! Don't miss this fascinating interview with the man who has escorted Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna, Renee Zellweger, Laura Linney, and even Merryl Streep up the stairs at awards shows to claim their trophies! Larry's amazing stories are endless, and we managed to capture a few of them to share with you!
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Gay Bars! The GayBarchives creator, Art Smith, shares all things gay bar with Amber!
This week Amber explores one of her favorite topics - GAY BARS! Don't miss her interview with Art Smith, creator of the GayBarchives. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the history of the gay bar and so much more! You won't want to skip a moment of this great interview! Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live!
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The incredible Bruce Vilanch stops in for a chat with Amber! You do not want to miss this incredible live interview where Bruce answers all Amber's questions! Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live! Bruce Vilanch is a comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winner, best known for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant while behind the scenes he was head writer for the show. From 2000 to 2014, Vilanch was the head writer for the Oscars, after being an Oscar program co-writer for the previous ten years. He is a featured writer for the Tonys, Grammys, and Emmys.
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Hal Sparks of Queer as Folk, Talk Soup, Dude Wheres My Car and the AMAZING Gisele Baretto Fetterman!
The always hysterical comedian Hal Sparks stops by to chat with Amber about all things Hal! You wont believe all the stories and very personal things Hal reveals! Then, he pairs up with Gisele Baretto Fetterman for an amazing discussion, including their love of Pittsburgh and Zoltan!
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The Fettermans! John Fetterman and Gisele Baretto Fetterman in a candid interview with Amber LeMay
John Fetterman and Gisele Fetterman talk with Amber openly about Pennsylvania , gay rights, marijuana, flying flags, charity, their wedding and so much more! At the time, John Fetterman was Lt. Governor. NOW he is running for US Senate. Get all the backstory and details of their lives in the one of a kind interview.
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Michael Coleman, the Metropolitan Cowboy stops by to share his music and artistic endeavors with Amber.
See Your Shadow Songwriting is a musical creation entity currently based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Run by Michael Coleman, aka The Metropolitan Cowboy, See Your Shadow is unique in the fact that it is a collaborative network of talented vocalists and musicians who make the songs it creates their star. Michael Coleman, the artistic director of See Your Shadow Songwriting, writes and produces all the songs created and released by See Your Shadow Songwriting. See Your Shadow was launched in Columbus, Ohio, and takes its name from Michael Coleman’s birthday being Groundhog Day. Michael Coleman and See Your Shadow Songwriting’s lyrical writing style packs such a punch, that Michael has earned the distinction of being the only professional songwriter ever nominated for the office of Poet Laureate for the State of Ohio.
After primarily being known for its dance club music, and its work in film and television, See Your Shadow Songwriting rebranded itself and decided to switch its focus and sound to its first love, country and western. With a new stable of vocalists and musicians, See Your Shadow Songwriting, has crafted and developed its new sound harkening back to the vivid storytelling and emotion of old school country.
The single, “I Will Tell Jesus You Said Hello” reached #1 on the iTunes Country Songs chart in South Africa, while receiving national and international airplay and charting. Follow up, “My Worth” duplicated that feat. Subsequent releases have topped the international iTunes and airplay charts, in countries including the United Kingdom!
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Man's Country! The Chicago Bathhouse with Owen Keehnen.
Owen Keehnen visits with Amber to tell all the details of the famous and infamous bathhouse in Chicago, Man's Country!
As a queer writer Keehnen has had his fiction, essays, erotica, reviews, and interviews appear in dozens of LGBTQ magazines and anthologies worldwide. His newest book, Voices in Isolation: 4 Queer Plays of Social Distance has recently been released. He is the author of the humorous gay coming-of-age novel Young Digby Swank. Additional fiction titles include the sweeping gay saga The Sand Bar, and the first-personal horror novel Doorway Unto Darkness about a serial killer. His novel The Matinee Idol is about the life, loves, and challenges of a gay actor in silent film era. Keehnen’s book, Love Underground, is a suspense filled gay love story set in 1962 at the Lawson YMCA, which is told in diary form. Night Visitors, his collection of short gay horror tales was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award.
Keehnen has also had an impact as a local LGBTQ grassroots historian. Along with Chicago publishing icon Tracy Baim, Keehnen co-authored three biographies of Chicago LGBTQ community pioneers. Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow, Jim Flint: The Boy From Peoria, and Vernita Gray: From Woodstock to the White House. Combined, these three works comprise a sweeping history of Chicago LGBTQ life from the 1960s to the present. Using the subject of each book as a vehicle for telling a larger story, Baim and Keehnen cover three distinct aspects of LGBTQ history in Chicago, the leather world, the drag scene, and the lesbian scene. Keehnen covered Chicago’s disco scene in the 1970s and 1980s in the biography, Dugan’s Bistro and the Legend of the Bearded Lady.
He currently lives in Chicago with his partner, Carl, and his ridiculously spoiled dogs, Vince and Daisy. He was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2011.
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Michael Furr is best known as a stand-up comedian, improv coach, director and as the booking manager of the Lou Costello Room Comedy Club. He headlines clubs all over the East Coast, has opened for the likes of Nikki Glaeser, Jim Norton, Gilbert Gottfried and more. His hit special, “Straight Acting” is available on Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, and iTunes as will be his upcoming special, "I Didn't Die" due out later this year. #MichaelFurr #AmberLive #Comedy
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Meet Eva Sollberger, the incredible creator of the long running web series, Stuck in Vermont! She recently filmed and edited a piece on The House of LeMay, which won an AAN Award! You wont want to miss her heartfelt journey into the world of the legendary drag queens, Amber and Margaurite LeMay. #stuckinvermont #evasollberger #houseofLeMay #AmberLive
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Kirk Frederick, Author of "Write That Down! The Comedy of Male Actress Charles Pierce" joins Amber for an in-depth look at the work of Charles Pierce! Video, photos, and lots of incredible stories! You won't want to miss this fantastic opportunity to hear the stories from the man who was there, Kirk Frederick. Brought to you by the drag queen comedy talk show, Amber Live! #CharlesPierce #KirkFrederick #femaleimpersonator #dragqueen #femaleimpressionist #WriteThatDown #maleactress #draghistory #dragqueentalkshow
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Tracy Baim is one incredible person! This week, Amber gets to know her and shares it all with you. As publisher of the Chicago Reader and co-founder/owner of Windy City Times, Tracy has seen it all. The knowledge and wisdom of her experience shines through in this incredible interview. From the early days to the LGBTQ movement to today to the future of our country, you won't want to miss Tracy's thoughts on it all.
Tracy Baim
Tracy Baim is president and publisher of the Chicago Reader newspaper. She is co-founder and owner of Windy City Times. Baim received the 2013 Chicago Headline Club Lifetime Achievement Award. She is in the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists Hall of Fame, the Association for Women Journalists-Chicago Chapter Hall of Fame, and the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. She has won numerous LGBTQ community and journalism honors, including the Community Media Workshop’s Studs Terkel Award in 2005. Baim has written and/or edited 13 books, including Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America; Obama and the Gays: A Political Marriage; and Out and Proud in Chicago. Baim was executive producer of the lesbian film Hannah Free, starring Sharon Gless, and Scrooge & Marley. She directed and produced e. nina jay’s Body of Rooms film. She is creator of That's So Gay!, an LGBT trivia game. Baim is the founder of the Pride Action Tank and the Illinois LGBT Chamber of Commerce. She was also co-vice chair of Gay Games VII in Chicago, and in 2013 was founder of the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality.
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Amber chats with the amazing Patricia Silverberg about her songs and her career, and they even listen to her music. Don't miss this fun interview with a great guest.
Patricia Silverberg
Patricia’s soulful voice sings of the beauty and pain of modern life. Her raw, intelligent folk/rock lyrics illuminate the world as it is, rather than how we pretend it should be. She brings comfort and relatability to those who have felt alone and outcasted.
Patricia originally hails from NYC. She began playing the guitar at the age of five and studied voice with Broadway veterans. Within Arizona, she has been personally invited to many events including performing on the main stage at Pride in the Pines where she opened for Chaka Khan and Sophie B. Hawkins who described her voice as amazing. In addition to Pride in the Pines, Patricia has performed at a plethora of venues throughout Arizona from intimate coffee houses to concert stages. Outside of Arizona, Patricia has performed at the International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, San Diego Pride Festival, and in Portland, OR. Her music has been spun around the world on many internet, podcasts, public radio, community, and college stations, and of course, your favorite streaming service!
Patricia’s 2021 release, Just The Way You See It, asks the listener to evaluate their own perspectives of life. Do we live in a perfect world where we live happily ever after? Do we want to? Just the Way You See It begins with an Americana/folk cover of “Midnight Special,” where we wake in the morning to the “same damn thing.” The album ends with “Lullaby Moon,” an ode to peace, tenderness, and beauty.
In 2012 Patricia released, Don’t Look Back, a musical journey beginning with the chaotic streets of NYC to self discovery finding strength and courage dealing with the realities of love, life and her place in the world. Don’t Look Back earned her two ASCAP Plus Awards and radio play around the globe.
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Owen Keehnen talks with Amber LeMay about the brand new Chicago AIDS garden to commemorate the Belmont Rocks and those we lost.
Owen Keehnen
As a queer writer Keehnen has had his fiction, essays, erotica, reviews, and interviews appear in dozens of LGBTQ magazines and anthologies worldwide. His newest book, Voices in Isolation: 4 Queer Plays of Social Distance has recently been released. He is the author of the humorous gay coming-of-age novel Young Digby Swank. Additional fiction titles include the sweeping gay saga The Sand Bar, and the first-personal horror novel Doorway Unto Darkness about a serial killer. His novel The Matinee Idol is about the life, loves, and challenges of a gay actor in silent film era. Keehnen’s book, Love Underground, is a suspense filled gay love story set in 1962 at the Lawson YMCA, which is told in diary form. Night Visitors, his collection of short gay horror tales was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award.
Keehnen has also had an impact as a local LGBTQ grassroots historian. Along with Chicago publishing icon Tracy Baim, Keehnen co-authored three biographies of Chicago LGBTQ community pioneers. Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow, Jim Flint: The Boy From Peoria, and Vernita Gray: From Woodstock to the White House. Combined, these three works comprise a sweeping history of Chicago LGBTQ life from the 1960s to the present. Using the subject of each book as a vehicle for telling a larger story, Baim and Keehnen cover three distinct aspects of LGBTQ history in Chicago, the leather world, the drag scene, and the lesbian scene. Keehnen covered Chicago’s disco scene in the 1970s and 1980s in the biography, Dugan’s Bistro and the Legend of the Bearded Lady.
He currently lives in Chicago with his partner, Carl, and his ridiculously spoiled dogs, Vince and Daisy. He was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2011.
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Amber chats with Jen Ellis about the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Bernie's Mittens, and how they are raising money for Outright Vermont.
As of June 1st, Vermont Mittens – a sister brand of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company – proudly announces a partnership with Outright Vermont – an outstanding organization that helps LGBTQIA+ youth find connection, validation, and celebration while strengthening families and transforming the schools, systems, and communities with which youth engage. For every pair of mittens sold, a portion of proceeds will be donated to Outright Vermont, so all young people have hope, equity, and power.
Jen Ellis – the founder of Vermont Mittens, a local elementary teacher, and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community herself – carefully selected Outright Vermont for their work in educating, advocating, and transforming policies and practices that make room for everyone.
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Amber presents a tribute to the LGBTQ rights trailblazer, Clela Rorex, who recently passed away. Amber Live! is honored to have recorded one of Clela's last interviews and a story that is not to be missed.
Clela Ann Rorex (July 23, 1943 – June 19, 2022) was an American county clerk who issued the first same-sex marriage license in the United States. Serving as the Boulder County Clerk, Rorex issued a marriage license to a gay couple in 1975 after receiving approval from the District Attorney. Denver, Colorado, U.S.
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Join Amber as she explores everything Ptown with the Provincetown Business Guild's Executive Director, Stephan Hengst. Expect some Provincetown legends to pop in along the way, including Miss Richfield 1981, Miss Conception, and even Madge and Bisket. If you're headed to Ptown this summer, you must see this episode so you don't miss out! If you don't have plans to visit, you must see this episode to find out why you should make plans now!
ptown #Provincetown #LGBTQTravel #massachusetts #PBG #madgeandbisket #missconception #missrichfield1981 #missrichfield #dragqueen #lobsterpot #lobsterpotrestaurant
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Amber LeMay interviews Tony Award nominee Charles Busch about the release of his new film, The Sixth Reel. Find out where you can watch this great new film!
The Sixth Reel: A down-on-his-luck movie collector discovers a legendary lost film and becomes entangled in an outrageous adventure to deliver it to the right hands before it is lost forever. Starring Charles Busch, Julie Halston, Margaret Cho, Tim Daly, and Doug Plaut.
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Amber LeMay has the great honor this week to talk with Julie Gold, the Grammy award winning force who wrote From a Distance. Find out about her early life, how this song changed her life, what happened after that, and how even the space program has used her song! This is one amazing musical episode that you do not want to miss!
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Madge and Bisket Hijack Amber's Birthday Special and you won't believe the results. Laugh along in this great episode! Amber thought she was doing a normal show, and instead Madge and Bisket took over! Many of Amber's friends and family stopped in to roast her or send their wishes. The guest list includes Miss Richfield 1981, Sherry Vine, Emoji Nightmare, Matt Thole, The Beaver Pond Players, Mike Houston, and many many more!
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Amber LeMay interviews the absolutely incredible Debbie Wileman about her magical life story!!
Then:
Debbie Wileman was a housewife living in the UK, raising her daughter and looking for something to do during the pandemic. She started singing a song a day on Facebook for her friends. Wileman has gained over 1 million online views for her spot-on recreation of Judy Garland and other performers, and it opened doors she never imagined!
NOW:
It's the worldwide celebration of the 100th Birthday of one of the Greatest Performers of our time and Debbie Wileman is going on tour! She is on tour, direct from London, onstage to dazzle Judy's fans as well as her new followers. Debbie commands the stage – all with a live orchestra, conducted by Ron Abel. She features the famous hit songs from Judy's illustrious career, and, as an added treat, she sings songs of today (from Lady Gaga & Adele to Amy Winehouse & The Beatles, and more) that Judy would sing if she were with us today. AND she has an album of songs available as well.
Don't miss this interview with Debbie and the magical world that her life has become seemingly overnight!
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Join Amber LeMay for a frank discussion with the amazing DoctorCarlton! All about BUTTS!
DoctorCarlton is a gay gastroenterologist who completed training in dual fellowships in Gastroenterology and Clinical Pharmacology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He landed his dream job in San Diego where he is married to an amazing guy and has 2 kids. While he serves the entire community’s medical needs, he is particularly proud to serve the local LGBTQ community in San Diego as a resource for healthcare without judgment or shame. He stumbled onto Tik Tok during the pandemic and realized the need and the hunger for anal sex education ...and not just from the LGBTQ family but also women and straight men interested in butt play. So many people are embarrassed to talk about anal sex or ask questions about it, but let’s face it...most people want to know how to do it right, do it well, and do it safely! Who better to ask than a gay GI doctor who not only knows the medical side of things, but is no stranger to anal sex himself?! He is available to people from all corners of the globe on Tik Tok, Instagram, and Twitter and to answer those taboo or embarrassing questions one might be afraid to discuss with their own doctor.
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Amber LeMay interviews a true gay power couple - actor Stephen Wallem and actor, choreographer and director Tony Humrichhouser.
Stephen Wallem is a SAG Award-nominated actor best known as Thor on the Emmy-winning Showtime series “Nurse Jackie”. He currently can be seen as Winston Robards on “The Resident” (Fox) and Rudy Syndergaard on NBC’s “Law and Order: SVU”. Other TV credits include “Difficult People,” “Divorce,” and “Horace and Pete”. Stephen made his feature film debut this past Valentine’s Day in the hit romantic comedy Marry Me starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. East Coast stage appearances include Hazel in the Encores! production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Pipe Dream at New York City Center, Craig Carnelia’s world premiere Poster Boy (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and Anna Nicole (New York City Opera/BAM). Stephen accrued 2500 performances as both Jinx and Sparky in various companies of Forever Plaid including Chicago, Las Vegas, Denver, Drury Lane Oakbrook, and the first national tour. He is also an After Dark Award-winning cabaret artist in both Chicago and Manhattan, including A Burly Night Music at Birdland, Off the Wallem at Don’t Tell Mama, Schwartz and All at Birdland, the Sondheim Unplugged series at 54 Below and teaming with Edie Falco for the original cabaret The Other Steve and Edie at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. He reunited with Edie for Love Letters to benefit the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre. At The Muny in St.Louis, Stephen was seen as Shrek in Shrek the Musical, Horton in Seussical, and the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. For Farmers Alley Theatre, he starred as Max Bialystock in The Producers with fiancé Tony Humrichouser and as Buddy in Elf for Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts. He portrayed Judas/Padre in Court Theatre's acclaimed production of Man of La Mancha (Joseph Jefferson Award, After Dark Award) and reprised his performance at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven. Stephen became a staple at the Ravinia Festival, appearing with Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald and Michael Cerveris in A Little Night Music, Passion, and Sunday in the Park with George, all directed by Lonny Price. National Tours include Forever Plaid, Into The Woods and Scrooge with Richard Chamberlain.
Tony Humrichouser is an award-winning actor, choreographer and director hailing from Detroit, Michigan. His performance credits include Jinx/Sparky in the Joseph Jefferson Awardwinning Chicago company of Forever Plaid, John Adams in 1776, Gabe in Dinner with Friends, Leo Bloom in The Producers and Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol at the Tony Award-winning Trinity Repertory Company. He most recently was seen as Bruce in Fun Home at the Farmers Alley Theatre, Tateh in Ragtime at the Wagon Wheel Theatre and Malcolm McGregor in The Full Monty at The Des Moines Playhouse. Regional credits include Oscar in Sweet Charity, Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Harold Bride in Titanic, Applegate in Damn Yankees, Hornbeck in Inherit The Wind, Cornelius Hackle in Hello Dolly, Noah in The Rainmaker, Ben Gant in Look Homeward Angel, Otto Kringelein in Grand Hotel and Charlie in The Foreigner. Most recent New York production credits include assisting director Lonny Price on the New York Philharmonic's production of Company at Lincoln Center, Schwartz and All at the iconic Birdland and directing The Other Steve and Edie starring Edie Falco and Stephen Wallem at The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Mr. Humrichouser holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University and an M.F.A in Acting from Rhode Island College. He is a graduate of the Trinity Repertory Conservatory in Providence, RI and a member of the Actors Equity Association. He has severed as the Director of Musical Theatre programs at Drake University and the University of Missouri Kansas City's Conservatory of Music and currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre.
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In 2013, Jason Loper, a blogger and digital marketing executive, and Michael Schreiber, a writer and therapist, purchased the only American System-Built Home constructed in Iowa, the Delbert and Grace Meier House, which set them on a course of refurbishing and researching their new residence. In their book, This American House, Jason and Michael trace the history of the Meier House through its previous owners, and shed light on this underexplored period of Wright’s oeuvre.
Michael Schreiber’s debut book, One-Man Show: The Life and Art of Bernard Perlin, was named a Stonewall Honor Book by the American Library Association and is being adapted into a feature-length film. This American House is his second book. Michael continues his work of the past twenty years guiding the cognitive, emotional and social development of young adults with autism and other developmental challenges.
Jason Loper has made a career out of caring for homes. Whether as a butler, designer, writer, editor, or creator of digital content for consumer brands, Jason’s goal is to make the world a more beautiful and comfortable place. This American House is his first book.
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Dixie Longate hails from Mobile, Alabama where she lives with her three kids: Wynona, Dwayne and Absorbine, Jr. She started selling Tupperware as part of the conditions of her parole back in 2001. Within a few years, she became the top selling Tupperware representative in the US. When a friend of hers told her she should turn her living room party into a theatrical show, she laughed so hard at the idea, she almost had to put down her drink.
Dixie's Tupperware Party soon opened off-Broadway in 2007 to both raving fans and great reviews. The show earned Dixie a Drama Desk Award Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance. She lost to Laurence Fishburne. Really. Look it up. The following year, with plastic bowls in hand, she embarked on a small tour to some theaters in the US. Twelve years later, that tour was still running and had become one of the longest-running off-broadway tours in American theater history.
During the lockdown in 2020, she came up with her first streaming show while refilling her breakfast vodka as she was trying to homeschool her kids. Dixie's Happy Hour ran in 26 cities over the first few months of 2021.
After 22 months of being forced to be with her kids full-time, which was about the meanest thing anyone has ever done to her by the way, she decided it was time to emerge from the trailer to share all the things that she learned when the world was flipped over and life took a crap on the front lawn with her new show, Cherry Bombs and Bottle Rockets.
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Amber’s very special guest this week is the one and only Sherry Vine. She’s visiting to share the details about her brand new variety show! With almost 30 years under her sequined belt, Sherry Vine has earned the title of Drag Legend. Sherry tours the world with her all live singing, hilarious comedy shows, is the star and writer of her own variety show, She’s Living For This (now on Hulu), can be seen in numerous movies and TV shows, is a founding member of Theatre Couture, and is The OG Queen of YouTube, where her video parodies have been viewed over 19,000,000 times.
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Amber interviews BILL RUDMAN, the artistic director of The Musical Theater Project, a nonprofit organization he founded nearly 25 years ago. The organization produces concerts and cabarets all over town; it has an acclaimed program in area elementary schools; and Bill hosts a syndicated radio program on musical theater heard locally on WCLV and nationally on 100 public stations and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Bill is a native of Willoughby and a graduate of Hiram College. In 2000 he became the first recipient of the Robert P. Bergman Award for his work in arts education and community outreach.
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Duane Scott Cerny is the author of the memoir, Selling Dead People's Things. It has been excerpted in The New York Times, has garnered 5 Star reviews from collectors, designers, dealers and readers from around the world, and has been an #1 Amazon Bestseller, USA & Canada... Twice! The Advocate has named it one of the Top LGBTQ Memoirs of the Year... alongside the likes of John Waters, no less. Duane is the co-owner of The Broadway Antique Market (BAM!), Chicago's oldest and largest multi-dealer vintage shop. He has propped over 200 television/film productions such as Fargo, ChicagoFire, ChicagoPD, Candyman, Natural Born Killers, Road To Perdition, Public Enemies, Only The Lonely, the Chucky Movie franchise, to namedrop but a few. Upcoming releases include Ripple Effect and The Big Leap. BAM has been featured on HGTV, Huff Post, O Magazine, USA Today, nearly every antique publication in the country, and multiple episodes of TruTV's #1 Show, The Carbonaro Effect.
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Dr. Steve Yacovelli (a.k.a. “The Gay Leadership DudeTM”) is Owner &
Principal of TopDog Learning Group, LLC, a leadership, change
management, and diversity and inclusion consulting firm based in
Orlando, Florida, USA but with affiliates (“TopDoggers”) throughout the
globe.
Steve and TopDog provide guidance and solutions in leadership and
organizational development, change management, diversity and
inclusion consulting, instructional design, and custom e-learning
creation. Whether it be through providing keynotes and facilitating
leadership development programs for Fortune 500 companies like The
Walt Disney Company, Bayer AG, or accenture, to providing one-on-one coaching experiences for groups like
IBM, Covestro, and The Public Library Association, or creating engaging, effective training solutions for various
delivery formats for folks like Tupperware Brands Corporation, The Ohio State University, and The Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, Steve is passionate about helping others be their best selves, in and out of the workplace.
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The amazing Maureen Van Zandt visits with Amber Live! to talk about her incredible career, from being a child actor on Broadway to her years on the Sopranos. You will want to hear every minute of her fantastic journey through life!
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You may know these two as Madge and Bisket, and if you don't you should. Their rise to comedy fame during the pandemic has been nothing but meteoric and here is your chance to laugh with them and Amber LeMay! This is their first visit to Amber Live! with many more after that.
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Meet some of the stars of TikTok who are using it to create a new space for themselves, and some art you wont believe! Kall Me Kris, Michael Judson Berry as Moira Rose of QuarenTeaTime, and Matthew and Paul all share their TikTok success stories.
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Clela Rorex tells her story as the first person to issue same-sex marriage licenses in 1975. Serving as the Boulder County Clerk, Rorex issued a marriage license to a gay couple in 1975 after receiving approval from the District Attorney. Hear the whole story straight from Clela, including what happened with Roswell "Ross" Howard who wanted to marry his horse, Dolly.
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Amber LeMay interviews RuPaul Drag Race alum, Mrs. Kasha Davis.
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This week Amber Live! presents an extraordinary interview with the amazing Charles Busch. Amber had the extreme pleasure and honor of an opportunity to speak with Charles Busch about his career from start to finish. In fact, this incredible interview ran for two hours, and will be shown over the course of two episodes. If you know Mr. Busch's work you won't want to miss this, and if you aren't familiar with him, this is your chance to hear all about his fantastic life, directly from the source! The interview in question is Mr. Busch.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/amberlive/support
This week Amber Live! presents an extraordinary interview with the amazing Charles Busch. Amber had the extreme pleasure and honor of an opportunity to speak with Charles Busch about his career from start to finish. In fact, this incredible interview ran for two hours, and will be shown over the course of this episode and the next one. If you know Mr. Busch's work you won't want to miss this, and if you aren't familiar with him, this is your chance to hear all about his fantastic life, directly from the source! The interview in question is Mr. Busch.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/amberlive/support
Amber LeMay got to spend a full hour chatting with Carole Baskin about her life before, during and after Tiger King. AND, she asked her the question that is on everyone's mind, "What happened to Don?" Don't miss this in depth interview with Carole that looks at her story from all angles. You'll get to know her like never before, and she is not shy about sharing the answers.
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