Tom Whitman's Blog

9.12.11

September has been crazy!

I'm thrilled to announce that we had our most successful bartender auction in Tom Whitman Presents history! We raked in over 50k for AIDS Project Los Angeles. To all who were involved, please commence back-patting. We auctioned off the hottest bartenders in LA. Somehow I managed to escape being auctioned off this year. That was the exhilarating start to Saturday, September 3rd. After the auction, I dragged by way over to Cherry Pop to celebrate a friend's birthday, and to see The Velvet Nation (a dance troupe) GIVE IT. From there, I joined the Alegria crew from NYC. Don't know how I made it. ;)

September at SIZE U has been awesome. We start with beer pong and wii, and move into full on dancing. So far, we've had a really fun line up with our DJ's. Week 1: DJ Brynn Taylor. We had a line wrapped all the way down the alley by 9pm...I credit Brynn. She had everyone going insane! Yesterday we had DJ Morningstar. He's the King of mashups! Next week we're bringing back DJ Drew G.

Speaking of DJ Drew G, he's topping our poll in the SIZE U People's Choice Awards. We're letting our party goers choose who they want to DJ and who they wanna see perform. You can also vote on which giveaway sounds best. It comes as no surprise that Katy Perry concert tickets are way out in the lead. Our very own Rhea Litre' (Hostess of Sanctuary) is way out in the lead in the performers race. If you're in LA and you'd like to vote, you can do it here.

I know that when we have DJ Casey Alva spinning, I'm going to have a fun night. He's a blast behind the turntables! He will be at Sanctuary this Thursday. Saturday night is Cherry Pop Remixed, so I know the dancers will be out in full force.

In other news, fundraising for AIDS Walk Los Angeles is going strong, but we still have a long way to go. Our team (Gang of 100) has been the #1 team for 4 years running. I'm pretty confident that well do it again in 2011! You can join our team at aidswalk.net. Just register under Gang of 100. Anyone who raises over $1,000 gets VIP access to Cherry Pop and SIZE U. If you're not in LA, there is no better time to come visit. The walk is October 16th, and LA weather is gorgeous in Autumn.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

8.30.2011

This past weekend was a fun, but long weekend of events (not all of which I made it to). Hey, there was a lot of stuff going on.

Thursday, it was Brynn Taylor spinning at Sanctuary Thursdays. All the usual suspects were around, including David Cooley, who had a birthday celebration this Monday with a Brat Pack theme -- totally fun. Rhea Litre performed, with one of my favorite routines... And she accidentally kicked someone in the head with her heel.

Saturday was the Sunset Junction Pool Party at my house, the largest house party I throw each year. Hey, it's exhausting having 350 boys in the backyard. It was an amazing party and an amazing catering set up. Only one person threw up that I know of. And we raised almost $20,000 for AIDS Project Los Angeles -- the beneficiary of the charity pool party.

One lame aside was that Sunset Junction (a big street festival in Silverlake -- my neighborhood) was cancelled. The promoters apparently didn't pay last year's permit fees. Come on, guys. This is an L.A. staple event. Pull it together and pay your fees.

Saturday was Cherry Pop, with former Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones performing! It was packed, and a bit too sweaty to be honest. This was the hottest weekend of the summer in L.A., so it was scorching, everywhere, all the time.

I missed Woody Woodbeck's birthday party because of my pool party and I missed the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center food event Simply Divine because of Cherry Pop. Too many things on the gay calendar.

Sunday was the Out Magazine Nighthawks party at Here Lounge, leading into SIZE U. It was fun! Great crowd, cute guys, and theoretically, it was about me. (I think it was just a good excuse to throw a party.) But hey, everyone was in a great mood, draq queens were melting in the heat and the boys were in tank tops.

This week, it's Drew G on Thursday, and Mike in my office and Alexis, one of my business partners (thisisnotikea.com) are celebrating their birthdays.

Then on Saturday, it's the 7th annual Bartender Auction from 4pm to 6pm. We're auctioning off the hottest bartenders in L.A. for charity. Woohoo! And yes, sometimes I get auctioned off, too.

Saturday night, it's Cherry Pop and then the first ever L.A. installment of Alegria. I'm helping Ric Sena produce the event in L.A., and it's going to be one to remember!

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

7.21.2011

This weekend, the big news is that we are turning a regular Cherry Pop into a Super Cherry Pop and having a special Party Rock takeover by LMFAO. Redfoo will be performing' yes, we'll all be shouting 'Shots, shots, shots'' and calling each other 'Bitches in Miami.' Or something like that. It's gonna be a crazy night, I have no doubt. You should have seen the green room rider. More on that later.

Also performing is Lacey Schwimmer of So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars (remember, she was Lance Bass's partner her first season' and then after that she partnered with a bunch of people I didn't know.) She has a single out, and to be honest, it's really cute. As is she. The new single, 'Love Soundz,' premiered on Ryan Seacrest in June. She's been out to Cherry Pop, but only in an official capacity as a host for a charity event a long time ago' she couldn't come for a normal night because she wasn't of legal age. Now she is. Bring it on, Lacey.

Then' yes, there are a lot of performances' a Danish singer Sonny is performing. He's kinda 'Danish perfomance royalty.' Third generation showbiz family, topped the charts in Europe, award-winning hip hop dancer' oh yeah, and he's totally cute. That helps. And his latest video isn't bad at all. Check him (and the video out) at www.sonny.dk.

What else? It's a Brynn Taylor weekend this weekend -- she's DJing at my Thursday party, and on SIZE Sunday. And she did the top ten this week.

Coming up: Manny Lehman spinning a SUPER SIZE on July 31st. A Cirque de Soleil night with IRIS benefitting APLA on August 6th.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

7.19.11

I love summer in L.A. Sarah McLachlan performed last Friday, with the LA Philharmonic backing her up, and it was beyond amazing. Surprisingly, it wasn't the lesbianfest I was expecting. But the Bowl was sold out, her voice was as perfect as it is on a recording, and to hear an orchestra backing her up made it a really special experience.

Cherry Pop was off the hook, shockingly since it was San Diego Pride weekend. Maybe the boys decided not to drive down because of Carmageddon. OK, yes, I'm gonna talk about Carmageddon. The media non-event of the century. They shut down the 405 freeway on Friday night. You would have thought that a pillar of fire was descending upon Los Angeles. People left town on Thursday, everyone left work at noon on Friday, every news station could talk about nothing else. And guess what? Nothing happened. There weren't traffic problems on the other freeways. We all got to our homosexual pool parties in plenty of time. And everyone came out at night. AND the freeway opened early, on Sunday afternoon.

So anyway, back to nightlife. DJ Josh Peace and Brynn Taylor spun the main room at Super Cherry Pop, while DJ Bunny spun the lounge. At 2:15am, I was dragged out of the club by my boyfriend, so y'all were on your own for the last hour.

And then Sunday, the day of the infamous Zoo Party at San Diego Pride, it was actually crowded in West Hollywood. DJ Drew G (he of the muscles and tattoos) spun from 6pm til 2am with a crowded dance floor the entire time.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

7.12.11

The past Saturday should have been called Sweaty Cherry Pop instead of Super Cherry Pop. For the first time ever, we had a DJ Duel at Cherry Pop, with our resident DJ Josh Peace (one of the DJs who is currently doing my top ten playlists on this blog) along with superstar DJ Manny Lehman (another of the DJs doing the top ten) going head to head.

It was an interesting mash up, because Josh and Manny are both amazing DJs, but they have pretty different styles. Josh is more pop/hip hop and underground and used to playing smaller clubs like Mr Black, while Manny traditionally plays big rooms -- every megaclub and circuit event in the world. Both can play almost anything, but to have them go head to head and try to fit together was a fun challenge. But it actually worked.

And the boys (and girls) certainly came out in force. It's been a hot weekend in L.A., which makes it hard for the AC to keep up with 1000 boys inside Cherry Pop. Yikes. Except for in the dead of summer, it's not an issue, but there were a lot of shirts coming off at Cherry Pop this Saturday (and it's not normally that kind of crowd). I thought we were going to melt the dance floor.

But hey, what's a little sweaty manflesh rubbing up against you? Why else do we go out? And yes, I did get up on the gogo box with Vanessa, one of my gogo dancers for a brief moment. Don't remind me. And don't try to give me $1 bills next time I do it. I only take $5s, $10s and $20s. ;)

Sunday's SIZE U was out of control as well. I don't know what went into the water this weekend, but everyone was out to get it. Flip cup started at 4pm, and you all were wasted by 7pm. I'm just saying. Roland Belmares spun a great set, as always. It's fun to have big name DJs like Roland and Manny spin a more intimate space than a cavernous circuit event or megaclub.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

7.13.2011

Coming up this week...

On Thursday, DJ Michael Paul spins at Sanctuary. It must be a funny transition to be a resident at Disneyland as well as some of the biggest gay events in the city. Lol. But Michael Paul does it all.

It's San Diego Pride this weekend, so the hardcore circuit boys will mostly head down to San Diego for the Zoo Party and other festivities. Judging by this past weekend though, L.A. will not be lacking in people who want to go out. Sean V (formerly known as Sean van der Wilt) will be performing at Super Cherry Pop. Drew G will be spinning (and hopefully taking his shirt off as he tends to do) at SIZE U on Sunday.

I'm sure there will be a few homos (and a million lesbians) at Sarah McLachlan on Saturday at the Hollywood Bowl'but I think that we all will need to get a little bit of dance on after the lesbian heartbreak music. (I say that with love -- hey, I'll be there.)

Some upcoming fun things to keep on your calender if you're in L.A.:

Manny Lehman spins a classic anthem night at SIZE U on July 31st.

On August 8th, we are having an amazing benefit show of the new Cirque de Soleil show IRIS to raise money for AIDS Project Los Angeles. Go to apla.org for more info.

On August 20th, I will be having the biggest event of the year that I host at my house, when I host the APLA Summer PoolParty. As many homos as I can squeeze into my backyard and pool (about 400)'and add liquor and music. It's always a good time, and we always sell out. Info coming soon on how to buy tickets.

On September 4th, it's the 9th annual West Hollywood Bartender Auction. I'll be auctioning off hot guys for cash (and credit). And yes, sometimes I get auctioned off too -- though I've gone for the second highest amount the last couple of years, my stock apparently is falling. Okay, I still went for $5s000, which means they way overpaid because I put out for $2,000. Just kidding. Actually, all of the bartenders and their winning bidders attend Macy's Passport fashion show as a group -- we all get together in a huge limo bus and have cocktails on the way to the show -- you get the picture. This year, Macy's is actually sponsoring the Bartender Auction, so we'll have some amazing prizes for the bartenders who participate.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

6.28.30

Yes, I was in NY for Pride this past weekend. Fun weekend, but it's good to be home. Getting back to my hotel when the sun is coming up isn't something I can do all the time. Plus I miss my dog. And my car. (This is where all of the NY queens roll their eyes' no, I don't talk to my car or miss it like a person, but there is something about driving around, listening to music, drinking coffee, while the sun shines in L.A. Sorry, New Yorkers.)

I remember most of the weekend, though I woke up on Friday morning with my right foot black and blue, and none of my friends can remember me kicking anyone or anything on Thursday night. I blame Shequida and the shots she kept buying me. Never let a drag queen get you drunk. You wake up with bruises. (And if I kicked you on Thursday night, I apologize' I was on vacation.)

The whole weekend was fun, from the bars and clubs to the Bondi Beach party. (Told you I was tired.) But the best part of the weekend was being in the city the weekend that gay marriage passed. There was an energy in the air. Just make sure you keep it on the books, New Yorkers' we got it taken away from us. (But we'll get it back.)

This past weekend in L.A. was pretty mellow, with NY and San Francisco Pride pulling people away, but apparently the boys still had a good time. DJ Pornstar (yes, he is still a pornstar as well as a really good DJ) spun the Thursday night Sanctuary. DJ Josh Peace spun Cherry Pop on Saturday, and DJ Michael Paul spun at SIZE U on Sunday.

It's Fourth of July weekend in L.A., so there are a bunch of random things going on. Casey Alva is spinning on Thursday at Sanctuary, Josh Peace at Cherry Pop, Morningstar at SIZE. Jeffrey Sanker is throwing an event on Sunday night as well with Dave Aude, and Brett Henrichsen is throwing a Masterbeat party on Sunday night.

It will be a full night.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

6.23.2011

This upcoming weekend has DJ Pornstar spinning at Sanctuary. For those of you who haven't been to there recently, it is completely renovated, and they did an amazing job. There is a real dance floor, and as of last week, we officially have our dance license from the City of West Hollywood. Yes, just like in Footloose, the city has to approve whether or not a club can have dancing or not.

I went through this same thing 8 years ago with here lounge, when the NY owners didn't renew the dance license, thinking that it would be a G Lounge style cocktail bar. Then when people wanted to dance, it was illegal. We actually had to post signs around the bar 'No Dancing.' I totally felt like Kevin Bacon, but much younger. At one point, someone from code enforcement actually videotaped a couple of customers dancing, and called the owners to task for it.

Cherry Pop is Super Cherry Pop again this Saturday. Dj Josh Peace will be on the Factory side.

DJ Michael Paul will be spinning at SIZE U on Sunday, and Josh Miller will host. (If he doesn't take a sleeping pill like Lanny Leyda did this past week and sleep through his shift.)

If you happen to be in NY this weekend for Pride, then yes, that's me stopping by every single event. (Hey, promoters have to get out of town as well.) Bondi Beach, Club 57, Work, Pier Dance, Alegria' I'm exhausted already.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

6.21.2011

The big fun this past weekend was Pepa of Salt N Pepa performing at Cherry Pop. Yes, it was supposed to be both of them, but there was a last minute issue, and we were sodium free. But it was crazy fun. Packed. I thought the dance floor was going to explode every time she went into one of the classics''Push It,' 'Let's Talk About Sex,' 'Shoop.' Sandra (Pepa) was the consummate showperson. She had every screaming queen in that place in the palm of her hand.

And she promised to come back very soon with her girl Cheryl (Salt) and reprise the crazy night. I'm holding her to that.

Ari Gold also performed on Saturday night, bringing a little gay male NY gaga feeling to Cherry Pop.

DJ Josh Peace (one of our resident Cherry Pop DJs) worked it out on the Ultra Suede side, while superstar DJ Chris Cox spun on the Factory side. Chris Cox has been one of my favorite DJs and remixers for years, starting out when he was one half of Thunderpuss. (Remember all of those classic diva remixes?)

I should also mention that we celebrated Saskia Weber's birthday on Thursday at Sanctuary. Saskia is my doorgirl/listbitch at Cherry Pop, and as everyone in clubland knows, the door person is probably more important than the promoter. EVERYONE has to deal with her. And she does it with style and class, and doesn't put up with (too much) shit from the boys. Ah, having a lesbian at the door is always the solution.

We celebrated her birthday with a couple of special shows in her honor. Shokra (our hostess at Cherry Pop) performed a drag duet extravaganza with Rhea Litre (our hostess at Sanctuary) in a sick version of Rihanna's 'Rock Star.' Shokra's outfit was amazing'in his other life, Russell (Shokra) is an amazing costume designer who has worked for somany celebrities and concerts -- one of the recent ones being the Katy Perry costumes for her tour. Sabrina KingQueen also performed. And Rose McGowan showed up to celebrate with us.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

6.16.2011

I'm having post-partum pride. I birthed four events last weekend, and now I'm exhausted, and a little depressed. I should learn to go on vacation right away. But I guess I can wait an extra week until NY Pride.

This upcoming weekend should be interesting. We had booked Lil Kim for Cherry Pop on June 18th, but she asked if she could reschedule so that she could go to Africa. Sure. So, we are rescheduling her date, but filling in for her at the last minute is Salt N Pepa. Actually, I'm outta my mind excited about Salt N Pepa. I mean, come on: 'Shoop,' 'Let's Talk About Sex,' 'Push It,' 'None of Your Business.' I grew up on that stuff. It's gonna be stupid fun.

In addition on that night, we are also having Ari Gold perform, and Superstar DJ/Remixer Chris Cox is joining our resident DJ JoshPeace on the turntables. Chris has remixed every major diva there is, and not only is he a great remixer, he is crazy fun in the booth.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

6.15.2011

OMG, Pride is over! Thank god!

OK, I'm being a drama queen, but Pride is the most exhausting weekend of my year. I think I got about 10 hours of sleep the whole weekend' and not from partying, smart-ass.

Thursday night was the kick-off event Sanctuary. That's the night when you realize how many out-of-towners come in for Pride weekend. It was like a bus let out.

Friday night, I started loading my event Wonderland onto the backlot of Paramount Studios at 4pm. Trucks bringing in lighting truss, stages, bars, the Ferris wheel' it all takes a long time to build. We finished lighting and programming the lights for the shows at about 3am.

Then it was back again on Saturday morning at 9am to finish the build out and start sound-checks and rehearsals. This year's aerialists 'Flying Dreams' out of Las Vegas, included aerialists and acrobats currently in shows like La Reve and Zumanity. They pulled up in a truck with some very odd aerial apparatuses. (Apparati? Lol.) They were the first to rehearse, since they had five shows to rehearse, with everything from dual aerial bungee to two multiple person aerial apparatuses to 'grinding.' (No, that has nothing to do with hooking up online.) It's when they grind a saw against metal plates attached to each other and sparks shoot into the air. We rehearsed my introduction to fireworks, which was happening in the air, as I was strapped into a harness. During my rehearsal, one of the guys jokingly said that I should do a flip while I'm up there. Gauntlet thrown. In rehearsal, I made the flip about half the time. The other half, I was left ignominiously hanging upside down. Oh well, I hope it works.

Then, our up and coming artist Eva rehearsed. Her single 'Not My Daddy' is hot... as were all six of her back up dancers.

Then, the circuit diva who sings my favorite dance floor anthem of all time came out. Inaya Day's 'Movin' Up' taught us all to take our problems to the dance floor. Her voice is ridiculous and effortless. It's in rehearsal that you know whether or not the show is going to be a hit or just OK. I knew the crowd was going to love her.

A Wonderland staple is performance artist/choreographer Flava. Most Wonderlands include a big show from her. And there's usually a technical effect that worries me. This time, it was fans under the stage, blowing her costume and other fabric vertically into the air for the show. It sounds easier than it is to make it work perfectly, and at the right time.

Airbrush and makeup started at 5pm. We opened doors at 7pm (and no, I didn't get a break or get to go home and shower). Our staff and dancers were face-painted and/or body painted as the 'Elements:' Fire, Water, Air/Wind, and Earth. I was fire, as you can see in the photos.

Eva's show went flawlessly, though she went on late. My intro was pretty damn good. I actually did 3 flips back to back, thank you very much. And yes, my mohawk stayed on through all of the flips. I'm not going to get a call from Cirque any time soon, but I did okay. The fireworks guys missed their cue a bit' but hey, something goes slightly wrong at every show. No one noticed except for me, as I'm being lowered from the truss.

One great thing about the fireworks at Wonderland is that they go off right over the dance floor, not far off in the distance. So my lighting designer Guy Smith got hit with a firework shell. He'll survive. ;)

Flava's show worked it out. Her hair, her outfit and the fabric shot up into the air above the fans perfectly. Thank the lord. She did 'Run the World (Girls),' which seemed to be the song of the night. Her back up dancers were great, including 2 of the girls from the video.

Inaya was amazing. Her voice ripped through the crowd like you wouldn't believe. And yes, I was jumping up and down a bit during 'Movin' Up.' Don't judge.

We closed the party at 3am (because we have to) and I collapsed into bed. For a nap.

And at noon, I was at our Pride Sundayversion of SIZE. Yikes. It was crazy. Lines all day long, beautiful weather, and I got body-painted again. I seem to have developed an addiction to body paint. Oh well. There are worse addictions.

Then I slept for two days. Seriously.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

6.9.2011

It's Los Angeles Pride Weekend this weekend! If you have never been to LA Pride, you should come. Our festival isn't the most sophisticated thing in the world, but there are a ton of fun parties over the weekend, and besides, there's nothing much better than walking around with a beer in the Southern California sun surrounded by half a million homos and lesbians.

My personal kickoff for the weekend is my Thursday event, Sanctuary. As a prelude to Saturday Night's Wonderland, I'm having DJ Manny Lehman come in and have a friendly DJ battle with DJ Scotty K. And Rhea Litre, our drag host will perform' and climb in the rafters above the dance floor as she likes to do.

Then on Saturday night, I'm throwing the two biggest Saturday night parties in LA. Super Cherry Pop will be happening, and that's where all the boys (and girls) who like pop music will be headed. Tons of surprise performances, go go dancers,' you get the idea.

And the cornerstone event of L.A. Pride' Wonderland. DJ Manny Lehman, DJ Tony Moran, Inaya Day, Eva, Mya, Flying Dreams, Guy Smith on lights, go go boys, surprise performances, stilt walkers, a ferris wheel, fireworks over the dance floor' and pretty much everything else I can pack into a one night extravaganza.

Let me draw a picture of Sunday for you. Sunny skies. I'll sleep through the parade. (Wonderland goes until 3am.) My SIZE U event starts at noon. (Yikes.) Jonny McGovern (the Gay Pimp) is performing. RuPaul's Drag Race's Morgan McMichaels is hosting. DJ's The Perry Twins, DJ Michael Paul, DJ Morningstar. I will have a cocktail in my hand (yes, a Stoli Orange, soda, splash of 7 in a personal pitcher) by 12:01pm. I will try to make a quick stop by the LASC rooftop party down the street, benefitting the Trevor Project. Then I'll be back at my event and by 3pm, I will be slurring my words because I have gotten so little sleep and I forgot to eat. No one is allowed to make fun of me. Except my boyfriend, and I'm sure he'll make fun of me plenty. I'll walk through the festival for a minute and when I get sick of smelling sausage stands, I'll go back to my event, and just before I get so drunk I try to get dressed up in Morgan McMichael's outfits, I'll call it a night. And then I'll sleep for three days.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

6.7.2011

Random thought: I often get asked 'what advice do you have if I want to get into promotion?' Usually, they want specific solutions or a path, but I generally give them some general guidelines which probably apply to life as well as producing parties.

Be nice. Always. Even when you're tired and don't want to smile. You're not doing your customers a favor by throwing a party, they're doing you a favor by supporting you and showing up.

And learn to play in the sandbox with others. Clubland drama is so lame. Be respectful to your competitors. Above all, be good at what you do and work hard. Do a good job, throw a good party, and shut the heck up. If you think the only way you are going to be successful is to be shady, then you're gonna have either a short career or an unhappy one. Love what you do, and let people see that. Enjoy your life. Rise above the rest of it.

**

This past weekend:

Ben Pauley (who is now going by BP Major) performed at my Thursday Sanctuary party. Normally, I shy away from male vocalists, because the boys like their female singers almost to a point of obsesssion. But Ben (who's from Sydney) puts on a good show. He really sings, his songs are poppy and fun, and his jackets have LED lights in them.

DJ Morningstar was our DJ this past Thursday. He spins one of the most eclectic sets of all my DJs. He definitely is not afraid of the urban remix, and will throw in some highly unexpected mash-ups...

Circuit superstar Roland Belmares spun my Sunday event SIZE U. And yes, I played beer pong. I know I keep bringing up beer pong, but that's mostly because I suck at playing it, while some of these 24-year-old guys are competitive Olympic Beer Pongers. My most embarassing moment came when a drag queen beat me at Beer Pong. Okay, she was out of drag at the time, but I still know her as a 'her.' Damn you, Rhea Litre. Followed by a porn star beating me. At Beer Pong. You get the idea.

The first and fourth Saturdays of the month is regular Cherry Pop. Which means this past Saturday was so packed, I needed lube to fit another person in the club. Fun, but sheesh. I needed a drink. (And yes, it's usually a Stoli drink'Stoli Orange, soda, splash of 7.)

It's pre-Pride weekend, so all anyone can talk about is next weekend. If I have to answer the question 'How is Wonderland going?' one more time I may shoot myself. But, actually it's all coming together. Now I just have to figure out what color my mohawk will be. Suggestions?

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

6.1.2011

So, what's coming up?

A big part of my life right now is taken up with production for gay pride weekend in LA on June 11th and 12th. We kick off at my Thursday event Sanctuary, but the real fun starts on Saturday. Apparently, I can be in two places at once, because I'm throwing a huge Super Cherry Pop that night, with resident DJs Josh Peace and Brynn Taylor (my current lesbian SCP resident DJ). Surprise performances will happen all night long. If you like pop music, then this will be the destination for you in LA.

And if you're more of a dance music fan, then I'm throwing one of the biggest parties of the year that weekend. WONDERLAND happens each year on the back lot of Paramount Studios: Outdoors under the stars, on a historic movie back lot (on the New York streets, in an ironic twist), with fireworks exploding over the dance floor, thousands of scantily clad guys, aerial and acrobatic shows, surprise performances, dancers, and so on and so forth.

Each year we have surprise performers, both up and coming and established artists. Lady Gaga has done Wonderland, Kelis performed last year'but I'm not ready to spill who is there this year. You'll just have to show up. And no, I'm not going to tell you what the fireworks songs are either.

I'm totally excited about our aerial shows this year. We're bringing out aerialists and acrobats from some of the biggest shows in Vegas, including La Reve and Zumanity. Each year, it's a challenge to come up with new acts. We always have a ton of different things happening in mid-air, but I try to do something a little different each time. This year, I'm excited (err'nervous) about the aerial bungee. Yes, it's what it sounds like -- people flinging themselves up and down on giant rubber bands. Above the dance floor. Hmmmm.

DJ Manny Lehman kicks off the event at 7pm, and then at about 11pm after fireworks, DJ Tony Moran takes over. This was the DJ team for our first Wonderland, and I'm excited to bring them together again.

Okay, I'm starting to sound like an advertisement. What else can I tell you? Yes, I'm considering getting strapped to a harness and flying in the air myself. (It's much more fun when the promoter puts himself in mortal danger, right? So, if this is one of my last blog posts, well, it was a short run. Thanks, Out.) I also have to figure out what color my mohawk will be this year. Yes, it's a tradition' I don't know why, but I've had a foot-high mohawk for the past two years. Somehow, everything is more fun when the party promoter has oddly colored hair and face paint. And puts himself in mortal danger.

Okay, it's my third cup of coffee and I'm about to explode, so I better sign off now.

Until next week. Unless I die in aerial rehearsals.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.

5.31.2011

Memorial Weekend is when my life begins to feel like apre-LA Pride blur. But I'll do my best to pick out some details from this past weekend... and talk about what is coming up.

Porcelain Black was the stand out star this past Saturday at Cherry Pop. Think a pop-rock millennial Terri Nunn (OK, mostly because of her two-tone black and platinum haircut) meets an in-your-face love child of Avril Lavigne and Joan Jett. The video for her single 'This is What Rock N' Roll Looks Like' is aggressive girl power with a side order of vixen Gaga. She definitely made the boys at Cherry Pop take notice. Check out her video on YouTube.

She sported a bedazzled halter-top, with odd foam ridges on her abs (a la Gaga), and her tattoos and black/platinum hair definitely put her on the alt side of the pop dance spectrum. She's definitely owns her look. And she kicked ass in her live performance.

A surprise performer (even to me, since he just showed up) on Saturday was the rapper Mann, who performed his single 'Buzzin,' which is ubiquitous on top 40 radio right now. (That song with the sample of Nu Shooz in the beginning -- ah, I love a good 80's sample.)

I'd talk about beer pong at my Sunday event SIZE U, but I tend to embarrass myself at beer pong, so let's save beer pong stories for another day. Maybe when I learn how to play it properly instead of losing every game.

For more info on Tom Whitman's parties, visit his official website.