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October 2001
Get
the Dish with Miss Priscilla Pride!
by Miss
Priscilla Pride
Summer
Flings, Fall Reflections!
Priscilla
is aware of the events that took place on September 11,
2001. I mean no disrespect with my report on my August
activities. We
must
remember that life existed before the shocking events, but
just maybe we all need to admit that we were not living
life
to its fullest! We all get wrapped up in our daily routine
(work, errands, fights with friends and neighbors, and
other
mundane and trivial things). The events of September 11,
2001 should teach us that life can be short, is precious
and can be
taken
away at any time, and without warning! Please look up the
definition of the word community. See that one definition
is a body of people living in the same place (Long Island)
under the same laws (most we agree to and others we all want
changed to include sexual orientation). Another definition
of community states just two words, similarity and likeness.
Both of these words share a synonym, comparable. My thoughts:
we all differ in many ways and we are alike in many others.
That's what makes us unique. In light of September 11,
2001 we need to
find a way to work together and respect our differences.
United we are a force to be reckoned with, divided we
are weak. So
to those who lost loved ones, friends, neighbors and more,
Priscilla sends out a huge hug and will keep you in my
prayers
each night. I will pray for emotional, spiritual and physical
healing for those in need. I too have best friends who
lost
11 people in the planes that crashed and ask for your prayers
for them too.
August
on La Isle de Fuego -
"She's havin' a heat wave, a tropical heat wave,
her temperature's risin', it ain't no surprisin', Priscilla
certainly can, CAN-CAN!" Hola, darlings! Priscilla is
back from a Latiny, sexy 10 days in Cherry Grove, or as it
I called it 'The International House of Tortilla Chips.' That's
right, all the men and women were hard and salty, while both
gays and lesbians dipped their finds in the sauce of their
choice! Hay Caramba and Hay Dios Mio... sweat/sweat... fan/fan!
The flavor
of the season was Latin all the way! The boys from Venezuela,
Miguel, to name one and the other Latin and South
American cuties, Wilfredo and the other waiters and
bus boys, at The Bay Leaf made my 2001 jaunt ever
so special. Dears, if you can still make it over before
October 14th,
get there and quick! Joanne and Sean assembled
the most delicious crew, from Chef Steve Giambrone
(I love hot, sexy Italian men who know how to use their hands)
to Pastry Chef Valerie Weiss (what she does with
custard, pie crust and whipped cream is sinful -- and the
desserts
are great too!). If you miss Valerie this season on Fire
Island, don't fret! You can catch her at The Boston
Tea Party
on Merrick Road in Amityville. RUN, HURRY... I would, but
I'm still licking my chops from all those heavenly desserts
she
made especially for me! Chef Steve's culinary confections
and Pastry Chef Valerie's tantalizing taste treats make
The
Bay Leaf the most heavenly Dining Den of Delectably Delicious
Delights! If you miss them this season, quelle damage, but
one can bet that they will return in 2002! Who knows? Chef
Steve and Pastry Wizardess Valerie may just be at Priscilla's,
catering a private function this winter! HHHmmm, who gets
an invite? If you're lucky the postman will ring more than
twice when he delivers your invitation!
Priscilla spreads it around. It was August 10th,
a summer storm hit the Isle fast and furious but not before
I dipped in the pool wearing my new bathing creation - "Half
Moon'. It's from the house of One-Leg Casino, half-brother
to Oleg Cassini. The family still won't talk about One-Leg's
accident but Priscilla is determined to get to the bottom
of Half Moon's history and why One-Leg picked it as his signature
beach wear ensemble for the 2001 season. When I know, you
will too! After a nice swim I went to my room at The Belvedere.
Yes, drag sisters are welcomed; we still have the right parts
so to speak in all the right places. John and Scott are such
dears; they gave me a lovely room on the bay side of the house,
away from adoring fans. As I changed for dinner the sky turned
black and the winds picked up. I turned to my hot El Salvadorian
roommate, CARLOS -- he puts the spice in my Enchilada, and
gasped. We thought we were off to see Dorothy in Oz, instead
we had the worst storm of the season and the power went out.
I ran into Carlos' arms and screamed. (Not because it was
dark, but thunder & lightning excites Carlos ever so much.
I screamed 'cause I nearly got speared to death!)
We decided
that Cherry Grove in the dark is no fun, so we water taxied
to The Pines. Carlos is so in the know! The owners of The
Bistro, General Manager -- Michael Terranova &
Chef -- Bruce "Mac" Macintyre, flew into
Carlos' arms. Kisses were exchanged as they whisked us to
a private table outside on the deck under the stars and the
balmy night breezes. The storm passed but the soft breeze
was a perfect compliment to the fabulous mildly spiced shrimp
and the tender/juicy rack of lamb. The red wine selected was
subtle and warm, the perfect libation for this sultry night.
Hostess Karyn Beck and waiter Allen Durgin handled
the crowd with grace and style. The Pines was the only island
with power. You simply must visit them next season!
We ate for
hours, desserts too. Of course getting back to The Grove in
a water taxi proved to be an exciting experience. Every time
the boat swayed and hit a little wave I landed in Carlos'
lap. Once on The Grove we stopped in at Cherry's for
a little cocktail and karaoke. The place was charming and
packed as usual. Carlos left the next day leaving me alone,
enraptured in my memories of the night before. I strolled
the Grove in a daze and walked right into Michael Pepito,
co-owner of The
Bunkhouse, Top Of The Bay and other sordid ventures
too numerous to mention! He invited me to dine with him that
evening and said he had a big surprise for me. After Carlos
I thought there was no one bigger, OOPS! Anyway, I showed
up at 7 PM to The Top Of The Bay in my new ensemble entitled
Smother by SoTearHer. She is the evil twin to the Hungarian
designer Sotera whose new line is sheer in the right places
and leaves things to your imagination in others. Well, evil
twin SoTearHer is twisted, and I was smothered in diaphanous
gauze that left nothing to the imagination.
The big
surprise, you ask? Well, as I flounced in once up those damned
stairs, I looked over at Michael's table and screamed, BARRY
JONES...DARLING IT'S BEEN TOO LONG! Yes dears,
Socially Speaking
and Priscilla at the same table, Michael is so, so
wicked! After dishing all the good dirt, there was poor Jim,
Barry's adorable partner, picking up after Barry. You see,
Jim and Barry are on the Board for GALFOLI
who host annually The Dock
of the Bay. So there we were, all of us mortified
by the way, sitting at a table that needed room for the two
flat boards attached to Barry's hips, one with faboo basket
items and the other with baskets, bunting and wrapping. It
seems Barry can go nowhere in August without these 2 make
shift tables since he creates all the "Silent Auction"
and "Raffle Baskets" from scratch. Jim cracks that
whip and Barry snaps to, let me tell you. It got embarrassing
though when Barry wanted to make a basket of our table scraps
and planned to raffle it as "star trash"...poor
dear, she works so hard!
Anyway,
Priscilla attended The Dock of
the Bay this past August 19th. Let me tell
you, anyone who is anyone in the Long Island GLBT community
was there, and those who were not...well, let's just say they
missed one of the most exciting events of the season. Well
deserved awards were presented to Jon
Cooper (married to a cutie -- damn), Tom
Maligno (so sweet you want to pinch those cheeks), Camille
Gnolfo (just a bundle of energy) and Helen
from Club
608 (she even got a new buzz cut for the event -- you
go girl. Only thing...if only your hairdresser knew for sure
that she should buzz your hair two weeks prior to the event,
the new do would have been perfecto!) The one and only complaint
voiced by most was the food. Now, I don't want to knock it
too harshly, but GALFOLI
dears...remember: Priscilla is a full figured gal, therefore
wraps and salads don't cut for me. I need meat and plenty
of it. We'll work on that next year together!
September
-- "There's No Place Like Home..."--
Labor Day and The
Bunkhouse go hand in hand! Priscilla judged a Miss
Long Island, Miss Bunkhouse, Miss Gay Pride Long Island and
Drag King contest...that was sure as hell one mouthful.
Sisters to the left of me, sisters to the right of me, gagging
on hairspray, starting 2 hours late, some of these gals needed
more time. Honeys, please! The next millennium could come
and go if we gave you more time!
Well, it
was worth the wait. Priscilla questions the judges...and I
was one...for Miss Bunkhouse. No names will be mentioned
but suffice to say that China won over Victoria
Weston. MICHAEL PEPITO and LARRY NEMEROFF, hear this.
Mr. Socially Speaking
and Priscilla will not judge another contest if a)
you don't supply calculators next year to add up our sheets
and b) you don't get 2 other judges who don't need binoculars
to judge. Were those two other sisters blind????? Or just
plain biased??? We'll never know.
Miss
Long Island, one has to perform in this event, went to
Miss Mirkala Cristal! Her rendition of Annie Lennox's
and The Eurhythmics song "Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This"
rocked The
Bunkhouse. The crowd went wild when she performed
and was crowned. I am so weepy writing this, she is my soul
sister! You go Mirkala; you finally got the crown! Well deserved
too and she should have been last year's winner in my judging
opinion, but the scandal will never be resolved! I know, let
it go, let it go...breathe, deep breaths! First Runner-up
was Ginger Moore, doing a lovely number - cartwheel
and all!
Now Miss
Gay Pride Long Island 2002 went to Ginger Moore
and 1st Runner-up was Mirkala Cristal. It only
proves what I always say, "Preparation, Preparation,
Preparation!" These girls stole the show and left some
of the others in their dust! But the competition was fierce!
The first
ever 2002 Long
Island Pride Parade Drag King went to Christine
Graziano. She performed and drove the lesbians wild. I
was a-scared, they were screaming so loud! Christine is such
a dynamo. Well the event was a huge success and I can't wait
till next year.
HOT OFF
THE PRESS...EXTRA, EXTRA!!...EXCLUSIVE TO COMMUNITY CONNECTION...
This just came in over my fax at home. My two soul mates,
Lady Ashley Brooke & Ivana Adulation, moved back
to Long Island. Lady Ashley Brooke was forced to leave England
when the scandal broke. According to The London STAR, it
was Lady who forced fed Fergie those cookies and pies causing
Fergie to lose her Weight Watcher's contract. I don't buy
it. The cookies in question were OREOS... please... anyone
who
is anyone knows Lady only sucks down MILANOS and only Mint
flavored at that. As for Ivana... well, let's just say no
one
in her entourage is speaking or leaking any news of Ivana's
being escorted out of Russia. Rumor has it that Ivana's
animal
fetishes rival that of Catherine The Great, horses and all!
HHHMMM, I hear the braying now!!! Giddy up, WHOA, NOOOOO!
Well, COMMUNITY
CONNECTION's got them for a new article entitled LA VUE.
I hear tell that they will review anything from CDs to theater,
from restaurants to fashion trends on Long Island. Their first
assignment will be a review of The Rocky Horror Show
performed at Forevergreen
on 9/28, 9/29 & 9/30. I can't wait!
Two events
that kicked off the Long Island Fall Season were The
Long Pride Parade Committee's Annual Fall Dance held
on 9/22 at the Sayville VFW and the annual AIDS
Care, Inc. brunch held on 9/30 at RS
Jones. Darlings, I danced off so much water weight
at the first that I needed to chow down at the second to keep
this full figure! DJ Denise of Twisted Dee Productions
spun the dance music for the Parade Committee's annual Fall
fete and everyone was up and having a great time. Even Mr.
Borman had his dancing shoes cleaned, polished and spit shined.
I caught him making time with Mr. Black Shirt -- you go Billy
Boy!!!!!
As for the
Brunch -- RS JONES is simply the best! The spread was superb,
the atmosphere was charming and the crowd was pleased by it
all. AIDS Care, Inc. runs such a lovely event and does
such great work! You go kids!!! Applause, applause...kisses
and hugs!
Upcoming
Events -
Priscilla expects to see all of you at some of the Fall
Faboo events this year, no excuses! Let's see we have the
October 24th "MEN IN ROUGE"
event at The
Bunkhouse. This Drag Extravaganza will benefit 3 worthy
organizations that help those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS:
AIDS
Care Inc., Positive Rainbows and Thursday's
Child. To all the volunteers of these organizations
Priscilla blows many kisses and applauds your commitment to
our community.
Long
Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY) is sponsoring
another prom -- this time for adults. The Pride Benefit Prom
-- A Prom for Adults will be at the Island Hills Golf and
Country Club in Sayville, NY on Saturday, November 3, 2001
providing adults with the chance to re-live their prom experience,
perhaps differently from the first time. Tickets are $100
and it's Open Bar! Now, Priscilla is thinking of taking Sealed
Bids from my admirers, match the highest bid and that lucky
winner gets to take me to the Prom! Any takers???? Call me
at 516-562-5319. I'm serious! All money will go to the kids
at LIGALY!
And of course,
there is the event of THE SEASON: The 6th Annual
Winter Ball hosted by The Long
Island Pride Parade Committee, Sunday -- December
2nd, at The West Lake Inn in Patchogue. Anyone
who is anyone will be there, so don't miss it. Tickets are
$60 per person, cocktail hour and dinner!
My Prom
ensemble will be yummy & my Winter Ball outfit will sizzle.
Come and join me at these faboo events!
CIAO
for now! Kisses, Priscilla!
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