GAYLETTER

A few of our friends got together last Saturday night for a screening of the new Lifetime movie about the queen of Milan, Ms. Donatella Versace. I’m not going to pretend this is a good movie. It’s not a good movie. In fact it’s not even really a movie, it’s more like a long TV episode. Most of it was shot in LA in fake Italian mansions and they also couldn’t get rights to dress anyone in real Versace, so instead they seem to have borrowed everything from Strawberry or Forever 21. The acting is over the top, the storyline unbearably sensationalistic. It’s basically a mess...a wonderful, wonderful mess, that you must see. Gina Gershon does a great impersonation of Donatella, turning up the camp to 11. The constant fights, constant cocaine use and bleach blond wigs, combined with some great one liners: “giving up the heels was much harder than giving up the cocaine” make this a camp classic. Also keep an eye open for the fake Naomi Campbell — the real Naomi would throw her off episode 1 of The Face she’s so bad. Do yourself a favor, hop into bed, pour yourself a glass of cheap white wine, have a couple bumps and spend sometime at the House of Versace.  —tom

The trailer for the new Fuse channel “docu-series” (that’s a fancy word for reality show) about Big Freedia opens with her saying: “I’ve been doing Bounce for 14 years, I really want to be mainstream and now is the time.” It’s a statement I hope Miley Cyrus hears; Big Freedia is not jumping on any trends; she’s spent the last decade and a half leading them. Freedia made twerking famous and now she’s ready for the world to know her name. Big Freedia comes from New Orleans where Bounce was first created in the early 90’s. She is legendary for putting on one hell of a stage show. Her new series follows Freedia as she preps for her first international tour, works through her mother’s illness and navigates the extremely competitive world of hip hop. The docu-series will also welcome fellow artists — Mr. Ghetto, Sissy Nobby and Katey Red. To launch the series they set a Guinness World Record for the most people Twerking simultaneously in Herald Square. Go big (Freedia) or go home.  —tom

It doesn’t get any more punk rock than Jayne County. She was one of the first in NYC to get involved with early experimental theater “making her stage debut at LaMama in Jackie Curtis’ play Femme Fatale with Penny Arcade, Mary Woronov and Patti Smith. After that, she put together a band—Wayne County and Queen Elizabeth—the first of several—garnering her the distinction of being the first rock and roll band to headline CBGB’s, months before the Ramones, the Talking Heads, Television or Blondie.” Jayne performed in drag at a time when doing so could get you killed. Legend and pioneer are words that get overused. If anything they’re not strong enough to describe Jayne’s contribution to NYC and the LGBTQ community. This Wednesday is your chance to see a 26 minute documentary on Jayne, and you don’t even have to leave the house. It’s part of the The Lower East Side Biography Project and screens at 11pm this Wednesday on Manhattan Public Access. Set your DVRs homos!  —tom