Items filtered by date: November 2007

From the moment I stepped foot into the 1,950 seat theater inside the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, I was awe. With the set of KA expanding along the sides and rear of the theater, the pre-show had Archers and Spearmen swinging about from platform to platform and above audience members as they searched...

While scouring the Las Vegas entertainment industry for engaging, unusual acts to cover, I somewhat accidentally came across a group of performers that both amazed me with their bizarre talents and impressed me with their intrinsic genuine nature. I met the core members of Swing Shift SideShow (SSSS) through friend, TV host, Julie Mac, when she invited us to a pool party at hypnotist Anthony Cool’s house. Hanging poolside with Carrot Top and The Amazing Johnathan, amongst others, were Andrew S, Kelvitka the Blade and SleaZ-O – three-fourths of the uniquely talented Swing Shift SideShow. After a tour of their various tattoos and other body art, including Andrew’s world record-breaking largest ever genital piercing, I listened as these extreme circus freaks, if you will, went into great, graphic detail about their stage show. I grabbed another burger and got back to my hang spot just in time to hear how Andrew S picks up anvils then swings them – from his eye sockets! At that point I was officially entranced. I was the newest Swing Shift SideShow fan.

Kelvitka, dressed in a long black dress despite the 100-degree temperature, further explained the art of Flesh Hook Suspension, something the unit performs with regularity. For those who do not know exactly what that is, it’s basically having your skin pierced with giant hooks then hanging from cables. The most traditional way of performing a hooked suspension is from the shoulders or back, however, Andrew S has hung from his knees and Kelvitka from her stomach. Ouch!

Though SSSS were not performing during my stay, as I caught them between shows, I immediately threw out the idea of an interview in which we agreed to contact each other in the next couple of days – and that we did. Two days later, just after 10PM, I called Andrew S to see when would be a good time to meet. “What are you doing now?” he replied. Within the hour, he along with Kelvitka, arrived at Luxor to pick up my associate Kim Katz and I. We were off to their house – their base - just outside the Vegas city limits, where Kim would sit and conduct an interview with some of the strangest, yet vaguely familiar people we have ever met.

When we arrived, SleaZ-O and Miss Pirate (the fourth member of SSSS who we had not yet met) greeted us. Miss Pirate, like the other three, was covered in tattoos and had a SleaZ-O-like strip of green hair falling just short of her eyes. In the two days prior, I had the chance to peruse the outfit’s website, www.swingshiftsideshow.com, as well as watch a couple videos they had posted on YouTube like “Darts of Death”. This gave me a decent idea of what they were capable of doing and made me regret not coming to Vegas a week earlier to see them perform.  

Not long after arriving, Kim and I realized that we were not just there for an interview, but to also get a VIP front row seat to the Swing Sift SideShow, as the quartet offered to demonstrate their unusual talents. Though they were not set up to perform their entire act due to the short notice, we were still treated to one amazing feat after another, which began when Miss Pirate took a lit light bulb from a lamp socket and ate it. In sheer disbelief, we continued to watch as Kelvitka speared through the thick of her bicep with a skewer before piercing the same into Andrew’s forearm ultimately attaching the two. Remarkably, not a drop of blood appeared on either participant when the skewer was removed.

The party was soon moved outdoors where SleaZ-O displayed his knife wielding ability by throwing around a live target – Miss Pirate. Andrew S and Kelvitka the Blade followed with some serious sword swallowing (they are 2 of only 50 in the world who practice such a thing), before all four members heated things up (literally) by engaging in fire swallowing to end the night.   

What I noticed during some of these acts is, yes they are dangerous, bizarre and even, at times, unsettling, but they can also be romantic in which a certain trust and freedom is exhibited. It was actually a beautiful sight to see Andrew gently kissing the side of Kelvitka’s face as the skewer slowly pierced through the two, in a way saying, “Trust me – I love you”. It was an act of genuineness when SleaZ-O quickly walked up to Miss Pirate to kiss her just after throwing knives at her. The faith and assurance each one of these performers has in each other is rare and should be a lesson for all, whether it’s SleaZ-O drilling a coil through Andrew’s face, Kelvitka shooting darts (from her vagina) or just in setting up the props for each other.

Want to watch the interview as well as Swing Shift SideShow performing acts you will never forget? You can see everything at www.BuzzNews.TV. You can also learn more about Swing Shift SideShow – check out videos, images, read the latest news and check out upcoming performances – at www.swingshiftsideshow.com.

Just in time to add a last gasp of summer fun, Mamma Mia! comes sweeping into Chicago with song, dance and a talented cast that is sure to entertain each and every audience member from beginning to end. Mamma Mia! is currently playing at Roosevelt University's Auditorium Theatre through September 28th and will undoubtedly have show goers tapping their feet...

Las Vegas is such a sexy town. Between the hot dry desert nights filled with dazzling lights, sensual performers and sparkling, sun kissed days one can’t help but feel extra sexy cruising around there. But I have a confession to make: In all the times I’ve visited Vegas, I have never sinned in Sin City.

I’m single and each time I go to Vegas to work or vacation, I pack a “just in case” bag with new lingerie, a disposable toothbrush and scented travel candles. I have always ended up using the candles alone in bubble baths in my hotel suite and when I get back to Chicago I sigh deeply and unpack the lingerie, brand new, yet again. I asked a friend why he thinks I have been “sin- free” for the last few years and he said, “It’s because you are the marrying kind. A man falls for you and wants it all or nothing.” Well, if that’s true, it sucks to be me, cause as far as I’m concerned a taste of honey is not worse than none at all, it’s a taste, by gum and I’m starving!

It’s ironic because although I am a serial monogamist and my last two relationships lasted almost ten years apiece, I have never dreamed of being married. As a little girl I never dreamed of my wedding or a fluffy white dress. The whole process of getting married seemed the very antithesis of romance. I dreamed only of the honeymoon, of an ultra romantic trip to an exotic island with my man still in the first flush of new love. As Gauguin said, “Over there in the silence of tropical nights I will be able to listen to the soft music whispering the motions from my heart.”

Since time is ticking away, and I really want my mom to be well enough to attend the party, I’m going to give prospective beaus a little heads up on what I’m looking for. The first essential element that attracts me can only be described as chemistry. Chemistry to me is when you literally can’t take your eyes or your hands off each other. You laugh easily because you get each other’s sense of humor. You feel like they could play some Cole Porter and you’d be able to dance with this person like Fred and Ginger. Deeper than love at first sight, it’s a sense of instant recognition, a familiarity not of this world. You think- this is one of my kind, a kindred spirit. You feel that you have been both launched into the atmosphere and placed firmly on the ground of your own creative potential. It’s like the first day of college and there are all these exciting new courses to explore. It’s like when two friendly doggies meet in the park and do that silent wrestling, neck-biting thing, rolling over and over in the grass. Chemistry insures much exciting conversation, my favorite aphrodisiac. Chemistry is joyfully instantaneous, and requires no effort. It can’t be hidden cause it’s written all over your face and it can’t be manufactured. If it’s there, the sky’s the limit. If it’s not, there won’t even be a first date.

My kind of lover is assertive and ambitious like me, with lots he still wants to achieve. I admit, I’m pretty impatient when that old black magic is in play, especially after four years on the sidelines, so if you feel it too- please be a straight shooter! Don’t drag your feet or be wishy-washy and incommunicative. At this age, honey, we all have baggage and complications to work out but I need bold, direct contact. If you ring the bell, baby, deliver the pizza, don’t just run away scared when I answer or I’ll lose respect for you and interest in the whole affair.

You can always win me back with flowers, water and surprises. If there is water on our date, whether we eat near it, swim in it, or sail on it, I’ll be a happy camper. I love gallant, romantic surprises, but there is a difference between a surprise and an emergency. A happy surprise is when he calls and says he is taking you to Hawaii next month. But if he calls and says pack and be at the airport, we are going to Hawaii tonight, that’s not a surprise, it’s a fire drill!

This last trip to Vegas was no exception as yet another promising romance misfired, but as I strolled past the wedding chapels in each hotel and saw tuxedo and gown wearing families happily hugging or laughing, drunken, bachelorette parties wandering the hotels wearing veils and penis shaped balloon hats, I had a new idea about marriage. I realized the wedding isn’t for you so much as it is a celebration for your family and friends. It reassures them that you really have someone special to grow with. It makes me sad that so many of my close family members are gone now that my wedding guest list probably wouldn’t exceed a dozen people. My first two relationships lasted longer than many marriages; they were faithful, creatively productive, caring alliances and deserved to be celebrated at the time. The next time I fall in love, we may not get married, but we will have a wedding party and a honeymoon- but not in that order!

Amazing Johnathan – Magically funny!

Okay maybe romance fizzled for me in Vegas but friendships blossomed when I met Jon and Penny of the show Amazing Johnathan at The Harmon Theatre. They are two of the coolest, sweetest people I’ve met in Vegas. Not only did they give me a very funny interview for my show, “The Greenroom”, but they also played a mean game of water volleyball at Carrot Top’s house that filled my day with laughter and joy. Check it out now at www.Buzznews.TV.
 
It’s “A Katz Life” so get in on the action TV Producers!

My good friend, writer Sue Allor, has created a wonderful reality show concept about my glamorous and sometimes not so glam life writing in Chicago, caring for my mom, and my work interviewing and writing about celebrities. It’s called “A Katz Life” and we really need help getting it on a good channel like A & E, WE, Bravo or IFC. We are looking for Executive Producers to help us direct the pilot episode. Do you know somebody who knows somebody in the biz who might want to invest his or her time in this awesome project? Ask and we shall receive -we hope! So send us an email or call Buzz at (708) 485-9390 and get in on the ground floor!

“O” that “Thunder from Down Under”!

Also in this special Vegas issue, check out my reviews of two very sexy, sensual yet classy shows ”O” from Cirque De Soleil at the Bellagio and “Thunder from Down Under” at Excalibur. I highly recommend them both to get you in the mood for lovin’ while on vacay’ in Vegas.

Love ya Kit Cats! Keep scratching and meowing!
Kim Katz

Whether watching him in shows such as Stella or The State, or in films Wet Hot American Summer or The Baxter, Michael Showalter’s twisted, but profound, sense of humor has earned him heavy street credit as one of the nation’s talented young comics. David first made his mark appearing on MTV’s The State before joining David Wain and Michael Ian Black on Stella

Growing up in Karachi, Pakistan, then relocating to Iowa (of all places), comedian Kumail Nanjiani now finds himself living in Chicago where he has been the star of the one-man show Unpronounceable directed by Paul Provenza, director of The Aristocrats. For Kumail the transition from the Middle East to the Midwest was a strange one. But what else could it be?

Embarking on the end of her undergraduate years at Brown University as an English Major in 2004, Sara Ruhl wrote her first play. Instead of writing a 100-page thesis paper, Paula Vogel (a teacher and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright) aided her in writing the three part series, wrapped up in one innovative package that has come to be known as Passion Play.

As I was thoroughly enjoying the many wonderful themes in this show I couldn’t help but feel a tiny pang of jealousy for all the little girls who are growing up with this musical as part of their psychological repertoire. I really wanted to be a witch when I was little. I wanted to be a good witch who casts spells to bring baby birds back to life when they fell from their nests. I wanted a magic spell to put the lizard’s tails back on when my brothers pulled them off,