raannt

Now, a few comments regarding our blog and how it is interpreted, just to make sure everyone is clear…First of all, and this is not an exaggeration, we have hundreds of readers and the majority are extremely supportive and tell us that what we are writing is the truth. Well, just to be clear as we have SO many times before…it is just our opinion. So to one local gossip columnist, we got our facts straight and our napkin is in our lap; is yours? By the way, at least some people that work for you weren’t afraid to contact us directly. You’re losing a great guy in that one!

Next, we do not nor have we ever, proclaimed to represent the gay community nor proclaimed to be gay role models; but thank you to several writers who apparently, negatively, feel as if we deserve that title. No thanks. And…we would just like to say to a certain, gossip “diva”, so to speak, thank you for reading our blog. We read yours as well from time to time and while we don’t necessarily agree with nor endorse your stance, we do appreciate your gusto. And thank you for welcoming us back…we didn’t realize we had gone anywhere, but it was considerate nonetheless…We’re not fighting a battle but we do appreciate your support, so here’s another honorable mention girl! We are not attempting to be in the middle of some drag “divism” that is apparently going on; we just like a good show! (On a side note, we would like to address Asia’s performances at Talbott since it has apparently gotten alot of attention lately. We don’t care how well she knows the words, etc…she gives a good damn show and people love to watch her. Not all drag is about how much someone looks like a girl, etc, although we prefer that kind…As Vicki wrote to us, these girls have a tough job and we should all support their endeavors…Just maybe another a different Lady GaGa song from time to time would be nice…but we think you’re great nonetheless.) We just want good times, funny how so many people take so seriously what we wrote. ITS JUST A BLOG AND IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT DON’T READ IT! But thank you for referring to us a “nice” nonetheless.

One more thing, with our blog, “Out of the Closet”, we apparently started something we hadn’t intended or brought more attention to an ongoing battle between Talbott Street and several members of the gay community. We would like to publically state that besides the readers who have come up to us and told us our views were refreshing and honest, members of the Talbott Street staff and Vivian herself have been the ONLY people who have addressed us in person about what we wrote. And we appreciate that. So thank you, because if nothing else, it showed us that you had the balls to come up to us as and talk out our differences. So if we’re being used, as someone commented, who cares, we still enjoy going there and the animosity seems to be gone. Completely. And for the record, we never apologized or took back what we wrote, just how it was interpreted.

So if you don’t like what is going on, or you have an opinion…Blog about it! We do!
Have a blast, live deep, love long, eat great food, dance your ass off, take naps everyday… and take lots and lots and lots of pictures!

Remember,
Eyes open, we’re watching!

For our birthdays this year we decided to try something new while still enjoying a favorite spot. We started off the evening at Blu Martini on 96th Street, using the northside locale as a meeting place for our friends before we drove off to Mosaic at IndianaLive! Casino in Shelbyviille. One word has always defined Blu Martini for us and it still remains; class. Our friend Bill, the owner of Blu Martini and 45 Degrees, made sure we were prepared by having a reserved section for us before we arrived. Throughout the evening, the waiters and bartenders were fast and talkative, making the beginning of our evening extremely pleasurable and chill, radiating off of the extremely loungey atmosphere and amazing background music. Bill came over several times throughout the night, making sure we were having a good time and even bought a generous round of shots for our friends, making the start to our evening perfect. It’s always great to feel welcomed to an establishment and the fact that it was our birthday made it even better. Thanks Bill, we hope to see you soon! (By the way, we noticed your waiters busted their asses the entire night…as did your bartender who was hilarious!)

After we left Blu Martini, we headed to Shelbyville to IndianaLive Casino to go their club, Mosaic. First of all, let us just be extremely clear that we were a little apprehensive to hold our birthday at Mosaic, even though we had reserved a VIP section, because if it happened to be a letdown, we would have forty friends behind us questioning our choice. WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED! Mosaic is absolutely amazing. Located at the back of the casino, it is shadowed by several rows of slot machines and easy to miss; but inside, it is incredible, probably one of the nicest clubs Indiana has to offer.

Rows of vinyl lounging areas cover the back while the middle is covered with a dance floor and bar, at which several times during the evening, the bartender would perform flame tricks with bottles of alcohol. Club dancers are arranged above the club on a second floor and also dance on the bar and throughout the club. Our waitress told us that the club is usually packed on Saturday nights and we weren’t surprised. We were only surprised that more people weren’t there that night. Take 10 or 15 friends, reserve a VIP section and get two designated drivers for the 25 minutes from downtown it takes to drive to Mosaic. Trust us…it is well worth the drive.

The next day, Father’s Day, we went to Rehab at The Palms at Bella Vita; easily our favorite social spot of the summer. While many of the people that we had invited did not show up and it was rather calm due to Father’s Day, we had such a great time due to our waitress Sara and the promoter of Rehab and owner of IndyScene; J.R. Peare. Both made arrangements for a free bottle of NUVO at our table; a cabana and soft drinks, water and juice. The day was amazing and partly due to how special they treated us! Thanks to you both. (We recently ran into J.R. at LuLu’s and he immediately came up to us and was so friendly that we just wanted to let everyone know what a great guy we think he is and what a contribution he is making to the social scene in Indy. Thanks J.R. for all your support.)

We had such a great birthday and we want to thank all of our friends for coming and making it so awesome…as well as our engagement(oh…did we just say that??)

Remember…eyes open, We’re Watching!

June has been a great month for us and we have received lots of great attention for our blog. Thanks to all of the club owners and promoters who have been so open to us coming to you with our ideas and suggestions and making Indy an even greater place. We would also like to think all of the readers who have supported us and continued to read our blog on a regular basis. It has been interesting how many readers have come up to us supporting our blog and wishing we would write on a more regular basis. With all of this wonderful attention, we thought it would be amazing if every month we could pick one specific fund raising endeavor in Indianapolis that readers could learn more about and hopefully support. While we think many charities and philanthropic attempts in Indianapolis are awesome, we thought it would be interesting to bring attention to someone who is raising money on a smaller level. Every month, we will highlight someone locally who is making a difference in the lives of others.

For July, we have chosen Christi Thompson. Christi is a local runner and health enthusiast who completed the Chicago Marathon last year for the first time. This year, Christi is raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and specifically for Ethan, a young boy in Avon, who is battling Cystic Fibrosis, as described on Cristi’s website, which we have added to our links. Christi will be running the Chicago Marathon again this year, with the goal of running with an even better time than last year, but also running for this little boy’s dream of helping him to continue his fight against Cystic Fibrosis.

We have known Christi for some time and have always enjoyed her passion for health and fitness and now her determination to use this passion to help others. We have so many people reading our blog on a daily basis that if each reader only donated a small amount, Christi would reach her goal quickly. Consider, as we have, to take the money it would cost to go out one night a month and donate it to a worthy cause, it would make a great difference in the lives of others.

Once again, we appreciate all of the support we have received from owners and promoters who have welcomed us and all of the friends and readers, even those people we didn’t previously know and have recently met, who have supported us.

Remember,
Eyes open, we’re watching!

Brittany Mason, Miss Indiana USA 2008…has left the building! Well at least on Tuesday that will have been the case. Brittany has recently been offered much exposure and will be heading out west; working between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. We are so incredibly sad to see her leave as she is one of our dearest friends as well as social elite in Indy…(She is the queen of the Pink Carpet Award!)

While she has many stories she has told us, which we have crossed our hearts to keep to ourselves, and many opinions, although she won’t speak out against Miss California, she is truly a genuine, small town girl with class, style and absolute beauty. We will miss her and hopefully like others before her, she will bring Indiana some much needed fame! We can’t wait to come out and see you in Las Vegas in a few!

Her last event hosted in Indiana was a Bikini Contest at Rehab at Bella Vita yesterday, promoted by American Legends Publicity and DrinkRhythm.com. Ok, we know what you’re thinking…bikini contest? But really, it was great fun and probably the most packed Rehab has been the whole summer. We want to think all of our dear, dear friends who promise to come out week after week and never show up…you’re really missing a good time! On Alex’s birthday, even though we didn’t have a great turnout, J.R. Peare, the promoter of Rehab and owner of Indyscene.com, made our day amazing, taking care of us and treating us truly as VIP’s. Much appreciation also needs to go out to our waitress Sara; hilarious, beautiful, quick and down to earth, even taking time to sit down to get to know us. All of the waitresses at Rehab work their asses off, so if you do come, order a lot and tip high!

We’re not sure we know what else to do to promote Rehab at Bella Vita on Sundays? If you’re a name dropper, it’s definitely the place to be. If you could care less about those names, even better, because everyone is friendly and personable…not to mention a great networking venue in a fun atmosphere. Summer is almost halfway over and we still need to see some of you out there!

So…as we bid farewell to Brittany(and she better get her ass over here quick to lay out!), we want to say we’ll miss her and we appreciate all that she has done to make Indy a little more glamorous and a little more social! Time for you to move on…we’ll be storing those stories in case you get even more famous! Just kidding…she’s a true, class act, even bringing her mother to Bella Vita yesterday to spend time with all of us before she moves…

And as she packs up and heads out…it’s time for us to crown a new social queen…but who is she???

So…before we get started, let us just say that we love going to Talbott Street and we always have a good time. Just because we made several suggestions or comments about our own experience does not mean it is the experience of all, but it was interesting that after our first blog came out, we were ambushed by statements from people who felt our blog was “refreshing” and “honest” and encouraged us to keep writing in the same vain. One Indy promoter who promotes larger events and supports several national social blogs told us our blog was right on track and we should keep writing it in the same manner, even being willing to endorse our blog in other cities to bring attention to Indy. So, we hardly apologize for what we said, but do apologize if it was taken as a direct insult to any specific person. It was never meant that way. Incidentally, Vivian from Talbott Street did pull us aside for a one on one chat and, as far as we are concerned, we are both on the same page for making Indy’s social scene better and attempting to only give critiques that are helpful. Thanks for the talk V. We have never allowed nor endorsed our blog to be used on any other blogs, myspace propaganda, etc…but we do appreciate the free advertising!

Ok, now onto our recent experiences at Talbott…

Paul Van Dyk was absolutely amazing and we were so incredibly impressed that Indy folks finally understood how great it was to have an internationally promoted event in our midwest hub. The bar was packed to capacity and even the upstairs and the side drag bar were usually full throughout the evening. Paul played non-stop for several hours of which we were completely drenched in sweat from dancing. Although it was incredibly hot in Talbott, like it had been the past several weeks prior to this event, we were told they were installing fans to help circulate the air and that there was only so much they could do when it was so humid and so packed. Honestly, it didn’t really matter because we had such a great time. In the past, it has appeared that Talbott has had a difficult time getting crowds to come out to international dj’s on non-weekend nights, but that Monday appeared to be busier than any Saturday we have seen there in a long time.

In the side room, DJ Deanne and DJ Jackola spun for smaller crowds, but their music was still awesome and at some points, we enjoyed being in there just as much as on the main stage because it was cooler and the music was comparable…well, to some. The only problem people mentioned to us the entire evening was the difference in price between regular admission and VIP admission, where there appeared to be no gain for buying a VIP ticket, and no one manned the top floor to stop people from coming in. Nonetheless, it was a great evening…Thanks to the folks at Eden Promotions and Talbott Street for making one of the best events of the summer possible!

Which brings us to 4th of July…First of all, where was everyone? Greg’s was packed on Friday night, so was everyone hungover or still drunk from the 4th and the night before? We didn’t even get out until after 12:30 and it already seemed pretty dead; except in the drag room. Ok, so everyone seemed to like our “Pink Carpet Award” we previously gave out…so this week, it goes to Caress. What the hell happened to her??? For the past two weekends she has completely danced her ass off and given it her all in the drag bar. Honestly, in the past, she was not one of our favorite queens(still a little embarrassed that the nationally famous Alyssa Edwards was at Talbott on one of the deadest nights of the year, Chicago Pride), but she has quickly moved to the top. Her energy and creativity is much needed…maybe time to give a new queen a position to make it three again? Great job and thanks for bringing Macy Grey’s “Sexual Revolution” back, which we had only previously seen done by Regine Phillips in Louisville. Loved every bit of you that night! But everyone was good that night…and we do need to give Vicki St. James much credit for a beautifully written letter she wrote us regarding our first blog…you’re a class lady Vicki!

So many people wanted us to write about the music and the dj that night, but since we have been told by others that our previous endorsement was seen as critical, we’ll just say this…no comment. As one person leaving commented, “I think the dance floor speaks for itself”. We do wish Talbott would give DJ Jackola a spot on the main stage. We don’t even know him but enjoyed his music so much the night of Paul Van Dyk we’re confused why he doesn’t get more exposure at Talbott; and this is not us stirring the pot. The week before was so dead because of Chicago Pride and DJ Jared Curry gave it his all spinning great music the entire evening. We just don’t get it. But instead of blasting us with negative comments next time…put a suggestion box next to the DJ, you’ll get all the honesty you need from the patrons.

We did suggest to several people on Saturday that they should start their own blog since they had so many things they wanted us to write about Talbott, but even though it was dead and the music…well…we had a good time and got to see some good friends. And really, isn’t that what we want out of our experience at Talbott? So, keep on doing what you’re doing, and as long as we’re welcome…we’ll be there!

Eyes open, we’re watching…

So folks…no, we’re not dead(the site that is) and not sleeping either…although we do sleep alot!!! Nope, just took a small break to figure out where we were headed next…

We have been so busy this past month we haven’t even had a chance to blog…but now we’re back and better than ever…

This week, plan on reading all the recaps from June and starting in July, we hope to blog everyday…so, stay tuned!

Eyes open, we’re watchin!!!

Rehab, at The Palms at Bella Vita on Sunday afternoons is a refreshing event, which is exactly what this city needs this summer. We were invited to Rehab by Britney Mason, Miss Indiana USA 2008, who was hosting the premier of this event. At first, we were somewhat skeptical. A pool party at a local restaurant on Geist in Indy? Well, this party is extremely well planned, well manned and exactly what is needed to compliment the end of weekends; or a perfect beginning for the work week!

Playing off of Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Casino’s “Therapy”, Rehab also finds bathing suit clad guys and gals of all ages enjoying Sunday afternoons in the sun, dancing to local DJ’s spinning it up by the pool! We were SO incredibly impressed with this new event that we have been attempting to get all of Indianapolis out there to enjoy it as much as we did.

Although the day at Rehab starts early, it stays busy late. We were out there past 8 and the sun kept on shining and the music kept on spinning. We met so many friendly people, who were interested in making Indy a better place and were willing to support our blog it made it even more enjoyable! Also enjoyable was the vast diversity in people which made it welcoming to all.

Hope to see you there…if the sun’s shining, we plan to be at Bella Vita on Sundays!

So…we gave it a chance, we really did. And actually, we think it has potential. Reminds of us Wednesday nights at Champs in the early days.(Which by the way…still packed!) But…and sad to say, the only thing Blu has to offer on Tuesdays right now is amazing go-go dancers, which incidentally we already knew, an amazingly sensual atmosphere and actually pretty good DJ’s.

The problem…BIG WARNING!!! This night appears to be for girls who want guys just for their money and guys that have nothing else to offer but a wad of cash to burn. Imagine a bunch of mid twenty year old guys in Ed Hardy Tee shirts, sports jackets and True Religion Jeans and girls in skimpy dresses and overly tan faces and you have Tantric Tuesdays. (We are even including a picture of the dance floor at 12:30 am, just to give you an impression of the true excitement this event held!

Where is Everyone? Hopefully in the future, Tantric Tuesdays will grow in participation and maybe we can make it a really enjoyable evening. Come on folks, there’s nothing else going on in Indy on Tuesday nights, right? So…given some time and people dedicated to making it better, we are hoping Blu doesn’t give up and keeps building Tantric Tuesdays! Better marketing and less VIP would make it more patron friendly.

See ya on some random Tuesday night!

Wow…we didn’t expect to NEARLY get the responses we did! And as many as we received! Apparently some people liked what we’ve said and others, well let’s just say, we’ve heard your warnings. Nonetheless, before we go on, let us make this clear…This is not intended to be more “Gay Drama” as one reader so eloquently wrote. Nope, sorry folks. We could really care less. Just writing about what people bring us and our views. We said from the beginning this was intended to make Indy a BETTER social scene; and that is our purpose. I think what was seen as our judging of certain establishments was mistaken; obviously if you see us at the same place every weekend it probably means we enjoy those establishments. We are just trying to spotlight those places that continue to raise the bar and hopefully offer some social diversity to Indy’s scene. We just want it to constantly be better and better! We will NEVER write anything negatively which will harm others, hopefully, and if so, inform us and we will take it down. We only hope to come together and make Indy better! If we criticize, it’s really only to offer suggestions…and if we praise, well it’s because we need more of that, right?

This will be witnessed this week as we write reviews on Rehab at Bella Vita’s The Palms(Amazing!), as well as Tantric Tuesdays at Blu. We will also highlight Britney Mason, Miss Indiana USA 2008 who is attempting to positively rev up Indy’s social scene by hosting several events this summer(she already hosted the kick off of Rehab and The Fantasy 500 Party) as well as local, small town folk who contribute to our great city.

No guys, sorry. No real drama here at all. Just trying to make our city a better place. But please, continue with your comments…

So here we go! In honor of Indy Pride, we decided to “come out” with our blog utilizing this weekend as the perfect opportunity to “christen the bow”, so to speak on our social blog of Indy’s activities. Some! May not like what we say or how we say it, but we hope that just gives them motives to change.

This past weekend, Indianapolis celebrated “Indy Pride 2009”, an annual event celebrating gender identity and sexual orientation…but really; it appeared no different than any other year. Alcohol tents, lesbian singers imitating The Indigo Girls, homos drinking and judging one another, rainbow flags and porto pots stinking up the streets. What should be a time of gay people coming together in Indy to join in our diversity once again ended up in a day of drunkenness, middle finger antics and should we say…some drag drama? Most of us don’t know the cattiness that occurs behind the scenes…the real story. And neither do we, but we might know enough.

This year’s background story goes to Alana Steele, one of Indy’s top drag sensations and Talbott Street’s retired, or should we say “resigned” legends, since no one is telling the real story. Alana will always have an amazing following, as was apparent yesterday at the Pride festivities. As the first headliner of Indy’s drag performances, out of line and not in conjunction with the other performers, interestingly in itself, Alana amazed the watchers with a roundup performance with dancers, props and costume changes. What was even more amazing was the box sitting by the street less than fifteen minutes later filled with Alana’s costumes and props. What could she have allegedly, possibly have done to a certain top bar owner as well as pageant judge/owner and drag aficionado(who care’s right?) that would upset her so much that would help Alana’s drag to appear on the street and for Alana to perform out of line? What’s the real story? Hmmmm…we don’t know the truth on either side…but we would love to be informed!

Highlight of this year’s street celebration was the competing DJ’ing of DJ Deanne and DJ Jared Curry. For over an hour they traded off spinning and “passing the mic”, as the crowd danced in the street and on the stage. Interestingly enough, we were wondering why they couldn’t spin this good when playing sets at Talbott Street. Absolutely amazing! As a close old friend of Jared Curry, it’s great to see a small town local go from making mixed tapes on a tape player to headlining at Indy Pride 2009…Great job Jared and Stephanie! You guys add flava flav much needed to Indy…

Which brings us to Talbott Saturday night. Why oh why did you even have a drag show? Get it right, just once. World famous Inaya Day and DJ Mike Cruz on the main stage and a drag show going on to the side. We don’t understand. The same way we didn’t understand why 45 Degrees had a basketball game on in the background at the Wicked Disco Party. Anyway, in some cities, Mike Cruz could get $20 to $30 entrance fee, and Talbott was packed, playful and pleasurable. One thing though, it would be really nice just once if Talbott’s elitist staff didn’t give the impression of being a “family” who allows no insiders. Come on folks, after all, you’re just a bar, and we are paying you for our drinks and admission. Sad to think patrons have to go to certain bartenders, namely Bennett, for being amazing and friendly, because others are so incredibly rude and standoffish. Well, anyway, bars come and go, we just hope Talbott stays around, we always have such a good time…we hope they aren’t having any troubles???

Certain people do deserve a positive “Pink Carpet” attention spotlight for positively contributing to this weekend…Namely, Keith Washington, proprietor of Mass Avenue Video who is extremely friendly and always looks professional. A true class act for Indy’s Gay scene. Also Mike Leeper, a local police officer who manned the crowds, and Steve Turner and Sam Cronk; a role model gay couple responsible for helping build Indy’s Pride celebration this weekend!

We would have loved to have made it to Zoobilation and The Talbott Street Art Fair, but unfortunately…we can’t be everywhere…

All said and done, we had a great time, as we hope you did…Next year, maybe less cattiness, more LOVE…eye’s open, we’re watching