HARDCORE HELGA HIGH PULLIN HITS

I am not long in from the gym. For the past few weeks, my trainer and I have been focusing on body building. Not like Iron Man style but building up some muscle. Then I decided to run the annual 10km Great Scottish Run and he's going to do it with me which is all good.

So to break up the body building and continue to improve my fitness further and body build, we are doing these crazy sessions that he thinks up. It's a mixture of cardio, weights and torture. When I first started training with him, we did all sorts of different activities which was excellent, I went boxing in the park, did shuttle runs, bizarre exercises on boxes and trying anything and everything. It's been amazing but because we've been concentrating on solely weights for a few weeks, I knew going back in to his other style of session would be tough.

Tonight I realized just how tough. I was high pulling then press ups on the weights I was high pulling, then bent over rows, then squats and lifting the weights, then ran through to another part of the gym to do shuttle runs, in between shuttles were 10 second blasts of boxing. Then I got a breather. I'm sure at one point, I was seeing stars. Not to give up, we did it all over again, before working on my core for a good twenty minutes then returning to the initial exercises. Now I normally take my time in the locker room but tonight I took even longer as I am just home and completely fucked. I know tomorrow and going forward I will be reaping the benefits. Hardcore Helga is back and kicking ass!

JUST A REQUIREMENT

Seen as I'm a nasty old bitter show queen - well maybe less of the nasty and old and bitter tonight as it's Friday night and I'm having a protein shake and listening to music rather than getting my dance and drink on at the Polo. I made a semi serious commitment last Monday with my trainer that I would lay off the booze for a bit. So far it's worked but that's only because it's the first weekend night I've been tested - god knows what I will be like tomorrow night if I do go out. I might possibly give up the ghost but tonight I've diverted my attentions with a stunning curry (I'm allowed a break on the eating front at least once a week) watching some Prisoner Cell Block H and listening to some great showtunes. The following choices are just a requirement for you to download and listen to or Youtube the performance. They are all showy and definitely fabulous! In no particular order:-

1. SOMEONE ELSE'S STORY - Kerry Ellis - Chess in Concert 2009
Well the concert was 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall but the cd and dvd were released in the states a few weeks ago. Idina Menzel is just average as Florence but Kerry Ellis playing Svetlana is wonderful in her rendition of this song that wasn't in the London show but Judy Kuhn sang on Broadway and now the other female character sings it in this version. Kerry is divine in this. She is a beltress and I insist you listen to it and adore. She actually pisses all over Idina Menzel's performance in this recording and I love Idina!

2. AQUARIUS - Sasha Allen and the cast of Hair - HAIR - New Broadway Cast 2009
Sasha Allen is definitely Sasha Fierce as Dionne in the Broadway revival of HAIR that I managed to see twice on my recent trip to New York. This song is at the top of the show and is just wonderful. The band starts and some dim lights come up and lo and behold, Sasha and the tribe are generating their ideals of peace and love and freedom with Aquarius. I adored the film version, possibly because I saw Mistress Formika sing it at Wigstock in Wigstock The Movie. That was until this new recording which is number 1 on my iPod Top 25 Most Played songs!

3. LOVE CAN'T HAPPEN - David Carroll - Grand Hotel
David played a major part in the premiere production of Grand Hotel in the early 90s. Time went on and the show was never recorded for posterity. By the time the recording came about, David Carroll was dying and actually passed away in the recording studio. Unable to complete the recording, it now features David Carroll singing a live version of the great song, recorded a few months before he died. It gives me goosebumps. He nails it at the end and it's nothing short of phenomenal. Listen to it and weep. What a great song and performance.

4. I AM CHANGING - Darius Dahoff - Dreamgirls
In a twist, a male singer sings Effie's 2nd big number. This was a recording of Broadway Unplugged. A series that has singers perform in a Broadway theatre without the use of microphones so the audience are treated to a "true" performance. This song is sublime. He totally rips it up Jennifer Holliday style and the fact that he is completely live makes it even more fabulous. The audience get really into as the song peaks and it never fails to send shivers down my spine!

5. 9 TO 5 - The Cast - 9 to 5 The Musical
This is being released mid July but the official site has had this recording on for a few months. It's the song we all know and love but Dolly has added more lyrics and having seen it, it's a great opening number. Allison Janney is ok, Megan Hilty sounds like Dolly and Stephanie Block just wants to belt all the time. It's real good fun and when that typewriter starts pinging, you know you're in for a great time!

CHASING FARRAH

Sadly, camp icon and the most luminous Angel has passed away today. Farrah Fawcett don't forget the Majors had been struggling with cancer. Farrah had become the most famous of Angels in Charlie's Angels with her fabulous hair, the picture sold over 12 million copies. She appeared in Playboy twice and battled with Ryan O'Neal and drugs allegedly!

Farrah embodied the seventies and despite only one season on the Angels she left an indelible mark. Her reality show, Chasing Farrah a few years was dire beyond belief - but now she will always be an Angel.

I'M NOT GOING IN, I'M JUST VISITING

I have been OBSESSED and that is OBSESSED in capital letters with The Real Housewives of New Jersey. These girls are nuts and the season finale proved it. Danielle who is more pulled than Nicole Kidman had a book written about her and so brought it to the dinner table. She then told fellow Real Housewife, Teresa to pay attention and Teresa just went apeshit and started screaming and flipped the goddamn table! The clip was repeated, reversed and repeated at least 10 times from various angles in the space of 5 minutes.

Almost as outrageous is Janice Dickinson, she was interviewed by Perez Hilton this week via grainy webcam. She was in bed and could barely open her eyes they were so puffy from the coke, I mean the sleepless nights in the jungle. I love Janice but she is really so self important. Normally she introduces herself as "Janice Dickinson, World's first Supermodel" Now though, she has gotten so nonchalant about the whole thing and referred to herself as "Janice Dickinson, World's First" And that was it, nothing else! It was the nuts!

On top of that, I met a guy last night who tried to finger me, I told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn't getting a digit or 4 up there to which he replied "I'm not going in, I'm just visiting" It made me laugh and love his cockring a bit more, that was until I almost chipped my teeth banging against it.

BLAH BLAH BLAH

Do you ever get those days that are just BLAH? I'm having one today. I got up and have been washing and drying clothes for what seems like an eternity. I went to the parents for some dinner and to admire their new shower room which is impressive. Then back home to put more clothes on the clothes horse and watch some TV. It's just blah and all I want is to hit the streets of New York, take in a show and then go dancing.

If a Sunday could ever be classed as a Groundhog Day then today is it for me. Normal service will be resumed shortly. I have a big gay wedding to attend on Thursday and I need some new shoes for it. I'm still assembling a semi quirky but stylish and appropriate wedding outfit for the occasion. Maybe the blahness hasn't been helped because I've not been to the gym since Friday and have drank and eaten like a big fat cunt the past 2 days. I am soooo going to kick some butt tomorrow night when I'm there and shake it off!

HE DID IT!

My all time favourite gogo boy, Geronimo, won GoGo Idol the other night in Manhattan! I've been keeping abreast of the situation thanks to online and youtube videos.

I tried to add a vid of Geronimo so you could see how badly he dances or moves about but alas, Blogger is fucking me over and won't let me post it.

So I don't quite know what the winning criteria was for Geronimo to win. He never gets his dick out but is more than happy to take your dollar bills and have them stuck where the sun shouldn't shine but possibly does. I don't think there was a judging panel except which gay screams the loudest or which gogo boy makes the most money but it doesn't matter.

Geronimo won GoGo Idol and he's got the leaf to prove it!

PARTYING SHOPS SHOWS BOYS

This pic is rather grainy and does look almost like a Crimewatch Photofit - however it's not. My mate Jon took it on Earthcam when Cameron and I were in Times Square the other week. Cam's wearing the beenie hat and I'm actually giving the "peace" sign although it doesn't look it with the pic!

New York was everything I hoped for and more - we missed our flight going out. I am normally a stickler for preparation and so checked in online. When we arrived, there had been a mix up. I was about to turn into one of those annoying travellers who turns up at the cheap budget airline desk 3 hours late for a flight. The colour did drain from my face however the girl on the desk was excellent and shifted us to the Edinburgh flight 3 hours later. A bus journey and a stiff vodka later we were on our way!

New York is the city of possibilities and anything seemed possible for the time we were there. Cam was like a Japanese tourist taking loads of pictures. The man noticed that the Empire State Building changed colour every night, although we were only a few blocks down from it, I barely noticed. It was good to see when I was trying to get directions to the hotel at 6am in the morning a few times!

The nightlife was superb, we tried a different part of Manhattan each night to get a real flavour - we hit Chelsea, The West Village, The East Village, Meatpacking District, Hells Kitchen and then a hotel in Midtown for some partying. It was outrageous, crazy, debauched and sleazy and most of all - fabulous. The drinks were strong and chilled as were the men. I had some fun with a few boys and then some!

Cam's sister came up from Virginia beach with her friend who lived in Brooklyn and we hit the town with them for a few nights. They were excellent company and we had such a laugh, the Brooklyn girl showed us a few sights and what was even better was that these girls could drink! They were also boy magnets as they looked so fierce so we got chatting to some hot boys aswell!

The food was delicious and we hit up some fabulous restaurants, like Vynl where I took a piss in the Dolly Parton toilet and Elmo where we had brunch and I had some Kir Royales on a Sunday afternoon outside people watching. There were more and it was just so "New York"

On top of the ridiculous partying, I managed to shop throughout Manhattan and basically build a new wardrobe full of clothes and especially underwear. I have a thing about underwear so hit Century 21 and went mental buying copious amounts of pairs of knickers. A vital part of any decent gay boy's closet. Armani was rattled, so was the delicious Pat Field Boutique where we stocked up in some one off crazy tops and I got a fierce chain which was right up my alley.

Then there were the shows. UNBELIEVABLE! We saw 9 to 5 with Allison Janney, Stephanie Block and Megan Hilty and met them after the show! Then it was HAIR. This is possibly the best show I've ever seen. The cast or tribe as they're called were nothing short of amazing and it was the most excited I've been at the theatre since hearing Idina Menzel sing Defying Gravity nearly 3 years ago in London at Wicked. The Saturday night, we met with Cam's sis and her friend and took in Rock of Ages which was a total surprise and lots of fun. That afternoon, I took in Next To Normal which although was very intense, was a brilliant show, mainly down to the fabulous Alice Ripley as Diana. On Sunday, I had a requirement that we revisit HAIR. Although we had great orchestra seats the first time, Cam and I snagged front row seats at the aisle and were really part of the show. To see Gavin Creel, Will Swenson and Sasha Allen tear up the show and Let The Sunshine In was a joy and the fact that yet again we were on the stage at the end made it all the more special.

I can't wait to get back to New York in October to see Kylie Minogue and take in some more partying and hopefully some more hot boys and shows and shops.