“I didn’t want to make Legally Blonde 2.”  
– Joel Kim Booster‘s response to calls for a sequel to Fire Island. 
“People think they want a sequel, and then they’ll be confronted with
something that will sully the memory of the first one and at best be
forgotten about.”   Ultimately, he’s saying he’ll do it –
when and if he comes up for a good enough premise to do it.

For months, my proofreaders have chided me for not referring to HBO as Max – the network’s newly-christened brand name.  Well, first it was HBO Max, slowly segueing into simply Max.  I know most of my readers don’t know what the hell Max is – so I stuck with HBO.  Apparently the powers-that-be heard my complaints and now are dumping Max and returning to HBO – at least in the US.  They are still going to try to push this Max crap overseas.  If you ask me, this rebranding is the biggest business bungle since the rollout of New Coke!

While I typically spend the whole July 4^th week in Provincetown, upcoming international travel forced me to make a brief but notable cameo appearance.  Sure, I might have only been in town for a few hours, but that was enough to keep tongues wagging long after they wagged on me.  In between the cavalcade of sex, I managed to catch two shows.  First up with Edie at the Red Room.  Her show, Edie: Queen of the Desert, not only pays homage to her adopted home of Las Vegas, but also celebrates the 30^th anniversary of the classic The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.  Edie is a true original, and her show is a good mix of well-written material, great interaction with the audience, and her fantastic dance moves – she truly is the hoofer with a heart of gold.  And she’s at the sumptuous Red Room all summer, so get more details and tickets at RedRoom.Club.

Then there’s the legend that is Varla Jean Merman.  Calling her show The Errors Tour is more than a Taylor Swift reference.  Varla truly pays tribute to those errors and mishaps that occur to all of us who work in this business called show.  As is typical, Varla delivers more laughs per minute than any other performer on the planet.  The dazzling costumes, witty lyrics and ridiculous sight gags live alongside an overall theme of self-love, kindness, and being able to laugh at our foibles.  Most touching was a tribute to the late Leslie Jordan, who starred alongside Varla in the off-Broadway musical Lucky Guy.  Even that was wrapped up in a message of endurance has kept Merman on top for 27 consecutive years in Provincetown.  You can catch her at The Crown & Anchor Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:30 – and plan early, since this show sells out regularly.  Get tix at OnlyAtTheCrown.com.