Author Archives: Jo Jo Stiletto

My Favorite Miss Fisher Murders

With Miss Fishnet’s Stripper Mysteries just around the corner, I thought it would be jolly good fun to put together a short list of my favorite episodes that might also enhance your viewing of our tribute burlesque show. Never fear, dears, if you’ve not yet seen a lick of the popular Australian television series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (available on Netflix) you’ll still have a hoot with our wild tribute. Or you could play detective and look for clues in some of my personal favorite episodes below.  You’ll quickly learn the most memorable moments are rarely the murder mysteries. Cocaine Blues/Pilot: A great introduction to the characters, Phryne’s golden gun, … Continue reading →

Bechdel Test Burlesque: Fury Roadtrip

Bechdel Test Burlesque is a show I co-created with Sailor St. Claire, Sophie Maltease, Scarlett O’Hairdye, and Sin de la Rosa for GeekGirlCon in 2013. We performed it again in 2015 with a brand new cast and assumed we’d be putting it to bed for a while. We were wrong. Thanks to the University of Oregon and Professor Edmond Chang we are now taking our little show with a big mission on tour to perform April 29th in Eugene on campus for students and April 30th in Portland (tickets on sale now). We are even a required text for a class at the University titled Gender and Popular Culture ‘Heroes, … Continue reading →

Why I love a terrible movie: Streets of Fire

How can I love a movie that is so terribly problematic? Can you adore something in spite of it, when it tries so hard and fails, like a toddler climbing a chair? Streets of Fire is all the camp and neon and musical sequences I love plus all the things I despise in one tidy, pretty package. A package in which the villain is far better at everything than the lead all while lacking motivation and a shirt. If I was in grad school, I’d just write endless papers on this movie. I’d score an A+ on all of them. Not because I am smart. Because it’s so very easy … Continue reading →

When To Take a Burlesque Break

When you’ve done something you are so very proud of that you can’t imagine it getting any better. When you spend more time on facebook worrying about who will see your work than you do making your work. When you start to see humans as spreadsheets. When festivals applications, forums, and the successes of others start to feel more important than dancing naked to your new favorite song in your living room. When The X-Files is back on television and you are very distracted. Plus, you know that comebacks are all the rage. When you start to feel like a rat on a sinking ship, knowing you will start defending … Continue reading →

Stripping Our Way To The Truth: X-Files Burlesque

This blog post is the love note I wrote for the program of The Burl-X-Files: The Truth Is Down There, a burlesque parody of The X-Files that happened on January 14-16 at Seattle’s Theatre Off Jackson. Images from Jules Doyle and Heather Schofner. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ All things return. In 2013, I did a really strange thing. I produced a burlesque show inspired by The X-Files. I was simply exorcising my fan demons, finding ways to incorporate my passion for burlesque, theater, science fiction, and participatory fandom into one naughty little package. I had wondered, “If we build it, will they come?” I honestly didn’t realize it would coincide with the 20th … Continue reading →

13 Reasons To See The Burl-X-Files: The Truth Is Down There

The Burl-X-Files: The Truth Is Down There is shaping up to be the Northwest’s largest X-Files fandom event of 2016. If you love the X-Files, if you are over 21, if you want to meet other fans like you, here are some reasons to believe. Tickets available now and going fast. • There will be 14 unique, spooky, and sexy burlesque acts inspired by the X-Files. • Mulder and Scully will do things to each other they never did on screen. However, there are unsubstantiated reports that Gillian and David have done some of these things to each other. • X-Files author Erica Fraga will be in attendance Jan 16th … Continue reading →

Feminists In the Desert: The Road to BHOF

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, we have fought our way here to the center of Sin City, to take back what the mainstream media has stolen from us. It is our right, our will, to represent the world as we see it: a glorious, glittering, powerful feminist utopia cobbled together from scraps of discarded fabric, seed-like rhinestone embellishments, and gritty-glitter war paint smeared across our steely eyes. Our world is fire. And LOVE. My friends, we cannot get there alone. Burlesque, at its core, is a rare self-authored entertainment realm not dominated by white, cis-gendered men. It is an art for those who dare to challenge and critique with … Continue reading →

Fanfiction THE PARTY GAME!

Playing Slash: Romance Without Boundaries from Allexa Laycock on Vimeo. Share!

Nerd’s Guide To BurlyCon

Remember back in 2012 when nerdlesque was the big buzzword at BurlyCon? At least that’s how it felt on Jo Jo Island. Julie Atlas Muz invoked some mild nerd rage after her keynote speech when she expressed she didn’t understand nerdlesque but everyone seemingly heard her say,  “I hate nerdlesque.” Her mere mention made nerdlesque the talk of the Con, whether you agreed with her statements or not. Flash-forward to present tense: Our time is now, nerds of burlesque! 2012 was our splash and now is our boom. Here is your special guide to BurlyCon 2014. Gamers Birds of a Feather Caucus That’s right, a gamers caucus just for you … Continue reading →

Seattle’s Summer of Nerdlesque

Clark Gregg, aka the actor who portrays Agent Coulson (Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), spoke to a full house at the screening of his new movie, Trust Me, at the Seattle International Film Festival. Mister Gregg told a few stories about working on his delightful new film and during one of these amusing anecdotes he mentioned a film of co-star Sam Rockwell. Upon merely uttering Galaxy Quest, the audience spontaneously squealed and applauded. It was a minor reference in his tale but he stopped. His eyes twinkled (gah, those twinkly hot-dad-hot eyes) and he backed his story up. He said Galaxy Quest again and the audience applauded again. And he proclaimed, … Continue reading →