One of the last strip shows at Splash in NYC filmed in almost its entirety. A lot of talent up on that stage, a lot of talent.

 

Charlie David's Border2Border Entertainment is releasing the documentary I'm a Stripper on DVD and digital (WolfeonDemand, among others):

"With the success of Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike the obvious next step was to meet the real deal and ask the hard questions, pardon the pun," said the film's director, Charlie David. "Is it about money?  Is it a sexual turn-on?  How did they get here?  What do their families and friends think?  Do they take their work home with them?  How much do they make?  The answers are often surprising."

 The gallery is a thumbs-up.

CHECK OUT THE "WORK UNFRIENDLY" SHOTS AT MY TUMBLR.

My pal Jason had to remind me about Broadway Bares: Solo Strips at XL tonight, which I attended following a friend's book-signing. It was pretty crowded, probably because there was only one show this time.

I bought an inseam's worth of raffle tickets from the one on the left. I lost, but still won.

The audience contained plenty of Broadway Bares-backers, including many who'd shucked their clothes in the past for the same cause: To raise cash for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Andrew Glaszek and Matthew Steffens were among those scouting the competition. (Okay, okay: Supporting friends. Okay, fine: Ogling friends.)

 

Above, a gallery filled with sexy bodies and skin, skin, skin

The program was as lean as its stars, featuring short but sweet (more like fast and dirty) performances of the variety that used to get ladies with bad reputations hauled off to the hoosegow just a few decades ago. But as always, the men of Broadway Bares managed to be racy without getting distastefully raunchy. Maybe it's because, as Broadway professionals, they never forget to SMILE.

Guess witch song is #1?

Thatcher dies, Judy Garland's "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead" hits #1 on UK iTunes.

AMAZING remix of "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead" from 1996.

Michelle Obama tears up over gun control.

Washington State goes after anti-gay florist.

Jocks who go commando.

13 y.o. dachshund has the world's best owner.

Stacey Dash (who???) vs. Jay-Z & Beyoncé.

Montana House decides sodomy is legal after all.

Rick Santorum disinvited from speaking at MI school.

One of my new favorite artists.

Broadway Bares: Solo Strips returns, nakeder than ever. Good cause, great buns.

How do you expect a president to react when you fire her sister? "Uncouth" means "she knows too much."

Your chance to meet Constantine Maroulis & Deborah Cox.

Men's underwear of the month club:

The long and shorts of it

And we thought Dwight Twilley's "Girls" was racy back in the day! Check out Del (Del Marquis of Scissor Sisters) & Xavier's campy, sexy, disgusting, surprising music video for "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy," which is very much Work Unfriendly.

I recall desperately seeking the bare-butt scenes on Playboy Channel

Remember this? This happened!

Wait, so the Conclave of Cardinals isn't a circle jerk, right? Image courtesy of Tyler Oakley.

Justin Smith is one "Big Man"

Last night was the Broadway Bares installment "Winter Burlesque," a pastiche of past numbers and new naughtiness that blew hot and hotter on a cold New York night. And to think, it was all to benefit a good cause—Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Plenty of cock 'n' tail for the two-cocktail minimum

Not saying I stole this life-sized Guto Bittencourt poster, just saying it disappeared

I arrived less than an hour early and was still one of the first in the house, the house being XL on W. 42nd across the street from my apartment. I planted myself directly in front of the catwalk's end, just behind the section of the club that had been roped off for higher-paying guests who wanted to watch the show from a seated position like civilized perverts. (I got to snap another photo of XL's hottest server, at left, waiting on some.)

Matt Anctil & furry friend were swapping gropes for raffle ticket sales

NOTE: Low-res videos of some of the show's hottest numbers are here. Hi-res and ultra-dirty photos from the show that I am not allowed to reveal on my blog are or will soon be available here. (Follow my tumblr, please.)

I was next to the house videographer and some guys who shyly confessed to being Bares-backers for many years—they own all of the official DVDs and know many of the dancers' names. If only they knew my own past with the show, they'd have realized they were in good company.

And baby got back

The show started with a bang—stunning Judah Gavra emerged, let his coat slip away to reveal his naked ass and then gestured to the title card revealing that the show's first number was to be "Burlesque is Back".

Little Ang

Angie Schworer sang the number, a saucy celebration of the art of getting naked on a stage, with the right amount of humor and bawdy sexiness. She reminded me of Wendi McLendon-Covey meets Jane Krakowski. And speaking of crack, she and her bevy of beauties didn't skimp on the skimpy outfits.

Wenslawski's "Big Hunk o' Love"

"Fringe Benefits," a classic Bares number with an Elvis theme, may have been performed before, but lead dancer Steven Wenslawski made it his own and made the audience his bitches while he was at it. When he shook his butt at us, it was with all the confidence of someone who knows that while beauty is only skin deep, it's still awfully nice to have it.

Above, a healthy sampling of shirtless hotties from inside People (November 26, 2012). Below, Star (November 26, 2012) claims David Arquette is "Not Normal" for posing nearly naked on a movie set. But if that's abnormal, I'll take it. He looks hot!

More after the jump...

 

"The Amazing Race" could easily refer to some superhuman species to which these two belong

I recently spent some quality time in a tiny hotel room with Jaymes & James, the world's most famous Chippendales dancers. With my camera in tow, we had to drag the bed out of our way and figure out a good spot to show them off to their best advantage while still accomodating their hulking frames. "This feels like a porn," Jaymes joked. I swear it actually did. But of course the Chippendales are not seedy—they're razzle-dazzle and wink-wink, fun and fantasy.

The guys are raising cash to help Jaymes's dad

These two Chips are currently promoting a sizzling Chippendales 2012/2013 Sixteen Month Calendar with photography by John Ganun, out now, as well as their solo music careers and their goal to raise $250K to help Jaymes's desperately ill father. I also got a little Amazing Race dish out of them

Dating the Chippendales

Keep reading to check out my Q&A with the boys, who were only to happy to bare all no matter what question I asked...

I've got 3 Magic Mike pinup cards signed by Channing Tatum to give away!

To enter, simply comment this blog with the all-time best song for a guy to strip to—and I'll pick 3 of you at random to win 1 week from today! (Contest open only to those in the U.S. No P.O. Boxes.)

Magic Mike—own it on Blu-ray Combo Pack or Digital Download

From a press release: A dramatic comedy set in the world of male strippers, Magic Mike is directed by Academy Award winner Steven Soderberg (Traffic) and stars Channing Tatum in the title role. The film follows Mike as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women and making easy money.

Good luck!