Celluloid Striptease

Rita Hayworth is all tease in Gilda.

Celluloid Striptease

Little Miss Sunshine's laugh-out-loud striptease scene.

Celluloid Striptease

Apparently in the upcoming summer flick I Know Who Killed Me Lindsay Lohan does a "seductively dirty striptease" which got me thinking about the tease on film. Some favorites, in no particular order:

Little Miss Sunshine
Barbarella
Lady of Burlesque
Blue Velvet
Pal Joey
Blaze
Too Hot To Handle
Gilda

Stay tuned and The Candy Pitch will feature a few clips throughout the day.

Stripped Of Its Name

Exotic World's got a new name. The museum will now be known as The Burlesque Hall of Fame. Why mix it up? From the ever lovely Laura Herbert:

Simplicity.
Over time, Exotic World has been though many changes--and many, many names: The Burlesque Historical Society, Inspirational Star Land, The Movers & Shakers Striptease Hall of Fame... the list goes on and on. But, no matter how our business cards may have read throughout the years, from the very beginning we've remained at our core a "hall of fame"--identifying and honoring Burlesque's best, both on and offstage.

Semantics.
Let's face it: In contemporary times, the term “exotic” has connotations that can be confusing (you'd be surprised how many calls we get inquiring about our birds and reptiles), if not downright misleading. When Jennie Lee & company launched the Exotique [sic] Dancers League in the 1950s, "exotic dance" and burlesque were one and the same. Today, the term is widely applied to *all* forms of adult entertainment, regardless of their origin or content. While we've got no issue with people calling themselves "exotic" (or being labeled as such by others), the more broadly the term is applied, the less it represents who we are and we do.

Of course, the name Exotic World will continue to live on--in Exotic World Weekend, the Miss Exotic World title (albeit slightly appended as 'Miss Exotic World, Reigning Queen of Burlesque'), and as part of our shared history.

All The News That's Fit To Strip

The big news, of course, is that the Exotic World Weekend gets bumpin' tomorrow. Saturday, Julie Atlas Muz (left) will give up her crown as Miss Exotic World and another peeler will don the crown -- and not much else. Can't make it to Vegas for the festivities? Tune in to The Candy Pitch next week for updates and pictures.

AMC premieres a new series called Mad Men July 19. Set in the Sixties, the show "follows thirtysomething Don Draper, creative director for the Sterling Cooper ad agency, which hawks everything from cigarettes to political candidates," according to Variety. A Candy Pitch reader tells us the pilot features a short burlesque scene. Catch a glimpse here.

Sheila Kelley's S Factor workout shimmies into Houston. The pole-dancing workout that's been featured on Oprah several times has spawned a book, DVDs and studios in California, New York and Illinois.

Another striptease workout comes to your DVD player. The Express interviews 2006 Playboy Playmate of the Year about the workout.

Dita Von Teese will reportedly perform in an upcoming movie featuring Willie Nelson and Katherine Helson.

World Famous B*O*B and Dirty Martini tease Atoosa Rubenstein -- with eclairs.

Video of the Week

Foxy Tann and the Wham-Bam Thank You Ma'ams sizzled at Miss Exotic World 2006.

Breast Defense

The 50th annual striptease reunion and the 2007 Miss Exotic World competition are just days away. Exotic World was founded by Jennie Lee, a dancer known as "The Bazoom Girl." In 1991, at the age of 61, Jennie died of breast cancer. So it seems only appropriate that this year Exotic World has teamed up with the Keep A Breast Foundation to raise money for breast cancer prevention and treatment.

Throughout the weekend burlesque stars like Julie Atlas Muz, Michelle L'amour, Dirty Martini and Tempest Storm as well as celebrities like Margaret Cho will have their breasts cast by sculptors. Then each mold will be given to a different artist who will decorate the bust before it is exhibited and auctioned off. The first round of finished casts will debut at Florida's Casa Monica Hotel in October 2007. In June 2008, the entire collection will be displayed in Downtown Las Vegas, as part of the city's First Friday Exhibition Series. Both exhibitions will be open to the public, and all casts will be auctioned online at Keep A Breast.