Paul Bellini Archives

Four for the road
Apr 23 2013 | It’s sad to be burying Fab, but like the old Italians say, “What can-a you do?” I’ve been writing this column for exactly 11 years, thanks to our brilliant then-editor Mitchel Raphael, who assumed leadership over whomever was doing the job before him. Mitchel took me, a TV co
Food porn
Apr 02 2013 | Eating is something everybody does, even skinny bitches. Some of us definitely take more pleasure in it. These people are called foodies. It’s because of foodies that even previously unappetizing things, like food trucks, have gone all haute cuisine. Want proof? Penguin Books just published Ea
Something about Mary
Mar 15 2013 | Entering the rehearsal hall of the Ed Mirvish Theatre, I have to admit that Mary Walsh still looks va-va-voom sexy at 60. She is here to perform her new one-person show, Dancing with Rage, at the Panasonic Theatre until March 24. Mary and I worked together on This Hour Has 22 Minutes for four years,
Winter blahs ablaze
Mar 04 2013 | A big part of my job here at Fab is to tell readers about all the fun and interesting things other people are doing, like Come Date with Me, a new TV series on W Network. In the first episode, a totally hot girl has to choose from four ill-suited gentlemen who have to impress her with their
Boys just want to have fun
Feb 23 2013 | This is my first record with my new voice,” says Lucas Silveira, lead singer of The Cliks. Since the group’s last recording, 2009’s Dirty King, Lucas has undergone hormone treatments as part of his gender transition. “I couldn’t record one more song with my old voice
Cut-throat confessions
Feb 11 2013 | Joseph Couture was certain he was dying. Lying in a hospital bed, suffering from injuries sustained in an assault, he decided to finish his memoirs. Dickensian in its scope and squalor, the book tells an interesting story, but it also takes various big-name gays to task along the way. To call it
Musical theatre, done right
Jan 23 2013 | I saw a lot of musicals last year. Some were terrific, like the new production of Jekyll & Hyde, starring Constantine Maroulis, who deserves the Tony, and some were abysmal, like the recent production of La Cage aux Folles. Who on earth would cast ancient George Hamilton in the show? Turns
Dicks & decks
Jan 07 2013 | They’re pornstars! And they’re DJs! I know, it sounds like a wacky sitcom premise from the ’80s, but I can assure you that it is a very real thing. Called Porn Star DJs, it’s the brainchild of renowned Québécois pornstar Pierre Fitch. “I&r
Crystal balls
Jan 02 2013 | What does the future hold? Lots of people want to know. That’s why we have psychics, and there are lots to choose from. Like Miki, who writes the Ask Miki column for Sun Media. “I’ve been in the business for 39 years,” she says. She’s worked in various media, includi
Candida Bovay!
Dec 10 2012 | "Mommy, I’m pretty!” I cry, looking in the mirror at my full drag transformation. Paddy Aldridge stands back to admire her work. We are creating drag looks for the holiday season, which we call Plaid Tidings. They’ll make ideal Christmas cards! Paddy has been operating her
Sky Gilbert syndrome
Dec 04 2012 | Sky Gilbert is turning 60! Yet sitting across from me at the Coach House Restaurant, he still looks about 45. To celebrate this milestone, he is having a big party at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre on Dec 10. Expect an appearance from Jane. “Yes, and I’m going to sing Sondheim’s &lsq
Elektra-fying
Nov 09 2012 | It’s 10:30pm on a Tuesday night at Statlers. The lighting is low, the beverages are flowing, and the place is packed for the Top Star Talent Contest. The host, a statuesque drag queen with shocking red hair and lips, grabs a microphone. “Welcome to Top Star,” says Jade Elektra. &ld
Shiny, gold Bellini
Oct 31 2012 | For Halloween, the good people at Theatrix Costume House (165 Geary Ave) offered any one of their 50,000 costumes to wear, but I’m so fussy I couldn’t find one thing that suited me. To narrow things down, owner Gina Anki asked what my dream costume is. I told her I wouldn’t be happ
Strip club social
Oct 15 2012 | Every few weeks, the Toronto Sun runs a hysterical cover story about the sex industry. Headlines like “Brothels in downtown Toronto!” “Pole dance at city hall!” “Strip clubs recruiting teens!” It’s positively Victorian, but it does sell newspapers. I can&rsq
Beautiful Black Falls
Sep 27 2012 | To me, his music sounds like being lost in an autumnal forest at golden hour. He is 35-year-old singer/songwriter Ken Reaume, and his first album, Four Horses, captivated me. The hypnotic finger-picked guitar interwoven with his ethereal vocals is the musical equivalent to making out under a wool bl
Riverbank spectacular
Sep 24 2012 | A few years ago, the ruffians who camped at the Hidden Valley campground near Tweed, Ontario, painted old cars to look like OPP vehicles, then blew them up just for fun. Now, you’re more likely to see naked bears frolicking poolside with their predator-sized Thermoses at the newly renamed Rive
Take a dip on the wild side
Sep 13 2012 | Continental Baths was a legendary New York bathhouse that operated from 1968 to 1975. It didn’t just have rooms and a sauna; it had an Olympic-sized pool, a performance space and even a hair salon. Something for every gay need. “But once AIDS happened, no one wanted to talk about the goo
Potty mouths & stiff drinks
Aug 16 2012 | McComedy. The name conjures up images of fast-food humour, but the clever duo of Shannon McDonough and Michael McLean is anything but. It’s a rare instance of a lesbian and a gay man combining forces for the cabaret stage, sort of a latter-day Nichols and May (an American improv duo popular in
Dinner and a movie . . . and porn
Aug 13 2012 | For those who survived Pride, there are still lots of fun things to keep us amused this summer. Like Apprentice to Murder, at the former Limelight Dinner Theatre. Now rebranded the Mysteriously Yours . . . Mystery Dinner Theatre, the evening kicks off with a delicious meal consisting of Waldorf sala
God save the queens!
Aug 09 2012 | For the past year, I’ve been hosting the Sunday afternoon show on Proud FM. For those of you pretending not to know, Proud FM is the first commercial queer radio station on Earth, and it’s located right here in ungrateful little Toronto. More than one wag has complained about the low sig

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