Best for Shabbat

I mean... with Pesach around the corner and TTT's close proximity to the Hassid hood (not to mention our obsession with Gaga and the Jews) this definitely goes down as one of the all time BFD. A big round of applause to our own Jewish princess Stephanie Benatar for sending this in!

Must See : REMINDER Boys' Night at L'Etoile Tonight

Listen Trannies, THE place to be tonight is Lincoln Center for Boys' Night at L'etoile. The 3-act opera of true love, decadent luxury and family drama is followed by an open bar after party. Pull out your tux and get your hair did, it's gonna be a Ra-Ga night!

Best for Day : Most Watched Ever

Lady Gaga is the most-watched video artist of all time. According to online analytics company Visible Measures, Gaga is the first video artist to achieve one billion online video views. As impressive as that is, the number may be far larger: Visible Measures is only tallying the views of "Poker Face" (374,606,128 views), "Bad Romance" (360,020,327) and "Just Dance" (272,941,674). If the count were to include "Paparazzi" and "Telephone", Gaga could easily surpass the 1.5 billion views mark. Love a good record holder, love a good Gaga. Winning is best for day.

Best for Day 38

Jude Law and Dior- what more could you need to spice you your hump day?

Spotted @ Sugarbabies' Spring Boy Drive

As anticipated, The Tranny Times' Sugarbabies Happy Hour at The Townhouse was a runaway hit. Over 50 guys took part in the "Spring Boy Drive" which introduced a stable of new guys to regulars of the after-work mixer. SPOTTED at the Townhouse . . . PR boys, Darren Back, Michael Grela, Tim Rathschmidt . . . representing the garment district, Kari Green, Jack Eustace, Tom Carberry, Ryan Lerner, Matt Smith, Doug Reker . . . the usual architects, Ben Salling, Eric Hastings, Bryan Hale . . . the Matthew Williamson sequin-studded porn-producer Jincey Lumpkin consulting with Nathan Kipe . . . the boys from Colgate/Palmolive lead by Jorge Fontanez . . . the girls : Elizabeth Harrell, Gabsy Goldman, Clare Hewdat, Dorian Mergler, Stephanie Benatar, Lauren Conklin . . . the ever-radiant Matthew Maddox . . .

Shoes 6

"You can always tell a tranny by her shoes." In "Shoes", TTT gives a stage to the foundation of any fabulous outfit: the boots, loafers, clogs and heels that we all put on each day.
Who says patent pumps are only for the opera? Consider black patent when cocktailing poolside: they are water and vodka proof!

Best for Tuesday: Sugarbabies @ The Townhouse Tonight!

Come for a quick drink after work, or stay a little later for some boozy cabaret. Sugarbabies is always a treat! Sugarbabies Spring Boy Drive is a great way to meet a few new faces, catchup with a some old ones and salute the warm months ahead, looking forward to seeing all of you tonight.

Best for Evening: Nita Nita

Recession or not, we all appreciate a good drink special. Nita Nita is a great local spot for those Burg kiddies on the north side. Rehash the weekend on a Monday or Tuesday with friends on half price bottles of wine all night (yes, the whole wine list). Mondays also offer great margarita specials and nice little bites to munch on. Its cozy for a gloomy spring evening and will be great for breezy summer nights, lounging on the Adirondack chairs in the back garden. Put this one in your mobile devices kiddies -- the wait staff is low key and friendly. One word of warning, like everywhere else in our fair neighborhood, CASH ONLY.

Must Hear - "Here Lies Love"

For 50 years, Imelda Marcos cast a long shadow over global politics, tabloid society and trannydom at large. The über-fashionable Philippine first-lady-turn-politico is best known for her dual perchants for glamor and excess. The most widely reported antidote of her extravagance being her 3000 pair shoe collection left behind when she and President Ferdinand Marcos were forced to flee Malacañang Palace during the 1985 coup. We can only assume that someone so glitz-obsessed as Imelda is beyond flattered by a new 3-disc album, "Here Lies Love", which chronicles the life of the sequined lady. Orchestrated by the great David Byrnes, a list of the mega-album's collaborators reads as a who's-who of musical mavericks of the past 30 years: Natalie Merchant, Cyndi Lauper, Norman Cook ("Fatboy Slim"), Martha Wainwright, Tori Amos, Steve Earle, Roisin Murphy and Santigold. The album's lyrics borrow largely from Imelda Marco's own words, which helps to achieve Byrne's goal; to not describe the life of Marcos but to get into the head of the woman who lived it. The tremendous artistry behind this biographical work weaves a story that is beautiful without mockery. (There is no mention of the shoe collection.) We dare you not to play this at every dinner/cocktail/rooftop party this spring. It is that good.

Tranny Daytrip: Stone Barns

With a tickle of spring in the air, we are itching to break the weekend routine: afternoon movies and lengthy indoor boozy-brunches. Though, without a car, day-tripping is not always easy. Stone Barns, a short Metro-North ride away, is a perfect Sunday afternoon excursion. Stone Barns offers a variety of activities including a winter farm market, touring the gardens and grounds and the gourmand's Blue Hill Cafe. Go up with friends or take your new spring beau- a great inexpensive lit-eral breath of fresh air. For those who don't want to drop the price of a new pair of TF's on dinner at Blue Hill, take advantage of the winter root vegetables and meats and prepare a Sunday feast back in the Burg.

http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/

Binge 4 : Downtime

Spring/summer 2010 begins this Sunday and calendars are filling up fast. In the frenzy to take advantage of all the great things that happen when the weather warms up, it's essential to stop and make time for downtime. Not everyone needs the same amount, but it's important that each of us takes a look at his calendar and evaluates: "Is it worth going to party X on Tuesday if I am going to look and feel like shit at Party Y on Wednesday?" Don't feel like a party-pooper for sitting one out, see what happens to even the mighty Gaga when she doesn't make time for herself:

Flashback Friday 1

Flaskback Fridays is a weekly window into the past. Pre-blogs, Pre-Gaga, (mostly) Pre-9/11: Flashback Fridays focuses on what was relevant before you got your first fake ID.

The first Flashback Friday is a two-parter documenting Michael Alig's 1989 Outlaw Party at McDonald's in Times Square. It was a 200-person invasion and all the big club kids were there : "Party Monster", Alig, himself; James St. James; Keoki plus still-relevant media folks: Michael Musto and Patrick McMullin, and a bunch of, high-off-their-asses, happy-as-shit partiers. All this at a McDonalds! Makes you feel like an ass for going to Boiler Room, doesn't it?

Must See : Lady Gaga's "Telephone" featuring Beyonce

In case you missed the premier of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" featuring Beyonce. Better work some outfits!

Hold the Phone

Tonight kiddies! If you aren't at the Whipped Thursday night Soriee or your favorite charity's annual event, tune in to E! at 11:30 and catch the world premiere of Gaga's newest work or art (in collaboration with Beyonce). If not tonight, at least you'll have something to look forward to in the office on Friday morning. Ra-gas unite!

Must See : Two Husbands

Everyone should be as excited about meeting "two husbands" as Calen. Yeeeeauhhhh, they're much alike. If this little guy can understand love in under 60 seconds, what is wrong with the rest of America? Pass it on.

Shoes 5

"You can always tell a tranny by her shoes." In "Shoes", TTT gives a stage to the foundation of any fabulous outfit: the boots, loafers, clogs and heels that we all put on each day.

The sports shoe for spring comes to us from Puma. Created by Turkish-born British fashion designer Hussein Chalayan, the hightop in the dreamy color Puma calls "Vaporous Gray" is constructed of inverted leather with rubber soles. Perfect for balmy ferry rides, traipsing down cobbled streets or tossed into the corner of a beach house bedroom during an afternoon romp.

Tranny Vocab 15 : The Younger Man

Attention, kiddies - it's time to put on your thinking caps because Tranny Vocab is about to resume. In this series, The Tranny Times explores the varied and wonderful lexicon of Williamsburg trannies. Today's lesson is The Younger Man.



The Younger Man [th ee yuhng-ger mhan] noun. The male who is markedly younger than his mate: from seven years to infinity. In this sort of relationship, The Younger Man simultaneously holds all the cards and none at all. The Younger Man is youthful, enthusiastic and open-minded to his lover who is (often) more successful, mature, connected and interesting.

Pros of being The Younger Man:

• Top-notch dinners that come to a close with someone else picking up the check.
• Invitations to parties without a keg or BYOB policy.
  
• Easy entré into otherwise closed circles of influential individuals.
• In-depth conversations on the meaning of life at a well-appointed vacation home.
• Sex with a pro who's spent decades working on his body.

Cons of being The Younger Man:

• Being patronized by mate's friends with less appreciation for, or intense jealousy of, youth.
  
• Adding to or shaving off a few years for everyone's parents' sake.
  
• Being mistaken for the cater-waiter, or worse, the son.
  
• Often coming in second. (see The Careerist)
• The persistent dread that one day soon his ass is going to drop like a fallen soufflé.

Leading Younger Men:

(l to r: Lorenzo Martone, Jesus Luz, Jonathan Adler, Tom Ford, Brooks Perlin)

The Verdict on The Younger Man:
Helen Gurley Brown, '60s icon, author of ground breaking Sex and the Single Girl, former editor of Cosmopolitan and a Younger Woman herself once said, "Always marry someone older because no matter how old you get, you'll always be the babe." Wise words from a woman who's always had her priorities in order.

Best for Day 37

Karl is one of the few reigning trannies with the budget and the creativity to keep pushing his shows to the limit. Consistent with the "snowy" theme we love him for, the King of Fashion showed his Chanel FW '10 collection amidst icebergs with the models trekking though a freezing pool of shallow water in faux fur trimmed everything. Karl was apparently inspired by the Ice Hotel in Sweden, although, for the record, he has never been there.

Karl, for the record IS BFD.

Worst for Day

The "shocking" story of the elected official who built a career supporting legislature that denies rights to gays and lesbians being forced out of the closet after a scandal is so familiar it's cliché. Yesterday, California state Sen. Roy Ashburn (R) told conservative talk show host Inga Barks, "I am gay." in a radio interview. Last week, Ashburn was pulled over by police leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in Sacramento, with another man in the passenger seat. He also told Barks that he will not seek public office after his term ends this year and asked people to pray for him.
Uh no. Pray for the poor guy caught in your Chevy Tahoe that night! His friends will never let him live that down. Pray for the gay and lesbian couples and families robbed of their rights for fourteen years. Pray for the individuals who live more honestly than you, people whose lives you, as a public servant, made more difficult. For projecting your self-hatred onto others you receive no prayers, or sympathy. But if we are passing Faces in Sacramento California at happy hour and see your Tahoe parked out front, we'll come in to let you by us margaritas. Asshole.

Best for Day 36

The sexiest tidbit to come out of the Vanity Fair Oscar party is that Anderson Cooper brought his boyfriend, Ben Maisani. The only photo of the two at the party is the one above showing Anderson and Ben's backs as they chat with the Seinfelds. Sources say A.C. and his b.f. sat at a table with Mary Richardson Kennedy, Aaron Sorkin, Katherine Ross, Ron Howard, Tabitha Soren and Michael Lewis. Could this, in addition to Cooper's firehouse-turn-love nest purchase, be a soft opening for the big, "Yep. I'm gay!"? This toe out of the glass closet is best for day.

Best for Day 35

Love a mini-Gaga! Best for day!

Boys Night at L'Etoile

Now that the NYCB season has come to a close, the Koch (State) Theater revs up for the NYC Opera spring season. Chabrier's L'étoile (opera buffe) will smartly open the '10 season with a party for the boys!

UWS opera queens meets WV GPCs for a fabulous evening of drinks, hors d'oeuvres, stunning visuals and late 19th century musical flare.

Juilliard-trained opera singer and drag performer Shequida will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies, a guaranteed good time as she shows off her five-octave range with opera selections and pop hits.

Tickets are going fast kiddies! Look forward to seeing you in the first tier boxes.

Must See : High Society

We're not sure if this is a "must-see" as much as a "you're bound to see this", but "High Society" starring Tinsley Mortimer (gag) and John Paul Calderon (puke) premiers March 10th on the CW. JP throwing hissy fits and drinks alongside Tinsley trying to revive her image by aping old money affectations is going to be a real treat. Given the fact that the "High Society" cast is a solid decade older than the "NYC Prep" kids, this is going to look like "Jersey Shore" meets "Rich Girls". God, "Rich Girls", now THAT was an NYC show!

Best for Day: Bakeri

The pretty little coffee shop on Wythe between N7th and 8th called Bakeri is a mini vacay for the soul. The Rachel Ashwell tweeness of the space will transport you from Kings county, NY to a quiet, European cafe in say Paris or the Netherlands. The coffee and pastries, delicious indulgences, are a great excuse to linger while the thoughtful breakfast and lunch menu make it a destination. Fabulous first or second casual date spot, not recommended for break-ups!, Bakeri is best for day!

Best for Day : Spring/Summer Shopping

The only way to get through this last, chilly month of winter is spring/summer shopping. A true tranny is always forward thinking and first to market to see the S/S10 merchandise that stores are rolling out now. Jeffrey New York is the premier retailer of the new Lacoste Red line. The new segment features an askew crocodile logo and slimmer fit for lithe, beach-bound boys. Be sure to check it before the other queens wreck it. Jeffrey is also high on Gaga-fever. Popping in to see the Monster Ball-themed displays is best for day.