Rihanna, Dawn O'Donnell & The Tool Shed

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Rihanna

Just 18 hours to go before the 2011 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras begins it's journey up Oxford Street to finish at Moore Park where thousands will then flock to Fox Studios and the Horden Pavilion for the after-parade party.

Entertainment at the party will be Alexis Jordan, New York dance queen Wynter Gordon, the internet sensation  Chris "leave Britney alone" Crocker and drag star Courtney Act.

While the tabloids are still plumping their wish list of star acts-George Michael and Rihanna, we can report that whilst negotiations have been under way between the Mardi Gras committee and Rihanna's management, it's unlikely she will grace the event. Money is the problem. She wants lots and the Mardi Gras crowd are basically broke. Rhianna will be appearing at the Acer Arena tonight and fantasies that she will jump in a chopper to the inner city party are just that.

There is one big problem for stars who entertain at the party. Cameras of any description, personal or media are strictly banned. No photograph of the party has ever been published so it isn't even worth the publicity value to front up. George Michael will be there with bells on but only as a guest.

Rhianna visited the adult sex shop, the Tool Shed on Oxford Street yesterday and spent up big. While it was meant to be a big secret and the shop is usually packed out with visitors at this time of the year, the Tool Shed owners closed the doors and within minutes mobile phones were abuzz about the diva's shopping spree.

The Tool Shed is one of the oldest and most successful adult shops in Sydney and was opened by the lesbian former ice skating champion, cum butcher and nightclub owner Dawn O'Donnell.

It sold adult gear, aids and x-rated porn when porn of any description was illegal. There was also a back room with live sex shows where audience members were always welcome to join in.

 Once every six months the local cop shop at Taylors Square about 200 yards up the road would raid the Tool Shed but not before a friendly station  Sergeant would put a call through to Dawn with the full details and time of the raid..

Photographs would duly appear in the newspapers of police trudging out of the store with boxes of supposed porn and it was claimed, the constabulary had done their duty. The boxes were empty of course except for one which was packed with goodies like the latest lesbian porn to be shared around back at Darlinghurst nick and another with a few dozen cans of beer. Dawn was generous like that. While most of Dawn's nightclubs had mysterious fires when business soured, the Tool Shed, a real money spinner, always survived.



Dawn O'Donnell



When Dawn died she left a fortune of 4 million dollars and Mosman house worth another 3. Like all good gay society deaths, there was intrigue over Dawn's will. She left the house to her girlfriend plus a load of art. Much of which turned out to be fake including a Lucien Freud. Rumours say the paintings were switched whilst Dawn lay dying in hospital.

Our mole at the Toolbox tells us Rhianna spent up big on S & M outfits that will no doubt feature in her show tonight. Lots of leather and  skimpy outfits with studs , a whip, handcuffs and a set of nipple rings !. A burly bodyguard carried out 2 bags of gear while Rhianna rushed to a waiting Range Rover. By that stage there must have been a dozen paparazzi waiting and a crowd of excited gays from the nearby pub.

A passing American tourist asked a photographer if the figure in black with the hood over her head was a local politician !

Meanwhile here is Chris Crocker talking about gays. The Shuttle met him at a party on Thursday evening and asked him what the Britney bit was all about. Chris said his mother was doing drugs at the time and going through a rough patch-in his eyes Britney became his de-facto mum !

Oscar Wilde, Bosie, Gay Marriage & The Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras

Two letters written by Oscar Wilde's lover Lord Alfred Douglas have been discovered in the Sydney State Library and put on display to co-incide with this Saturday's Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Bosie

The letters were written to one of Bosie's lovers Maurice Schwabe, who was banished to Australia by his family the year of Oscar Wilde's trial which scandalised Victorian England.

Schwabe was an old schoolfriend of Alfred Taylor who ran London's most notorious male brothel frequented by Wilde.

When Bosie was at Oxford he gave an old suit to a rent boy named Alfred Wood

In a pocket of that suit were the letters from Wilde in which he wrote of Bosie's "kissable lips". Wood found the letters and was soon blackmailing Oscar. Wilde paid 30 pounds for the letters but began an affair with Woods. It was to be his undoing.

Bosie bitterly complains in the 2 letters found in the library about Woods and what he is doing to Wilde.

On March 19th, 1893 Bosie opens one letter to Schwabe with " Darling Pretty Boy" and ends with:

''Goodbye now my dear darling beautiful Maurice; I send you all my love and millions of kisses all over your beautiful body. I am your loving boy-wife, or your little bitch if you prefer it . Bosie.''

Boy-wife ?. Bitch.  So nothing new there. The language hasn't changed-just the way of celebrating the lifestyle when 10,000 performers will troll up Oxford Street in stilettos on Saturday night watched by possibly a quarter of a million spectators. If they were alive no doubt Wilde and Bosie would be in the official Mardi Gras box at Taylor's Square with Dannii Minogue and Chris Crocker.

It's not known what Schwabe's fate was in Sydney. Previously he had travelled with Oscar and Bosie to Paris and had stayed at the Savoy with Wilde. His uncle  Frank Lockwood was the solicitor-general in London and had Schwabe's association with Wilde suppressed and his name was never mentioned during Wilde's trial.

Sydney in the 1890s

But if the family thought they were sending their son far away to avoid the depraved attractions found in London they were mistaken

With  female immigrants to the new colony in short supply Sydney had a notorious reputation throughout the Pacific as a den of iniquity with it's sly grog shops and male bordellos littered around the inner city areas of Darlinghurst and The Rocks.

When an offender was arrested for prostitution his police record was stamped with K.A.M.P- "known as male prostitute". It is claimed it was the beginning of the use of the word 'camp' in association with gayness ! Perhaps Maurice had felt right at home.

exclusive : Mardi Gras Singer Update



Chris Crocker

While the Daily Telegraph brings us the news that Rhianna won't be appearing at the 2011 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras (just as Dame Nellie Melba and Frank Sinatra won't either) the Shuttle can tell you who will be appearing at the March 5th after-parade party.

US singer Alexis Jordon will be the star attraction . Jordon first found fame on the 2005 America's Got Talent.

As we reported recently, drag star Courtney Act will also appear as will the Internet sensation Chris Crocker.

Look Who Is Coming to the (Mardi Gras) Party !

2 unique acts are lined up for personal appearances this month in Sydney and to ring in the after party at Fox Studios at the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras on Saturday March 5th.

Courtney Act (left) who has been touring the UK & US and internet sensation Chris Crocker.

Those who have been living in a wardrobe for the past few year may not know Crocker who started his own club of one : the Britney Spears Extremist Committee.

Both Courtney and Crocker will be performing at the new Oxford Street venue Nevermind ( George Michael was there last Saturday nite) where Chris will sing his chart topping single Freak Of Nature.

Below is Chris Crocker's video-Leave Britney Alone. It launched Chris to international stardom. The poor lad gets a bit upset and over 37 million people have watched it on youtube. You should watch all his youtube offerings. The lad is very funny.