Dressed for Success

Performance artist-actor Kent Fuher has an interesting observation on the state of drag. Fuher is better known to Angelenos as the vibrant-lipped beat poet Jackie Beat, whose “Fifteen Minutes” show at Luna Park has drawn raves.

“The key to the success (of drag) is that people expect so little from a drag queen,” he said. “You get up there and you have written material and people say, ‘These jokes would work even if he wasn’t dressed like a woman!’ You know you have them in the palm of your hand.” Fuher also plays a woman in the new low-budg film “Grief,” directed by former club owner Richard Glatzer (the film opened Friday at Laemmle Sunset-5). The two met when Fuher started performing at Glatzer’s club Trade.

Making the transition from live performance to film “wasn’t rough at all,” Fuher said. “It was completely different in that I had a makeup and a hair person. It was a dream come true, especially since I’m used to getting ready in the kitchens of some places.”

How to Get a Head: The Hollywood greeting of choice these days is no longer the rib-crushing bear hug (although we did see several examples of hugging--and kissing--at the Academy Awards, but then, everyone was quite giddy).

The preferred way to bond is by direct contact with someone’s head. At a recent screening, we noticed several industry-types who greeted each other with a tap or rub of the head, or a mussing of the hair. We see this as a more intime gesture than a hug; after all, you have to be pretty familiar with someone to touch his head.

We’re all for it--as long we’re not approached on a good hair day.

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And from the electronic frontier, according to postings on the Beavis and Butt-head Internet news group, the correct rendering of the duo’s positive exclamation is kewl.