Photographs: Anna King

We warned you, or advised you depending on your point of view, in Your Perfect Weekend that there would be nipples at the Purple Passion/DV8 sex shop (211 W 20th St, 212-807-0486) art show. Photographers Scott Church, LC,  Joseph Carey and Razor 7 did not disappoint with work from the books Tattooed and Fish Eye Fetish, a selection of which we present for your viewing pleasure.

Photographs by Keith Sullivan

TONY’s reporter was struck down by the Office Virus on the day of this weekend’s edition of the monthly QxBxRx (Queers, Beers & Rears) bash at Cake Shop, featuring performances by Guts for Garters, and Jen Urban and the Box. But our photographer still made it to the party, and it seems quite a good time was had by all in attendance! Check out our pictures of the debauchery above—and if you were there, tell us what happened in the comments.

Photographs: Robbie Bailey

Revel in the glory New York. The Yankees paraded up the Canyon of Heroes on Friday, before Mayor Bloomberg awarded them the keys to the city and Jay-Z performed “Empire State of Mind.” Photographer Robbie Bailey was there to capture it all for TONY.

Humanity has come a long way. Back in the day, the ancient Egyptians were content to remove body hair and wear wigs. Now we’ve evolved rituals of constant preening and obsessive self-decoration, and have gone so far as to focus our attentions on minuscule details—like pretty painted nails. We’ll say it again: Humanity has come a long way.

Celebrate the progress at the Nefer/NFR exhibit opening at Capricious Gallery (103 Broadway between Bedford Ave and Berry St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-384-1208, capriciousspace.com). From 6 to 9pm, artist and Cinema 16 creative directer Molly Surno curates a show that features photography, sound, sculpture and installations by Brooklyn artists, all smitten with the love of ornamentation (especially on your polished tips). Celebrate the complex relationship between what is “good” and “pretty” by getting free nail art (sparkles! tiny pandas!) from Abby Walton. And if that wasn’t enough incentive, Luiza Sa of Brazilian hipster dance band CSS is deejaying. Get those nails ready.—Laura Yan

Video by Karina Granda and Elizabeth Kreutz

The challenge: finding this year’s most predictable costumes—Michael Jackson, Bernie Madoff, swine flu, Max from Where the Wild Things Are, Lady Gaga and Balloon Boy—at the 36th Annual Village Halloween Parade. The result: epic fail for TONY, a win for New Yorkers’ creative impulse.

Think your costume ruled? Prove it—enter our Halloween costume contest.

Photographs by Sion Fullana

Shots from the West Village and Chelsea. Pam Anderson with Gumby? Check. Unambiguously gay Robins (without Batman)? Check.

[See more: 100+ sexy costumes, Costume roundup, part 2]

Photographs by Jim Kiernan

Costumes spotted in Union Square and environs; not all sexy, but many head-turning. (Well played, dudes dressed up as life-size light-up crosswalk signals.)

[See more: 100+ sexy costumes, Costume roundup Part 3]

Photographs by Marc Whalen and Anna King (#95–101)

Halloween: The most time-honored excuse to release the exhibitionist within. This year, like most years, New Yorkers did not disappoint. On the streets, there were sexy cops (including, if we’re not mistaken, a Lt. Dangle from Reno 911), seemingly naughty nurses, gratuitously topless revelers of both genders, a couple of Naked Cowboys and countless Lady Gagas (although only three will be shown here). TONY’s photographers were there.

[See more: Part 2, Part 3]

Photographs by Anna King

A sprinkling of rain didn’t stop the 36th annual Village Halloween parade last night, when a slightly damp throng of over-the-top revelers marched up Sixth Avenue. Attendees included the usual crowd of undead Michael Jacksons doing the “Thriller” dance, joined by Where the Wild Things Are monsters, Obama masks and barrels of fake blood.

Photographs by Jason Rodgers

Go-go dancers and a Newsies-inspired striptease warmed the hot plate that was the stage of the Ninth Annual Miss LEZ Pageant, at Williamsburg’s Knitting Factory Sunday night. Unsuspecting patrons peered in through the bar’s wall of soundproof glass, as the alternative beauty pageant for queer women provided a voyeuristic spectacle for those on both sides. Five contestants vied for the plastic crown and a cameo in a Juicy Pink Box porno. “The whole community is represented here,” said event promoter and host, Murray Hill. There were femmes, trannies, drag queens, bisexuals and even one straight guy in the crowd. All were treated to a show. Contestants bribed judges with cupcakes, performed S&M, fought kung fu style, tap-danced and sang. In the end, Miss Butch Mamas’ KS Stevens took the crown; her commitment to representing the “gaystream in the mainstream” (and perhaps in her work—she’s a playwright) evidently swayed judges.—Francesca Soroka

Photographs by Jason Rodgers

This Saturday’s leather-bear festivities were certainly not what was originally planned. But even if promoter and bear-about-town Robert Valin didn’t get to fill a downtown street with scantily clad, burly men, a good time was still had by all who attended the scaled-down Leather + Bear Beer Bust & Barbecue at the Delancey Lounge. We swung by the party where we spotted as-featured-in-TONY folks including Mr. Valin, Khane Kutzwell (who offered shaving services; we only saw heads getting buzzed, but all body parts were fair game) and Williamsburg bear Philipp. Read more »

Photographs by Michael Alexander

Hookers, porn stars and plain old party people stayed out late on a Sunday for the 11th annual Hustlaball, sponsored by rentboy.com. Among the revelers were drag queen–porn guru Chi Chi LaRue, tattooed porn hunk Logan McCree and queer nightlife staple Ladyfag. With all this debauchery and flesh on display, you know we were there. Check out our pictures!

Our very own Caroline Voagen Nelson headed to Radio City this morning for a behind-the-scenes look at the Rockettes. “I was so impressed by  [choreographer] Linda Haberman and Karen [Keeler, assistant choreographer and dance captain].  They both held such a commanding presence and their strength and experience in dance was really evident. ”

Asked if going to a special, media-only rehearsal of the Rockettes was a life dream come true, Caroline told me, “Well, my favorite part of  the rehearsal was one of the dancers who wore some very hip boots that were actually dance shoes! It was nice to see something edgy in a show where everyone is meant to look uniform.” We’ll take that as a yes.—-Sophie Friedman

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starts November 13 and runs through December 31 (Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave at 50th St). Tickets are $42–$105 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (212-307-1000, radiocitychristmas.com).

Photographs by Caroline Voagen Nelson

Photographs by Jolie Ruben

Six finalists, including two New Yorkers, competed in last night’s Ultimate Pole Dance Competition at the Highline Ballroom. As we watched the girls warm up backstage (holy limber!), we realized that very little about this sport is precalculated. In fact, a dancer can count on only three things, and must wing it till everything else falls into place:

(1) The pole cleaners
After each gravity-defying performance, three designated “pole techs” in knee-high black patent boots and butt-hugging plastic shorts climbed onto the stage, shimmied up the poles and slid slowly down, alcohol-doused rags in hand. “It can’t be greasy,” says pole tech Seraphine Naeymi, also a dance instructor at Chelsea’s S Factor. “It’s all about restoring traction. Every part of the body has to get a good grip.” She also explained why, to our mild horror, one dancer was splashing her stomach and thighs with hand sanitizer: “Oh, she’s just eliminating body oils.”

(2) The pole
“It’s my energy source, my empowerment—whenever I dance, I feel like a vampire, otherworldly, like I have powers no human should have.” That’s Alethea Austin, a tattooed finalist from Los Angeles. And she’s serious about that pole; she turned to dancing as physical therapy after a car accident.

(3) The music
No matter how you dance—slow and sensual, with writhing floor action or a high-energy whip around the metal—the moment the houselights dim and the dancer appears on stage, the music controls everything. “All I have to do is hear it, and I can see the routine in my head,” says finalist Marlo. “I picture exactly what I have to do next.” (In her case, next involved gyrating hip-hop madness.)

All said and done, those three constants added up to one big win for Barbara Dial, another instructor from S Factor (and the only contestant to take the stage barefoot). “I chose not to wear heels, so that I could feel with every line of my body when I performed,” she says. Her routine, coupled with a blaring Marilyn Manson soundtrack, stole the show. Dial went home with $10,000 and a pendant from Jacob & Co., and we went home and rubbed our bodies with hand sanitizer.—Shayna Courtney

You can almost hear it in his work—the unintelligible screams, the crashing drums, the slapped-out bass chords. This isn’t just any punk scene, though; amid the sea of greasy hair and furiously bobbing heads stands an adoring fan-girl wearing a hijab, the traditional Muslim head covering. Photographer Kim Badawi has been documenting the Taqwacore genre—and the lifestyle of the second-generation Muslims who swear by it—since 2006. His stunning coffeetable book, The Taqwacores: Muslim Punk in the USA, collects the best of those pics. Says Badawi, “Many have tried to repackage these terms in documentaries and visual essays, but photography gave me [a] fly-on-the-wall presence.”

Ogle his work at tonight’s reception at powerHouse Arena (the exhibit will remain on view through October 25), and rock out to an 8pm performance by the Kominas, a Boston-based Punjabi-Taqwacore punk band. R.S.V.P. to rsvp@powerhousearena.com.—Shayna Courtney

David Cross

Landed yourself a hot little tamale, but have no idea what to do with him/her? We so deserve sainthood for saving your butt here…

Thursday 17 Prove you’re a team for the storybooks at tonight’s Don’t Know Much About Literature Quiz Show, hosted by Ken Davis at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe. You and the honey can go head-to-head against book bloggers during multiple rounds of trivia, or just sip wine from the sidelines. Afterward, Housing Works’ event producer Rachel Fershleiser recommends a stop at open-till-midnight gelato haunt Ciao Bella (285 Mott St between E Houston and Prince Sts, 212-431-3591). (’Cause nothing goes better with Thomas Pynchon trivia than a little tongue action.)

Friday 18 The Rubin Museum of Art may just be the city’s finest all-in-one date spot. Enjoy two-for-one cocktails from 6 to 7pm, tour the gallery free till 10pm, or snuggle up with your sweetie during an acoustic concert. The museum screens Clue at 9:30pm; viewing is complimentary if you drop $7 at the bar. (C’mon, cheapo, this is a date!) Follow up the classic whodunit with a midnight bite at the 24-hour Cafeteria, RMA communications coordinator Alanna Schindewolf’s favorite nearby spot.

Three more awesome dates after the jump… Read more »

On Wednesday night, a trio of whip-smart New York ladies hosted the first-ever This Ain’t Your High School Sex Ed Class at Bushwick’s freaky-deaky House of Yes. It was targeted at men, but reporter Sophie Gore Browne attended the session, which included X-rated live role-playing on the do’s and don’ts of flirting, oral sex, anal sex, rough sex and more—all courtesy of a Jenna Jameson love doll. After class let out, Browne asked select guys what they’d learned. Read more »

The Transformational Warriors

Last night’s two-hour “Love In” seminar at Sexy Spirits started with a flamboyantly clad Arjuna Ladino—the male half of the superhero-esque, tantra-happy Transformational Warriors—standing before a crowd of 14, zealously pointing at his manhood.

“Whatever you want comes from here,” he said confidently, tapping his love rifle. “Then you blast it out to God, Buddha, whoever you’re praying to. You need to demand what you want because you’re a child of the universe!”

Ladino, along with business partner and real-life fiancée and a model-turned-spiritual sexpert, Shanti Owen, are self-described “relationship superheroes,” waging war against an enemy they call the Ego. “We encourage you to find who are you and push the light out,” said Ladino. “It’s also about opening yourself up so that your juiciness can attract another person,” added Owen.

Indeed, most attendees at last night’s workshop were single and looking for other juicy-minded warriors. Many were divorced—some four times—while others just never got around to marrying (like 47-year-old Paul, who hasn’t had sex in a year).

The only couple in attendance other than Ladino and Owen was Lisa, 39, and her fiancé, Park, 54, who said sessions like these bring them closer together.“I liked how [Ladino and Owen] were so approving of everyone and their ways,” said Lisa, adding that she and Park try to have sex every morning.

The evening’s activities included lessons on dating, relationships and sex; game-playing; and learning how to love oneself via meditation. One-on-one exercises found attendees pouring out details of their personal sex lives to each other, and answering such questions as “Name the person who best taught you about your sexuality” and “Does sex have to involve cock insertion?” And of course, sex-ed sessions like these would hardly be germane without finding someone to make love with—in which case Ladino offered a foolproof plan: “Approach with your balls—your balls!”—David Yi

Video shot by Logan Jennnings and edited by Liz Kreutz

The world’s best yo-yo spinners walked the dog into South Street Seaport Saturday, August 8, for the International Yo-Yo Open. TONY was there to capture the action and caught up with impresario and CEO of Yo-Yo Nation Patrick Cuartero; 2008’s Yo-Yo Open champion Shinya Kido, from Japan; and our national champion, Joseph Harris, nom de guerre Yo-Yo Jo. We even ran into the inventor of the modern yo-yo, Tom Kuhn. Want to learn more? Check out Cuartero’s guide to how to perform the trick “Rock the Baby,” but be warned, it’s not for crybabies. Click through the jump to see how dangerous a yo-yo can be. Read more »

Still craving tips after last week’s career issue? Get your advice fix for only $5 tonight at Galapagos Art Space, where Career Camp has bused (or probably cycled) in people to talk about “The Future of Green,” starting at 7pm.

Whether you want to make money saving the world or just save the world yourself, you can exchange ideas and business cards—on recycled paper, please—with vets like the Truck Farm. Yes, it’s a farm on a truck. Also present tonight will be Rooftop Farms and many more green-fingered people.

And just because you want to work in a green industry doesn’t mean you have to appear as if you’ve been herding cows all day. Galapagos’s resident hairstylist will be on hand to get you looking business-meeting ready.–Pearly Huang