Earlier this year, author Nancy Redd was asked to give her 2007 body-positive book 'Body Drama' to 250 teenage Hurricane Katrina survivors at a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the 'Vagina Monologues'. "I've harbored a major crush on Eve Ensler for over nine years," Nancy says. "Growing up with normal teenage angst and inadequate health education, I hated my vulva and I never referred to "down there" as anything other than a "hoo-ha". The Monologues were my introduction to feminism; nothing was more empowering to 18-year-old me than having a legit reason to scream "MY SHORT SKIRT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!" and "IT'S SUPPOSED TO SMELL LIKE PUSSY!" to the world." Below, Nancy fills us in on everything that went down in the (very fertile) Crescent City over the weekend, where 18,000 participants raised awareness of violence towards women by giving love to vaginas and the amazing women who own them.

"We call her sultry and sexy when we crave her, but after when we want to demean her and dismiss her, we call her swampy and soiled."

"We brag about her music, the way she moves, we beg to get inside her, but disown her later when she has needs."

This year, Eve decided to concentrate the power of her tenth anniversary on the community who needs it the most: the women of New Orleans, who, as Ensler explains, have "survived the fallout of global warming, failure of public structures, racism, economic hardship, and domestic abuse." (She calls them "Katrina Warriors".)

As soon as we walked into the Superdome, we were overwhelmed by the Biggest. Vagina. Ever. Very hypnotizing, and reminiscent of Gene Simmons' tongue!

Right after I arrived at the arena on Friday, author Gabrielle Roth had everyone come to the front of the stage for a fifteen minute "ecstatic dance" designed to release grievances and to allow positive energy to flow. The crowd was LOVING it, and I wanted Gabrielle to crowd surf so badly, because we would have caught her and it would have been awesome.

Afterwards, I checked out the art that decorated the Superdome, created by activists from around the world. Pieces included the biggest bra ball ever...

...an activist comic titled "Fuck, I'm a Victim," and V-Day memorabilia from the past ten years. One really cool installment was the Intentions Hut, where people could go inside and write their dreams and goals and place them in a box aptly titled 'Intentions.' This is where I found out that nearly everyone working the event — from Rosario Dawson's assistant for the day to the translator for Congolese doctor Dr. Denis Mukwege — was a volunteer, and many were college students or retirees. (The volunteer manning the Intentions Hut told me that her husband took Eve Ensler to his prom!)

A large part of the decision to hold the anniversary event at the Superdome was to transform horrible memories for Katrina survivors into positive ones. To do this, V-Day created three healing stations for local women (with some services and samples open to everyone) on the upper levels. To get to the stations, which was also where the food was, everyone had to pass through a giant glowing vulva. Perhaps for rebirth?

Once upstairs, there were massage sessions, yoga classes taught by Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman, and free haircuts and makeup application for Katrina survivors, who were truly enjoying all of the pampering.

There was also a jam-packed activism room full of creative and inspiring groups and organizations, like the women from SAFER, who displayed edgy t-shirts...

...and Rha Goddess, who offered her new book We Got Issues.

There were so many younger kids swarming around and it was heartwarming seeing them studying the artwork and questioning the activists about what they do.

One of the best stage presentations included a girl who looked to be about ten and who proudly exclaimed that in her life from now on, she was "going to ignore stupidity and claim self control." She is now my new role model.

There were quite a few guys (a.k.a. "V-Men") around, too, both as participants and spectators. Authors and activists Jimmie Briggs, who brought his proud mom and aunt (aw!), and John Prendergast chatted with Tara from CosmoGIRL! and myself in between adoring fans (of which there were many).

On Saturday morning, Asia Rainey, local activist and the force behind the Daughters of Hope Rites of Passage, gave us our cues and got us all charged up, and Eve Ensler came in to say hi to the giddy teens, who were nervous and thrilled about being onstage in front of so many people, where they recited skills they'd learned in mentoring classes.

A lot of the girls were super-amped about the fact that they were going to meet Kerry Washington afterwards, worrying that their cell phones wouldn't get good enough pictures. As I was lining up to go onstage to give my presentation — during which I gave a motivational speech and presented my book — I bumped into Dr. Mukwege, an amazing Congolese doctor who is at the forefront of next year's V-Day focus on stopping violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Even though I let loose with an embarrassing scream of glee and a big hug he was incredibly gracious, just chilling in the waiting room wearing a sparkly red feather boa around his neck. I was hoping he would keep it on for the whole evening but alas, he took it off before his Q&A with Eve.

Next up was a Hollywood panel with Kerry Washington, Rosario Dawson, Amber Tamblyn, and Ali Larter; it was a huge hit, and the ladies really opened up about a lot of the sexism and weight concerns that they deal with in the industry.

Women are actually lambasted for crazy things like their ARM size, y'all! When asked about racial stereotypes of females in the media, Kerry expressed her frustration about the few roles for black women that aren't maids or prostitutes, and said that when she had to play one of those roles she tried hard to make the character a real person and not just the stereotype. There were girls who started CRYING in the audience when the celebs came out, and a few teens were brave enough to sneak backstage to get hugs and pictures, and everyone was really cool and gracious about it.

For that evening's star-studded performance of the Vagina Monologues, the Superdome was packed and full of energy.

Eve's adopted son Dylan McDermott was sitting right in front of me next to one of his daughters.

For me, the Vagina Monologues are like My Big Fat Greek Wedding and other movie classics...even though I've seen 'em a million times and I have most of the lines memorized I still love watching from beginning to end. Seeing Eve perform live injected new life into the decade-old words, and I loved her vulva pantsuit.

The celebrities added an interesting flavor and there were some new monologues that had been introduced since the last time I did the show. After watching the touching monologue "They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy" in homage of the transgender experience, I had to Google one of the performers, Calpernia Addams, and I have found my new favorite time-killing video channel.

Towards the end of the performances, Jennifer Beals stole the entire show with her rendition of the crowd favorite "The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy", aka "The Moaner".

Her and her backup moaners' renditions of the Irish Catholic orgasm moan "Oh, Oh, Oh PLEASE forgive me!" and the African-American moan "Oh SHIT! Oooooh SHIT! SHIT SHIT SHIT!" were absolutely hilarious.

At the afterparty at the W, I finally got a good look at Rosario Dawson's shoes and they were as I suspected - the infamous backward heels!

What's really funny is that earlier that evening, while we were both backstage, she seriously questioned whether or not my gold wedge heels were comfy. Anyway, she said her shoes felt fine but I wished I had asked her where she got them because my Google-fu is failing me and I NEED THOSE SHOES!

There was tons of food at the party, including made-to-order FREAKING chicken and waffles, y'all! (Eve and her people know how to throw a party.) Everyone was into the music and the atmosphere and the people and it was just a room full of hot, happy vaginas and their guy friends...a perfect end to an amazing weekend. Hope to see everyone in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2009!

The V Day Event Of The Decade: V To The Tenth [V10.VDay.org]

Earlier:
"Here At The Hospital, We Have Seen Women Who Have Stopped Living"
New York Interviewer Accuses Vagina Book Author Of An "Anti-Waxing Slant"
Badass, Self-Described Feminist Jane Fonda Drops the C-Word On Today

Related: Body Drama [Amazon]

One of the hottest tickets will be the "Entertainment Tonight"/People bash at the Mondrian Hotel, where Earth, Wind & Fire is performing and where there will be a Godiva Lounge, with walls painted with real chocolate stripes and cocktail tables encased in chocolate.

The party might sound slightly indulgent given the circumstances, but it's really going to be quite tasteful. At precisely midnight, the ET and People folks will collapse a chocolate levee and flood the lounge with hot fudge, which will later be collected in barrels and shipped to the displaced, temporary residents of the Astrodome. Even on Emmy night, Hollywood won't forget its chocolate-craving brothers and sisters from New Orleans.

• TV hits fuel hype for Sunday's Emmys [LAT]

John Travolta, Kelly Preston and Lisa Marie Presley were part of the Scientology Disaster Response Team that hit Baton Rouge and New Orleans this week. The controversial sci-fi sect doesn't always attach its name to relief activities. But this time, hundreds of "volunteer ministers" proudly wore church T-shirts as they visited a shelter. Travolta personally gave hurricane victims massages - or, as the church calls them, "assists" ...

We're relieved that the victims' basic human needs are being met in time of crisis: food, water, shelter, and creepy backrubs from a movie star quoting his favorite passages from Dianetics. Let the healing begin.

• Action figures [second item] [NY Daily News]

• Bruce Willis to Help Select 'Miss Italia' [AP]
• Previously: Sean Penn Personally Saves 40 People [Defamer]

Douglas Brinkley, the presidential historian who teaches at Tulane University, was at Penn's side. "There was never a leak," he tells us. "The boat was overloaded with people. It got some water in it, as boats usually do.

"I witnessed him rescuing up to 40 people," says Brinkley, who was assigned by Rolling Stone editor Will Dana to write about New Orleans' recovery. "He was up to his waist in toxic muck .... I'm not going to comment on Sean's trips to Iraq or Iran, but in this case, he was an American hero."

We're relieved to know that Penn's mission was a success—it's refreshing to see someone of his stature personally [Ed.note—Personally.] saving people without vitamins and an e-meter—but we're a little hung up on the logisitcs. If the boat was "overloaded" with crew at launch to a point that tested its buoyancy, where did they put their floodwater refugees? Since we all owe Penn one after yesterday's leaky boat cracks, let's just assume that each time he picked up a survivor to ferry them to safety, he jettisoned a member of his entourage to make more room.

• Celeb relief work has its own perils [NY Daily News]
• Sean Penn’s Ill-Fated Rescue Mission [Defamer]

• Officials warn against hurricane aid scams [Reuters]

[Photo: AFP]

• Sean Penn's rescue bid sinks [AFP/Herald Sun]

Predictably, NBC yanked West's love note to Bush from the West Coast broadcast of the telethon. To their credit, they replaced West's remark with a tasteful title card, not a pre-taped bit of Myers in full Austin Powers costume offering to "shag" any "sexy birds" who donated over $50 to the relief effort. NBC: Keeping it classy in the face of adversity.

Also: Blogger Paul Davidson offers Today’s Imaginary Conversation With Kanye West’s Monologue Coach

• NBC Deletes Rap Star's Remarks on Telethon [LAT]
• Kanye West's Torrent of Criticism, Live on NBC [Washington Post via Gawker]

The AP has helpfully collected updates on affected celebrities, making sure you stay abreast of what happened to Juvenile's house, Patricia Clarkson's mom, or what's going on with Master P's helicopter search.

• Fats Domino found OK in New Orleans [AP]
• Hurricane Katrina: The Affected Celebrities Round-Up [Defamer]

· Dave Pirner Waiting for Word on N.O. Home [AP]

· Ellen DeGeneres: My Aunt Lost Everything [AP]

· Fats Domino Is Missing in New Orleans [AP]

Lets hope that someone goes looking for Fats Domino before checking on the Soul Asylum guy's house.

• Related: TelethonWatch: All The Networks Are In [Defamer]

"Invasion" is among the most highly anticipated fall premieres. But as the overwhelming destruction of Hurricane Katrina dominated newscasts and headlines Wednesday, ABC yanked on-air promotions for the series. The promotions will probably return later, albeit with references to the show's fictional hurricane downplayed or removed.

At the moment, ABC said, it does not plan to move the Sept. 21 premiere. "As with anything as serious as this, we are taking great efforts to assess sensitivities with regard to our series," the network said in a statement.

Their executives have about three weeks to evaluate a proper course of action, plenty of time to sit around watching CNN and occasionally ask, "Hey, it looks like the city's drying out a little, right? Can we do this now?" or "But ours is an alien hurricane, and isn't that completely different?" before deciding whether or not to push back the premiere.

• ABC Delays 'Invasion' Promos [LAT]
• Invasion [ABC.com]

Representatives of the various companies attributed the separate events to efforts to put together fundraisers quickly to help the victims.

NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks said other networks were welcome to participate in Friday's concert and broadcast a feed of the event.

"The more money, the more efforts, the more benefits for the victims," Marks said. "This is no way an exclusionary event. It's about charity and helping people."

Maybe if the NBC folks let the other networks replace the My Name is Earl graphic from their feed with promos for their own Fall shows, everyone could take a deep breath, pool their resources, and have a unified event. Leo would want it that way.

Also: Who needs a telethon when we've got Britney's prayers? And has anyone figured out if Omarion is OK?

• 3 Televised Benefit Concerts for Victims Are Announced [LAT]
• TV Telethons Announced for Katrina Victims [AP]

With these first charitable actions, the countdown clock to the inevitable NBC telethon officially begins.

UPDATE: Damn, that was fast. Color us impressed.

• Celebrity Auction Set for Hurricane Relief [AP]
• Victims of Disaster Need Your Help Now! [CharityFolks.com]
• The Walt Disney Company Commits $2.5 Million for Hurricane Katrina Relief and Rebuilding Efforts [Business Wire]

Even with its generous tax incentives — Louisiana paid out $67 million in tax credits to movie and TV productions in 2004 — the fallout from Katrina could make the state a much tougher sell, at least in the short term, industry watchers say.

"This is probably going to put them out of competition for a while," said Jack Kyser, chief economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. [...]

Steve Dayan, a business manager for the Los Angeles-based union that represents location managers and other production workers, said, "This is obviously not going to have a positive impact on filming in Louisiana."

And to think that just six months ago, the unions and local politicians scoffed at Governor Schwarzenegger's ambitious plans to divert a chunk of the education budget to build an incredible tropical-storm-generating machine on an offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico. No one will be laughing at him when the production of Big Momma's House 2 shifts back to Southern California, where it belongs.

• Storm Could Cut Filming in Louisiana [LAT]
• New Orleans Is The New Hollywood [Defamer]