From the www.myspace.com/exoticworld blog:

Goodbye, Exotic World.
Hello, Burlesque Hall of Fame!

Hi all,
We're pleased to announce that the complete schedule for Exotic World Weekend, including venues, sponsors, special guests, performers and all the info you'll need to be in the right places at the right times has been updated and is now online. And with that news, comes word of another big update: our name.

As the Striptease Reunion heads into its second 1/2 century as the world's longest-running Burlesque event, we've decided it was high time Exotic World had a little work done. No, it's not a boob job... more like a face-lift: from today forward, Exotic World will officially be known as THE BURLESQUE HALL OF FAME.

Why tinker with perfection? Good question! After much deliberation, two highly compelling arguments kept coming up, over and over again. They are:

Simplicity.

Over time, Exotic World has been though many changes--and many, many names: The Burlesque Historical Society, Inspirational Star Land, The Movers & Shakers Striptease Hall of Fame... the list goes on and on. But, no matter how our business cards may have read throughout the years, from the very beginning we've remained at our core a "hall of fame"--identifying and honoring Burlesque's best, both on and offstage.

Put simply, we ARE the Burlesque Hall of Fame, therefore we should be KNOWN AS the Burlesque Hall of Fame.

Semantics.

Let's face it: In contemporary times, the term "exotic" has connotations that can be confusing (you'd be surprised how many calls we get inquiring about our birds and reptiles), if not downright misleading. When Jennie Lee & company launched the Exotique [sic] Dancers League in the 1950s, "exotic dance" and burlesque were one and the same. Today, the term is widely applied to *all* forms of adult entertainment, regardless of their origin or content. While we've got no issue with people calling themselves "exotic" (or being labeled as such by others), the more broadly the term is applied, the less it represents who we are and we do.

Of course, the name Exotic World will continue to live on--in Exotic World Weekend, the Miss Exotic World title (albeit slightly appended as 'Miss Exotic World, Reigning Queen of Burlesque'), and as part of our shared history. In the meantime, we encourage you to take our new name (and website) for a test drive. Please note that there will be tweaks, changes and all sorts of additional features added in the coming months--from message boards and listings to feature articles, interviews and galleries--but for now, you should certainly be able to find all the info you could possibly need to enjoy this week's festivities to the fullest.

Laura Herbert, director, BURLESQUE HALL OF FAME