Drag Season - Doing Too Much?

 Hello!

When I last left y'all, I mentioned a phone call.  My phone did ring, I answered and now I am currently a little busier than I ever thought I could be, especially in the drag arena.  I may be considering changing this blog to DRAG Alone With Me.com...

Here's the deal, I wanted to be more involved with BEST IN DRAG SHOW and now I am more involved than I'd ever thought I would be.  I am now entered in the BEST OF BEST IN DRAG SHOW!  I will be competing in the show in October as a former winner. Remember that time I won?

2018

I was so excited and fell in love with the show and have been very happily excited to take part in any way, ever since.  Now, I'm back.  This time, I guess, for a second chance to lose! When I got the call to compete again, I was torn.  I know how much work it is, how much there is to worry about and how much it might hurt to not win, again.  Of course, my ego wasn't going to win this battle.  I know exactly right now is when this charity, and many more all over the country, needs the help and contributions. With the current administration gutting all of our programs to fund turning DC into a swamp with a ballroom, I can't sit back and just 'like' all the Anti-Trump posts on the socials.  Besides, I have my strategy for doing this kind of thing in place: Put on the best, most entertaining show you can and that'll be the reward.  Who knows, maybe in this show I play the girl who comes in last.  I mean, Drew Barrymore DID play the first one to die in SCREAM, right?   I'm proud that I agreed to do it, I'm just not so excited about the timing, right now.  I have plenty to do this far in advance of October and that includes; planning my show, sketching out ideas & costumes, finding someone to build those crazy costume ideas on a limited budget, figuring out my talent portion & recruiting someone to be involved in that, sorting out logistics like load in of props & costumes and promoting the show. 

It's a lot, so wish this little(?) Yellow Rose of Texas, Reba Areba

MISS TEXAS 2026

lots of luck while I go back to the drawing board and come up with an entirely new show

My first sketch from the 2018 show

as I go up against these other girls for whom this isn't their first time at the rodeo, either!

Please get your tickets, now at BEST IN DRAG SHOW.COM

I need to do all that while in the midst of this 4 week run of CHICO'S ANGELS 2: LOVE BOAT CHICAS!

At this point we're two weeks in and I am exhausted!  We're running Wednesday - Sunday with 2 shows on Saturdays & Sundays. Look, at 58 years old this is not a breeze.  Also, I have to deal with things like my shoes breaking...

You can bet the replacement heels were 2 inches shorter!

and fending off, what feels like a forever threatening summer cold. We first did this show in March of 2004 and have done it a couple of times over the years, so it didn't take long to rememorize the lines and such.  What hasn't come back so quickly is the ability to run, fight and roll on the floor so easily.  We're very active putting on this non-stop drag extravaganza with drama, action, singing and dancing, but it's getting harder to keep up with high pace.  We still do, it's just not so easy.  As a matter of fact, this is our farewell performance to this episode.  I don't know how many of the 7 episodes we've done the past couple of years were the farewell performances to those!  To make things harder (poor me, right?) I had to get up at 4am to get ready to appear on the local morning news in hopes of selling tickets for our last two weeks of shows.      Check  it out HERE

Thank you KABC 7 & Tony Cabrera

"If it's so hard, why do you even do it?" you might not ask, so I ask it myself...
I'll tell you, doing the show is a blast!  It's all the producing and prep and aging that's starting to be a challenge.  Aside from the complete laughfest we have performing & rehearsing, there are a few perks.  For example, I love when the celebs drop by! (I'm a starfucker, so sue me!) I especially love when some of the people I count as inspirations and influnces drop in, Like Julie Brown, whom I laughed with and quoted from her MTV show JUST SAY JULIE!

Julie with the cast and director Sam Irvin

and 80's Pop star Debbie Gibson, whom I sang along with and of whose songs I made up parodies like "I Get Lost in My House" and "Shake My Butt" ...

Truly a friend of the show

Then, there's the cast!  All but 2 are original cast members from 2004. I love these people so much because when we laugh together as much as we do, we can't help but form a special bond

Here's most of the cast in a pic by Bill LeBeouf

My favorite members of the cast are our 2 hunks!  There's returning hunk Duke Shoman,

I love this guy

who was not able to cover all of the shows so we got a second hunk, making his Chico's Angels debut, Sebastian Gonzalez. ...or as he's better known on Insta, dino.mml

I love this guy

Casting hunks for a drag comedy play can be trickier than you might think and it was starting to be a special challenge, but we were lucky that Duke agreed to step in where he could and we were especially lucky to find Sebastian, courtesy of muh DAB, Dennis Hensley!  They both bring their own special brand to the role of Dick Hardo and our audiences seem quite delighted to see either of them.  What do you think?

Duke, courtesy of Bill LeBeouf

Sebastian, courtesy of Mike Pingel

Please, believe me that it is a great joy to work with both of these guys.  On a personal level, I love them for their unique and sometimes surprising personalities and what they bring to their shared role.  I'm only disappointed that I have one brief interaction with them throughout the entire 2 hour show!  Also, I would be remiss to in not reminding you that Duke agreed to help me out in 2018 as my hunk Pinata Assassin in BEST IN DRAG SHOW

Duke helped me during my talent portion - being a human pinata

So, I suppose I'll survive the current drag storm and live to see other adventures dressed as a guy, but I'll always be grateful to BEST ON DRAG SHOW and CHICO'S ANGELS for the gift of laughter.  

If you're planning on coming to see Chico's Angels, (please do!), you can get tickets HERE - kaysedia.com 

Keep in mind 

AND

That's right!  Ray Garcia leaves after this week and Jai Rodriguez is coming in for our last week as Chita!  It's all very exciting!!   I hope you'll come on board soon!!!

Drag Season - Doing the Little Show That Could

Thanks for coming back to see how it all ends!!

I don't know if you have put together that BEST IN DRAG SHOW happens on the weekend of my birthday every year.  So, when I am doing the BIDS, my birthday celebrations are very limited.  I like to travel somewhere far away for my big 5 birthdays, but that hasn't been an issue, yet.  This time, I was more than fine limiting my celebration to a local setting, but thanks to muh DAB, Dudley, I got the blow out the candles on my cotton candy (Thanks Lulu!) in Palm Springs!

You see, this past birthday was the big 50 for Dudley, which we celebrated quite brightly with a Solid Gold themed birthday party.

Not letting a big 5 birthday fade out too soon, Dudley decided to keep the celebration going by arranging for friends to spend fun times in Palm Springs for a weekend.  He was gracious enough to invite me and and let me celebrate my actual birthday with him and the guys.

Here we are at Lulu...

...where I actually blew out the candles on my cotton candy.

After a special birthday and a couple of hours of sleep, I hopped in my car and headed back to LA for our final rehearsal before the show.

Finally, October 5 rolled around and I was ready to go!

Glen Alen was there to get my face on.

You can see for yourself, I did a decent job of coloring my own wig, but it could have been redder, methinks.

After we were all dressed up & stuff, Kay Sedia and I went out to enjoy some preshow stuff.

Step & repeats are fun!

Step & Repeats are fun!

Preshow "Hellos" with 2 of my favorite people, Frank DeCaro & Jim Colucci!

There wasn't much time for schmoozing before we had to get backstage and start the show!
The moment the curtain went up, my happy level shot up!  It was such a treat to see the dancers executing what I saw them rehearsing for the past couple of weeks.

It also the marked start of the fun and exciting evening I had been looking forward to ever since I got that surprise call asking me to be in the show.  It wasn't very long until it was time to do the color commentary with Kay.  Sharing the stage with Kay is always a lot of fun and things usually turn out well.

So far so good...

Look at the beautiful dress Carol the quinceanera-dress-maker-lady made!!

Aye! Ju don't know our lives!

So, the color commentary we provide covers the contestants in their swimsuits and it is ALL SHADE, but funny.  Maybe all of the jokes didn't land, but Kay and & I usually have fun with audience reactions and a list of other people to blame for the clunker (like the current administration!). Overall, the bit went well and we moved on with the show.  

In between events & such I stalked the contestants and got pics with them backstage.

Miss Florida - Palli-tiv Claire

Miss New York - Mi'a Morr

Miss Wisconsin - Bailey Barnum

Miss Missouri - Daisy Jane

Miss New Jersey - Bree Mandela

I also got

Salina Estitties

and Director, Jeffrey Drew

Before long, it was time to perform our interview duties. (I wore a dress I already had made by Carol the quinceanera-dress-maker-lady.)  I think I did a pretty good job reading from cards!

Miss New Jersey will not be stumped!

Soon it was time to crown the winner and I must say, because this is a fundraiser, it's nice to see all the money literally raining onto the stage.

The audience throws money on stage when they get excited or really guffaw at something and that's why it's important to put on a really entertaining show.  I feel honored that I have been trusted to be a part of that.  

The crown went to Miss Wisconsin, Bailey Barnum whose circus theme was over the big top.

After the crowning, the total raised in during the evening was revealed.  

A quarter of a million dollars is pretty good!  I wish it could be more, considering the current administration's apparent goal of obliterating funds for organizations such as Alliance for Housing and Healing and APLA.  Finally, as we posed for the final group shot of contestants, hosts and judges I prepared for one of my favorite past times.

That past time is stalking the stars!!

I enjoy capturing magic moments with celebs, especially those who donate their time to charitable organizations... give them their due, you know?

Katherine LaNasa

Grant Show

Cheri Oteri

Camryn Manheim

Dan Bucatinsky

As we wrapped up, I was exhausted, relieved and very happy.  It was a good night and it felt like a job well done. I wondered if I could ever do the competition part again.  Sure, it's a blast and a great way to give back, but it's also months of preparation and many little sacrifices of time and space and sanity.  Why would I ever think that?  Would they even ever want me back in that capacity?  I don't know, I'll just be glad to be a part of it in any small way, again.  

So until we see what's happening in October 2026, I bid BIDS goodnight. 

Wait. Is that the phone..?

Thank you WeHo Times for these wonderful image I lifted from you!!