IMPRESSIONISM Back By Popular Demand!

YAY! I get to play Casita del Campo's CAVERN CLUB THEATER again. My show did very well last time so management asked me back. I'm so glad because I had fun the last time I did IMPRESSIONISM there. The show allows me to change it up a bit from time to time. Now that I'm not so nervous, I can add some other voices that are too hard to do if I'm too nervous.
http://www.cavernclubtheater.com/

Meanwhile, I've been going with friends to these outdoor aerobics classes in the valley (7-9pm). They take place Mon, Wed & Fri. There are about 100 people in the class. It's like Mob-aerobics. I thought about telling Perez Hilton but I don't want it to get too popular. Lots of Hispanic people go to this. I say funny things in Spanish and they crack up.  Nobody knows who I am...I love it. They play crazy Dance music from back in the day and ends with Hispanic music. It's totally camp and so much fun.

DAME ELIZABETH ENDS AN ERA. RADIO INTERVIEW. TV PILOT! BUSY!

We lost the legendary screen legend and artist Dame Elizabeth Taylor. I did feel like so many it was an end of an era. The last of the Great Great Giant Movie Stars. Fame and celebrity is different now. In watching all of her footage flying across the tv screen, I really marvel at how Elizabeth Taylor made her life matter. Her tireless fight and struggle later in life to raise millions for AIDS was awe inspiring. I aspire to make my life matter like she did. Thank you Dame Elizabeth for sharing your gifts with us. Thank you for sharing your humanitarianism. Rest in peace oh Great Beauty. I hope in heaven you have been reunited with all your friends.

My friends who do Born This Way Radio asked if I could do a call in interview. I decided to create a story line in that the premise would be that Heaven was going to have a "Giant" celebration party accepting Ms. Taylor into the heavens.  The radio station would have a direct line into heaven to speak to some of the performers at this party. Judy Garland, Eartha Kitt, Billie Holiday and Bette Davis was the MC. So anyway, if you have time you can listen to the link below. Hope it works. I don't have time to listen to it. 

What's funny about the the radio interview is that I was performing at a REAL private party, so I was calling in while the people at my party provided background noise. I performed for Gene Kelly's widow Patricia http://www.patriciawardkelly.com/. So it was a crazy day & night doing the radio show, performing at the party and earlier doing laundry and getting my outfits ready for tomorrows TV pilot performance.

Just look at this Goddess work a headdress!

"Born This Way Radio" with Jimmy James! 4/3/11 

I'll be on the show again 4/3/11. To promote my return to The Cavern Club Theater. Back by popular demand! YAY!!!   CAVERNCLUBTHEATER.COM

MONDAY / MARCH 28....Today I had to be on set at 10am for a new TV project. I can't talk about it yet because I signed a non-disclosure contract. But I will say the premise of the show is talent. We spent all day Monday taping the show at The Music Box Theater. Fingers crossed. I hope it gets somewhere. There were 14 contestants. The auditions were last week and I got cast. Very cool!

Then in the evening I went to the valley with my workout friend to do outdoor aerobics. It costs $1.00! It takes place on a cluster of 4 tennis courts and attracts over 100 people. I'm so sore and tired. I gotta build up to my stamina. Last week it rained a lot in LA so I got lazy and didn't do my workouts. I gotta makeup for it this week.

LADY BUNNY and PIE.

 March 19, 2011:
This past Saturday I went to pick up my friend Lady Bunny from her hotel room in Culver City (she's been in LA for a month to taping the 2nd Season of RuPaul's "DRAG U".  We hung out with some other friends and had lunch at The Silver Spoon Diner in West Hollywood. Then Bunny "twisted" our arms to go to The House of Pies in Los Felis on Vermont St. We were pigs! I made Bunny pay for all the pies. LOL!

Took Bunny back to Culver City hotel. Driving back with Diana and Jason we saw that BIG MOON in the sky. It's the closest it's been to planet earth since the early 90's...WOW it looked awesome!

March 20, 2011
Sunday I woke up to pouring rain. Kinda nice. Relaxing. The LA marathon still went on. God bless 'em. They did it for a good cause - APLA! I bow down to those people who braved the cold and rain.  I was a pig and stayed in the apt. with my roommate Diana. Our friend Jerome came over and we were lazy pigs. We just ate and layed on the sofa watching tv. It was cold and rainy all day and night. Maybe the nuclear Winter is here.

GUEST APPEARANCE at JACKIE BEAT'S SHOW

In the afternoon I took my friend who is in film & television to Vegan Glory for lunch. Then we did a 2 mile walk in West Hollywood. I'm glad we did it. Then came home to get my stuff together for tonight's show...

Tonight I made a guest appearance at Jackie Beat's Comedy Show "That's Racist" with other special guests: Alec Mapa and Johnny McGovern. The room was completely full and the audience was great. I did a couple of numbers: "HALF BREED" for the Cher voice & "GOD BLESS THE CHILD" for the voices of Billie Holiday, Eartha Kitt and Diana Ross. The crowd was great. The 2nd show tomorrow is SOLD-OUT!

Me and Superstar Alec Mapa! We met in Provincetown when it was our first Summer there back in 1986 YIKES! He's become a famous star with multitudes of television and film appearances including a regular role on Ugly Betty. It was great to hang out with him for the "Racist" show.

The brilliant crazy Jackie Beat in one of her Character looks. She's lost over 100 pounds! Check out YouTube for tons of Jackie's videos with millions of views!

Me with Calpernia Addams backstage at The Cavern Club Theater. She helped us with anything we needed. She's so adorable and sweet. Check out her hit on iTunes called "Stunning."

A GIFT FROM MY MOTHER JOSEFINA de LLANO, JOHNSON

 My Mother is like an angel to me. She goes to church everyday and prays for so many including me. She has been there for me when no one else was around. She doesn't have a computer so she asked my sister to forward this poem to me. It is but the sweetest gift to feel her love in the most darkest of times.  I am grateful for every second that my Mom is still around. I wanted to share this poem with anyone who may want to read it.  A gift sent from my Mother Josefina:

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy.
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for – but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

Anonymous from a Dear Abby or Dear Ann column!

LAKE HOLLYWOOD WITH FILM MAKERS / Back on the wagon

 First of all my heart and prayers go out to the Japanese people. My father spoke fluent Spanish and Japanese. I've always been fascinated by the Japanese. For now I thank God for my comfortable bed and shelter with enough food and water. I am so grateful but living in LA, you never know when something might happen. But I can't help it. I have to live here for now.

Two weeks ago I met with a life coach and I was a fast learner. I will continue with him again soon. But for now I became very busy with a lot of things. Just talking things out with the life coach was very eye-opening. I started to see more possibilities than I thought were there. I felt renewed.

I began jogging with a couple of film makers. Don't ask me how, but it just happened through a series of events. Anyway, I've been able to learn more about the business and it's been exhilarating. One of the film makers is still sticking to it and picking me up in the Mornings to go walking / jogging. We get to talk about the ins and outs of the business and I learn, learn, learn.

I'm glad I have a workout buddy. My jawline seems to be coming back. I like my jawline when it's not covered with fat. We do our workouts in the morning which has always been my fantasy but inevitably I always wind up doing it in the late afternoon or evening hours. I'm back on the wagon. Spring is coming.

My network of contacts keeps increasing out here in Hollyweird and I like that. 

SECOND ALBUM RELEASE on iTUNES from FULL BLOWN RECORDS.

FULL BLOWN RECORDS, Inc. has FINALLY released my 2nd album on to iTUNES!!!


 When I was transitioning my career from dressing in the Marilyn drag for 17 years, I needed a place where I could go to find my own voice and voices. The owner of 'PIECES' in the West Village in NYC, Bob Esty (not the same Bob Esty who worked with Cher & Streisand) told me that he would let me have the little stage once a week Mondays at Midnight. He told me to just come in to do whatever I wanted to do. I was afraid but I took the job.

I wanted to learn how to stand on my own as a performer exploring my own identity without having to be a "look-a-like."  I was anxious to move on and explore life without Marilyn. What people don't understand is that even though I was the best in the world at what I did as Marilyn, the sad truth is that the real showbiz industry looks down on look-a-likes. It was never going to be respected beyond just some small clubs. I could not grow anymore from this act. If I hung on any longer, inevitably, it would all be sad for me. I retired from performing as Marilyn Monroe in 1997.

For 5 years every week I forced myself to practice. Every week I came up with a different show. Every week I stretched myself to incorporate more comedy and tried to get better.

These recordings are RAW from my SONY Mini Disc Recorder. The premise for these recordings was so that I could listen the next day to hear mistakes with lyrics or wrong notes. Over 22 shows were recorded and after several years I decided to make a CD of some of the best moments. These are some of the best moments hand-picked by me.

There are some magical moments for me in these recordings but...The recordings are not perfect. My performances are not perfect - it's all RAW and I learned so much. It made me a much stronger performer.

I'M A BELIEBER!

I went with my friend Gail Boggs to see an afternoon showing of Justin Bieber's movie NEVER SAY NEVER at Century City's AMC theaters. This boy is so talented it brought me to tears. If anyone is looking at him as just a teen idol they're grossly mistaken. This kid is a prodigy. A brilliant one. He writes many of his own songs, plays drums, piano, guitar, dances like a well seasoned dancer, sings pitch perfect with soul AND has the most amazing electrifying charisma. You won't be writing this boy off any time soon. While watching this film I felt like I was witnessing something incredibly special.

The new world of YouTube and Social Media certainly helped to fuel and accelerate his fame but the fame is deserved. You learn in this film that even with all his talent he was told "NO" countless times by the record and radio industry because there was no format for his "youngness." He made it without Disney or Nickelodeon.  He's not just "cute."  He's not just a "teen idol." What I witnessed in this film was truly something to behold and a promise for the future that says true gifted talented artistists can still rise above the drowning noise of lip sync and vocoded performers.

I'M A BELIEBER!

The above pix were shot in the movie theater with my cell phone. From the movie "NEVER SAY NEVER"