SPRING IN NYC

I just got back from a week vacation in NYC. It's so weird to vacation in the place you spent the last 15 years. But I loved it! I loved it so much!  I have the best time with friends, eating at my favorite NYC restaurants and seeing 2 amazing broadway shows. WEST SIDE STORY and BILLY ELLIOT!  They were both fantastic. 

All the flowers and trees were blooming. It was sunny but with nice chill at night. 

I did see a lot of FOR RENT signs which I havent seen since 911. The economy is bad!

PALOMINO CLUB

On Wednesday Night a bunch of us from the cast went to the Palomino Club to celebrate 2 birthdays. Palamino Club is the only all nude show that also sells alcohol. Las vegas does not allow FULL nudity and alcohol but somehow this club got away with it back in 1969 when they opened. Excuse me I have to sneeze.... Ah.. AH.. AHCHOOOOMAFIA...

But the night was a blast! I could stop laughing at Jamie cause he has never seen a vagina before. He kept looking at it complete bewildered and amazed. I though he would be wincing and looking away but he didn't blink and almost looked like a kid trying to figure out if he wants to touch it or not. I truly haven't laughed that hard in years. When we drove away from the club my face hurt!  

The strippers were OK not as sexy as I would have thought. The pole dancing was not very good but then again we have the International Pole Dancing Champion from Australia in our show and she's just a sexy freak of nature! Talented beyond belief!

The cast was taken upstairs for a private show with male dancers. The night ended with our "bath" dancer (birthday boy) giving us strip show with just a towel on. He was making his way around the room and giving us all a "private" show. Pun intended!  

Love this costume!

This picture was taken outside the backstage door on our way to a press event.  It's my 2nd costume in Cirque Du Soleil's ZUMANITY  and it's GORGEOUS!  It's designed by Terry Muglier.  It's beads, rhinestones and Crystals. What more could you want?  :)

A recent review from the Las Vegas Sun

This is funny cause they are talking about Criss Angel...  

"A series of 14 acts appears on the tongue-shaped thrust stage (that’s the technical term for it), each introduced by a ringmistress, the statuesque hostess Edie, in a black bouffant, spangled minidress, fishnets and strappy heels. She’s a classically sassy glamour gal, in the mode of Rosalind Russell, with perhaps a few extra inches. Let’s just say that’s Edie’s a far better illusionist than the other one more famously in Cirque’s employ — even Edie was amused when some audience members clearly didn’t get what makes her so special."

Fifity Cent, Ciara and Toni Braxton all in the same night.

It's True!  We had all three of them at the Show Saturday night and can I tell you, Toni  Braxton is an Angel.  

She brought her whole family to celebrate her sisters birthday and they were loving the show and cheering us on and after the show came back stage to say Hi and Good job!  Toni is much tinier than I ever thought. She's got to be 5'2 ish..  But cute as can be!  

Fifty Cent and Ciara were so gross... they sat in there seats with hoodies over there heads (like any one would know who they were).  They scowled and didn't applaud at anything. I'm mean come on.... it's a Cirque du Soleil show. It's an amazing show!  Their bodyguards were in the way of the performers and they ended up leaving 20 minutes before the end of the show.  All I could think was that this was exactly what I would expect of them.  We get lots of celebrities and they were by far the rudest!

Sorry I am venting a bit but the polar opposite behavior of a truly professional lady and the rappers was insane.  LONG LIVE TONI BRAXTON!

Kisses

EDIE

SPRING in LAS VEGAS

Well it is officially Spring in Las Vegas.  I have been waiting for this for months. I didn't know that Las Vegas actually had seasons. This winter has been FREEZING!  Not Canada cold but still....   Though I will admit I have turned into one of those desert people that when the weather gets below 60.... "OMG I'm Freezing"

I am now waiting for the pool to warm up!  My whole life I have dreamed of having a pool and now I have to wait for it to warm up. It's torture looking at a pool everyday and not being able to get in it. It's also torture having a pool boy and he's not hot. But I suppose it would be more torture if he was cute and I couldn't have him.  LOL

I JOINED THE CIRCUS!

I am currently performing in ZUMANITY (the sensual side of Cirque du Soleil) here in Las Vegas. It’s a very sexually charged show. It’s edgy, sexy, sensual, with the most talented acrobats, contortionists, dancers and singers EVER!  Can I just say that behind the scenes is pretty hot too!

I started my contract on Jan 14th, 2008 (went into the show Jan 30th) and signed til Dec 31st.  I am almost 8 months into my contract now (260 shows) and LOVING it!  

I have dreamed of joining the circus but never thought it would happen. Especially so unconventionally.  

My role is the ‘Mistress of Sensuality’  or the Emcee and I guide you through the sexual journey done only the way that Cirque du Soleil can deliver. It’s the most beautiful show I have ever seen let alone be a part of. 

I tell my friends to come with someone they want to be with that night... cause you WILL be in the mood!  Maybe it’s good that we are in a hotel... The NY NY Hotel.  

If you’d like to come to the show go to ZUMANITY.COM and purchase your tickets there.  Make sure you send me a email to make sure I am in the show that night. (I have 2 understudies that go on once a month to keep the show fresh in their heads.) 

 Email me at Simplyedie@aol.com

PS... try to sit facing the stage and not off to the sides.... then you see the whole show from the front!  GORGEOUS!

My Babies

This is TOBY and we got TOBY in NYC. The sweetest little dog who is now 5 1/2 lbs. He just turned 3.

This is our new rescue dog named PEARL. I've had her a week now and she's absolutely adoreable. Still needs to be potty trained... which is a bit annoying! ..... She weighs in at 4 1/2 lbs.

And BOOGER. my 14 year old sweet kitty. I got BOOGER in Chicago and BOOGER has also lived in NYC, Provincetown, and now Las Vegas. He weighs more than the 2 dogs combined at 13 lbs. But they are all friends!

BAD EDIE!

It's so pathetic that I haven't blogged in over a year. I will say it's... WAIT! NO EXCUSES!!

A lot has happened and I promise to tell you all about it. Starting now! I need to tell you all about my new life in Las Vegas. What it's like living in the desert. What it's like working for Cirque du Soleil doing 10 shows a week. What it's like experiencing road rage for the first time.

It's alot...

I promise to Blog!

Kisses

Edie

THE WOODS CAMPGROUND! What a blast!

I had the most amazing weekend performing at the new All-Gay Campground in the Pocono Mountains in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. THE WOODS is simply Fabulous! The owners John Adams and Pat have created the ultimate camping experience. You can rent cabins that sleeps up to five people or you can RV it. I found a lot of boys just like to pitch tents. LOL

I loved walking around the hundred-acre grounds and seeing all the different camping sites. The boys (and girls) – 500 strong on Memorial Day weekend -- love decorating the sites in rainbows, flags, and lots of stringed lights.



The clientele is from everywhere and come in for just a day or night pass. Others spend the whole summer there.



There’s a large swimming pool and a lake with walking trails. I hiked it and couldn’t get over the beauty.

I hear there’s a midnight nude hike every Saturday night! Just boots and flashlight. Paints quite a pretty picture, huh?!



There’s an onsite restaurant that’s open all day until dinner, a nightclub for dancing, and a huge Bon Fire every evening. The night I was there I was asked to light it. It took forever! But when it took off it was huge! I quickly retreated. I was afraid I was gonna go up in flames!

One of my favorite things is volleyball and they boys played all day long! There truly is something for everyone and I can’t suggest this highly enough to all of you that enjoy nature. I should also let you know that it’s clothing optional. I would say only about 10% of the people were nude. Tee hee.



I’m planning on going when I return to NYC in September. I can’t wait.! Go to there Website and just browse… THEWOODSCAMPGROUND.COM



A very special thank you to Dan who made the whole thing happen. So adorable!!!

Kisses

Edie

It's my BIRTHDAY Parties!!

The only thing that makes birthdays fun for me is the idea that I will be with my friends. And this birthday was A LOT OF FUN! I actually had three celebrations planned. The first was on my actual birthday Wednesday, January 3rd. I was to host a “Game Night” with four friends at my place but I came down with a tummy flu and had to cancel.



This fact that my actual birthday would be a little tragic on some level didn’t come as that much of a surprise to me.



The third of January seems like it would be a great day. It’s the new year, fresh beginnings, new starts. But what I have learned is that most people are broke from Christmas and partied out from New Years Eve. One would think that’s enough to deal with. But no! I also share the day with my brother who is exactly to the day one year younger. Yes, even my first birthday was ruined. During my party – my very first one – my Mom was whisked from the house to give birth to my brother James. It’s been all downhill from there.


My second scheduled party this year took place and was a blast! It was a cocktail party at my place on Friday, Jan. 5 and it was a total blow-out, out-of-control til 3 am, so much so that we moved the party to the piano bar Marie’s Crisis. (It’s nice to live so close to a bar. You can always use it as a “Lets move on/Get out of my house” spot.)


On Sunday, January 7th there was another big birthday extravaganza, this time at VLADA LOUNGE. It was truly amazing and I was genuinely overwhelmed at the turn out of people. I had three amazing guest performers: Marty Thomas, Traila Trash, and the ever smashing, MADAME! with Joe Kovacs. All three were hysterical and I can’t thank them enough for entertaining all of us. During the show I received an amazing gift from my friend Joe who painted me a Warhol-esque painting of ME!

I absolutely love it. It’s overwhelming to receive such a generous gift. I will love it forever. I think that’s why it’s so overwhelming. It’s something that I will treasure forever!!



After the show the party got wild with people acting foolish. A British couple got super wasted and was trying to force me to hang out with them. I love socializing but I hate it when people grab me and try to pull me down to a seated level. I’m a tall girl. It’s a long way to go!



In short, we danced and drank Veuve Cliquot and took lots of pictures. There was even one moment where some hot beautiful black man had his pants down and MADAME took the opportunity to pose with his derriere.


I love my friends!!!

The Rosie Cruise




On Dec 11th I got an early Christmas present. I received a call from my friend Michael Lee Scott who asked me to be a dancer for Rosie O’Donnell. I FREAKED OUT! I mean I’ve danced for Rosie before (on the 1000th episode of her talk show) but it has been a while.



Some back story: Rosie was chosen as the Godmother of Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship The Pearl. To be asked to be a godmother of a ship is a huge honor! The night before the official christening Rosie was granted access for a one night benefit for her charity FOR ALL KIDS. Norwegian not only agreed but paid for the whole event. VERY GENEROUS!




So Rosie, Bobby Pierce, Michael Lee Scott, Seth Rudetsky and Jodie Moccia put together a Broadway Christmas Extravaganza. Dressed as Christmas Elves to Rosie’s Santa, we sang and danced to a parody of “We Need A Little Christmas” written by Seth which was so much fun …hysterical. There were some amazing Broadway stars that joined us like Nancy Opel, Emily Skinner and Ledisi.



We rehearsed Tuesday and Wednesday then they flew us down to Miami on Thursday. On Friday morning we boarded the ship and we went right into the theater for rehearsal for the Friday night shows. The shows were fantastic and after the shows we all had drinks (which were all free! Thanks, NCL!) I had the time of my life. What an amazing group of people!



The Pearl is beautiful. Among other things it has a bowling alley in the middle of the coolest lounge. I tried to bowl but they wouldn’t let me. I wasn’t wearing socks! I asked them for a some “spares” ( Get it? Bowling. Spares? Nevermind) They didn’t think it was funny either. But I giggled a lot. Again, the drinks were FREE!

Atlantis Resort.. Puerto Vallarta 2006

The boys swimming all day long drinking, laughing, meeting new friends and watching me perform an afternoon wiggle.




Shots at the Tea dance




New Friends I adore at Sunset!




The wind almost stripped me naked! LOL



I adore the resorts and just wanted you to see a few photos... Fun Fun Fun!

My DC Debut

I have to admit I was very nervous about doing shows in Washington DC. I have only played DC before. Once was 16 years ago at The Kennedy Center with the Pacific Northwest Ballet from Seattle. The second time was a few years ago with Lady Bunny in “Absolut Live,” a five city tour for Absolut Vodka. But this would be the first time doing my solo show.



I decided to do two small shows just to test the waters. I performed at the Warehouse Theater and both shows were sold out! I was so happy! All my friends were there and I had the time of my life. The shows went very well.



Afterwards my friends took me out to a fancy restaurant called OYA. WOW, it was beautiful, but RETARDED! I hate over- priced tiny food. I mean I had just wiggled on stage for over an hour and I was hungry!! So we finished our $300 meal and got a slice of pizza!



Over the two nights I was there my friends took me on a tour of the local gay bars. First we went to Be Bar and it was beautiful. But after one drink I had to place my fingers on everyone’s necks to see if they had heartbeats. Then I did it to all the walls of the bar and concluded that the entire place had no soul, just people standing around looking at each other. BORING! Then we went on to Cobalt and had fun except for the fact that the smoking law hasn’t gone into effect yet. I’m going back after January 1. Too late. I think I left with a small tumor. I also went to The Diner and had a blast! Love that bar. It’s a neighborhood restaurant/bar and had the nicest people. Super cute boys and the owner was dream.



Then we got a phone call from some other friends who were at the Eagle. I told my friends I wanted to go. They said, “NO WAY! We are not taking you to the Eagle.” I said, “ Wanna Bet!” LOL We had so much fun at the Eagle. (They don’t normally let ladies in but since I had a full page article about me in the Washington Blade they made an exception.) We drank one dollar beers and laughed a lot! We had a great time. But talk about smoking! OH MY GOD! (This time it was Cigars. I’ve never understood that fetish.) I left with three more tumors.



All in all I had the time of my life and am looking forward to visiting DC again. A special Thank You to all my friends in DC and to my new friends as well. See you soon!

HELP SAVE MOTHER GOOSE!

HELP MOTHER GOOSE!

I’ve been back from the lovely, sleepy, historic New Hope, Pennsylvania for over a week now and I am still upset at the retarded behavior of some of the residents.

It all started with an invitation to visit a friend who lives there for a nice relaxing 24 hour vacation. It’s not often that I get to vacation with out also doing a show. I was very much looking forward it.

After arriving and getting caught up and having an afternoon cocktail we decided to head into town. I’ve been to New Hope before many years ago but it’s a charming as ever. I have only one question. WHERE DID ALL THE GAY BOYS GO? I remember it being much gayer!

After walking around and shopping on the main street we make our way to the river and the cute little water fall. While on the bridge we hear a goose making a lot of noise. A big beautiful white goose is flapping his wings and making quite a fuss in the water below. We notice he is limping and flailing and it’s very obvious to us he’s in a lot of pain. So we run around to see what’s up and we notice right away that there is a four-inch bright orange fishing lure in his calf. (Do geese have calves?) He makes his way into the parking lot of the Bucks County Playhouse where the Music Man is playing. We run to the box office and notice that the show has just started. We ask the lady at the window to call the local police (not 911) to let them know that a beautiful goose is injured and needs help. She was so not interested in our rescue efforts. We begged for her to call and she answered with “I can’t use the phone here” But it was in her hand…… HELLO! LIAR!! We all decided to leave our cel phones at home so that we could just relax and enjoy each other. Big mistake! What a day to leave our cel phones home. So now we are reliant on hospitality. So we run to the art gallery next to the theater/barn. The lady is less than enthusiastic to help us but eventually does. She doesn’t even care to look at the goose but does help us with the phone book and lets us use the phone. We get the run around from everyone and finally the police say ‘well meet you there.’ We wait and wait and wait for them and decide while we wait we should decide where to go eat to be more time efficient. I ask everyone what they want to eat and they all respond with “ GOOSE” Very funny! Don’t worry! This little passion pack of friends are all vegetarians!

While waiting for the police the manager of the Bucks County Playhouse comes out to look at the goose. He’s an odd looking man with a pot belly. He’s saying horrible things like “ I HATE GEESE” We try to convince him to help the goose but he tells us what an annoyance they are and how they scare people going into the theater ( barn) blah blah blah… Sorry I personally think that if you open a theater in the country then you have a responsibility to blend into their world and not the other way around! He says “ I Hate geese and I hate trees” Not really sure where that came from but without missing a beat Jamie says “I bet you like Cheeseburgers” The teenage parking lot attendant for the theater also comes over and starts complaining about the goose and says he should kill it… and he wants to kill all geese. And all I can think is that this theater is full of rotten people… Obviously not the actors… they were working and probably singing an appropriate song at that moment.. “ We got trouble, right here in river city”. The behind the scenes staff people we met were CRAZY and evil…. I’m not sure what’s going on at this glorified high school theater but the fish is starting to rot at the head.

We waited a long time and called back the police back to find out they aren’t coming. They then tell us they have had three phone calls in the last 24 hours and have calls out to the proper authorities. We are also told to things like “if you can catch it we’ll help it” and “just let the lure rust its way out!” Have you ever? We even meet a friend of our hosts who happens to be a vet. He couldn’t have cared less. “We can’t help wildlife,” he said. “It will probably get infected and the goose will die.” At this point we were all at our wits end.

Our hosts aren’t surprised: “What do you expect? We’re in the state Pennsyl-tucky”.

There is a brighter side. After dinner we went to the Raven for drinks and had a wonderful time. We end up meeting the cutest boy in the bar named Ron and it turns out that his friend is a volunteer/employee (not sure) at AARC.It feels like magic! What are the odds that we meet someone as passionate as we and with the right connections. He makes a call to save the goose. He then called us the next day and said the guy is going today to get the goose…

It’s been a week now and we haven’t heard anything. HELP MOTHER GOOSE!

"GET OFF THE BEACH!"

I recently performed at PARDISE in Asbury Park, NJ. I love it there! It’s a fabulous club in a 50’s styled hotel called THE EMPRESS. Shep Pettibone (of Madonna fame) bought this amazing space and made it a gay mecca.

It’s normally very easy for me to jaunt around the country doing my shows. But recently it’s a bit more difficult. No it’s not the old hip joints from years and years of fan kicks! It’s the Chihuahua!

I have a new baby Chihuahua and thought it would be cute to take him with me for two days.. We’d be together and I could walk him on the beach. It would be perfect! He’s never traveled before so everything was new for him from the carrier to the train to the hotel to the carpet to the sand!

Our second day there I took him to the beach. It’s very hot out so we head to the shoreline. As soon as we get to the water this lifeguard start yelling at me, “GET OFF THE BEACH!” I say “what?” GET OFF THE BEACH? “why?” GET OFF THE BEACH! Once again "WHY?" He says “ NO DOGS ON THE BEACH, GET OFF THE BEACH!" I say “No dogs on the beach? That’s the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!“ Have you ever heard of such a ridiculous law? And then he said I would have to leave too. I gasped with horror! I mean come on. It might not have been in my prettiest swmisuit but to say I was a dog was crossing the line. Then he barks (oh the word play) "Everyone needs a permit to be on the beach and that I could go to the trailer on the boardwalk to purchase one."

I have to say I was dumbfounded. It all seemed like a bad TV reality prank. BUT NO! In fact you do need a permit to enter 90% of NJ beaches. YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GO TO A NEW JERSEY BEACH!

I wanted to say “Can I at least ask the fecal count in the water today?“ But a true lady would never. She would just wait and write it for the world to see!


The thought of paying to go to a flat, dirty, waveless beach is hysterical! That’s OK I will go to one of the many millions of other beaches I can go to for free. And where they allow dogs.

And people want to know why New Yorkers seem a little tense or edgy….. It’s because for us New Yorkers …….the light at the end of the tunnel…. Is JERSEY!

LOL!!! That was fun! Ranting and Raving! I’ll have to do that again sometime!


P.S. I Love Jersey!

OH MY GOD …. IT’S MADONNA!

At our last Saturday matinee of the THREE PENNY OPERA as I am standing in the back of the house “ushering” -- not truly seating people; it’s just the word we would use when the cast mingled with the audience 15 minutes before the “places” call. We’d stand around in our ghoulish Punk/Goth/Issac Mizrahi costumes making the audience uncomfortable. It was actually a lot of fun!

So I’m at the matinee still recouping from Friday night out with Alan Cumming and and Thursday night til 6AM celebrating Cyndi Lauper’s birthday! As I am looking around the theater my eyes spot a small posse of people coming in as the crowd clears. Sure enough walking into the theater is Madonna escorted with two people and a body guard. My director Scott Elliot is by her side chatting with her. As they all walk by me she looks at me and says, “ Do you pay them to look like this?” Scott responds, “ Yes I do!” So they walk on and I am naturally freaking out that Madonna walked by me a foot away. As soon as I am able to poke Hattie Hathaway, a fellow actor in the show, to let him know that Madonna just walked by she walked by again obviously not able to find her seat.


She had on a cute sweat suit with a baseball cap and sunglasses she took off while inside. She took her seat and ate a little sandwich before the show started. She looked amazing!! She is tiny; she can’t weigh more than 100 lbs.


After the show she came back stage to see Carlos Leon (Lourdes’ father and the sweetest man you will ever meet!) She paid her respects to Alan Cumming, Cyndi Lauper, Jim Dale, and Nellie McKay. All the principals! I was in the hallway hoping to meet her. I have never been someone to chase anyone down for a hello or a autograph. But I did want to meet her. I was even holding my baby Chihuahua Tobi hoping she might say… ‘Awww, how cute. ’ But NO! She just walked by and I didn’t say anything. BAD EDIE!


I forgave her because she had a show in Connecticut in less than 3 hours. But I wasn’t the only one she ignored.


Flotilla DeBarge, another actor in the show, sporting a “Madonna Live” tank top asked, “Can I have a picture with you? Without missing a beat or even looking up, Madonna flatted said “NO,” said goodbye to Scott and Carlos and disappeared down the stairs and out the stage door. It was very funny!

My Broadway Debut!!

My Broadway Debut!!

I can’t even express how over them moon I am about getting my first Broadway show. It’s incredibly magical to be doing the Three Penny Opera at Studio 54 with an amazing cast. I am having so much fun !
It all started back in October 2004 when I got a phone call to audition to be in the ensemble of the Broadway reading. My 15 minute audition turned into two hours! I auditioned for Wallace Shawn (Adaptation and Mr Peachum), Scott Elliot ( Director) and Kevin Stites (Musical Director). To my surprise and delight I walked away with the role of Lucy Brown. What is so weird is that I have never gotten a job before NOT dancing. That’s what makes it extra special. The reading was amazing and I didn’t know what it would turn into but I made some new friends and got to work with Alan Cumming, Christine Baranski, Wallace Shawn, Edie Falco, Nellie McKay, and a slew of super talented actors.

After that I didn’t hear anything for a year. But then I got a phone call from Scott Elliott. He explained to me that the reading went so well that the Kurt Weill (Music) Estate and the Bertolt Brect (Book and Lyrics) Estate thought that this new rendition was so crazy that a new song Lucy’s Aria would finally work in Three Penny Opera. The problem is that I’m not a high soprano. So they would have to find another person who could sing it. I felt disappointed of course but quickly said “ I would be happy to play any part, I would just love to do it”. Scott said “ I was hoping you would say that. Consider yourself in”! I will admit I cried a lot!!!

We started rehearsals on Feb 7th and opened on April 20th. I think it’s an amazing show. It’s edgy and in your face. It’s tough and funny. I still get goosebumps at certain times in the show.

Some of the original actors that did the reading with me are not in the production. Some got other work and in the case of Edie Falco I told her “ There can only be one Edie in this production!” So she backed out!!! LOL As If…

Ana Gasteryer took over for Christine Baranski. Cyndi Lauper took over for Edie Falco. Jim Dale took over for Wallace Shawn. Alan Cumming and Nellie McKay stayed and they are Genious!! The rest of the cast is amazing too. I have made some wonderful friends and I am just riding the wave right now cause I know it’ll all come to an end. I am trying to absorb it all and learn from these great people!!

STOP WEARING FUR! I can’t handle it!!!

I’m sitting at home doing some work and getting ready for my first day at my new job tomorrow in Roundabout Theater’s THREEPENNY OPERA. I’m very excited and nervous as it’s my Broadway debut. I’m in the bedroom/office half listening to the TV in the living room. I’ve had on CNN for a while and they’ve repeated today’s top stories many times. I was just getting ready to change the channel when a new segment came on…. Fashion Week! I Love it! But my excitement quickly turns to anger.
I am so sick of fashion designers using fur and fur trims. We all know how it’s raised, treated and killed and yet we still glorify it. I hate preaching. But why don’t people think? feel? love? or care about these animals? It rips my soul out. I hate it so much. And I sometime hate the people who use it in their designs. The look of fur is fabulous. But a designer who uses it…is not! If you need to use fur to make your garments fabulous then you’re not a good designer. Give me a Stella McCartney any day!

It takes 50 to 80 animals to make 1 fur coat! Think about it.

Fur trims on skirts or scarves or jeans serves no purpose at all and animals were killed for no reason.

I know I’m hypersensitive about this, but I come from the Pacific Northwest where the love of earth and animals was a huge part of my upbringing. People don’t wear fur as much in the west and they do here in the East. I wish people would just stop for one second and think about it. I have many friends who say, “I don’t want to know.” And that’s sad.
I recently had a male friend come up to me in a huge fur coat yelling “Edie, Hi Girl” My usual joy to see him turned to horror when I saw his ghastly coat. I would normally greet him with a big hug and kiss. But I couldn’t even go near him, much less touch him for fear I would come in contact with his hideous coat.
Please think about it. We don’t need to wear it. It’s not fabulous. It’s TORTURE! PERIOD!
Sorry to preach but I can’t hold my tongue any longer. (though it is fun to hold your tongue and say APPLE!)
Much Love
EDIE

AMTRAK? What was I thinking?

I don’t know what possessed me to take Amtrak from Chicago to NYC but I think I’ll stick to the friendly skies for business flights.



The idea was that since I fly constantly I thought I might take a train and get some writing done. I have always found trains restful and have done some of my best writing on a train. They can even be romantic. My first and last long distance train trip was many years ago with my , then, sweetheart and I went from Portland Oregon to Chicago. It was on a lovely double decker train with a restaurant and a view car that was all glass with swivel chairs. A movie playing in the corner of one car if you wanted to watch it. I personally like looking outside. It’s incredibly beautiful especially through the Rocky Mountains in Montana. WOW!
We played card games with some nice people we met in the café car. We then went back to our sleeper for a complimentary bottle of wine. I haven’t stopped thinking of that wonderfully romantic trip.



I decided this would be a good time to do it again and even though I’m alone I could get some work done. WELL! It’s not the trip I remember that’s for sure. Last night when I left Chicago it was 11 degrees. The train is rather empty so I am able to spread out and that I do, remember I am one long lady. The trains have a lot of leg room which is always an enticing element for me when traveling.



After about 2 hours into the trip all the heat does out in my car and after trying to battle the cold ( remember 11 degrees outside) I move to another car and that car is HOT! I opt for the hot car which actually slipped me into a deep coma and I ended up sleep for the next 12 hours. I NEVER SLEEP let alone 12 hours. When I wake up I find out that we are 3 ½ hours behind schedule. Some bridge froze in Indiana and we had to wait for the guy to wake up, show up, and fix it. Thank god I slept through the whole thing. Now my “restful romantic” trip is a 24 hour HELL!



I’m trying to be professional now and get some work done and every time I get someone on the phone I hit another rural area and the signals gone.



I used to get worked up about these things but I have learned to SURRENDER. I now SURRENDER to travel and have no expectations and it is so much easier. You have to any more. Traveling is difficult, annoying and expensive which can easily equate and escalate to irritating!



I have only an hour left in my drama and I’m running home to hug the things I hug when I get home. (vague huh) Then I’m going to eat cause this food on Amtrak is TERRIBLE! I’ve eaten all the vegetarian items and even my own little sack of apples, nuts and wasabi dried peas from Trader Joes. I’m STARVING!



Best travels this holiday season!

Happy New Year!


Edie

I love the PussyCat Dolls

Ok last night was wild. I got a phone call from Shequida asking me if I would like to be on the opposing panel of Faggot Feud at XL playing against the PussyCat Dolls. I said "The Pussycat Dolls"? She said "yes, girl". The PussyCat Dolls are all over NYC promoting their new album. Shequida decided to call us the Pussy-less Dolls. I didn't love it but it got some laughs. Before we started there were a few magazine photographers there to take our pictures. Then we heard over the loud music
"LET THE GAMES BEGIN" and the famous Family Fued music started and we all ran to our places. The game was a riot and perfectly hosted by Richie Rich of Heatherette and Amanda Lapore. I haven't laughed that hard in a while and even shocked myself when asked "Whats the first thing you do after sex?" All the good answers were taken and I popped up with "Walk Home!" We were beating the PussyCat Dolls and I guess we weren't suppose to. They started giving the Dolls some points and answers that weren't on the board and in the end, they won. Grief! But I had a blast and the Dolls brought a check for $3000.00 dollars for the Ali Forney Center (www.aliforneycenter.org) which I am a huge supporter of. The gorgeous Carl Siciliano, founder of AFC, accepted the money and it set the tone for a perfect evening. I stayed after and had a drink with my dear friends Knighten and Jonathon and we ended up at the Monster for a night cap.

The PussyCat Dolls were incredibly beautiful and gracious and until last night I didn't really listen to them or care that much(is that mean?). But that all changed after I met them. I fell in love and became a fan.

Ok I'm off tomorrow morning to perform on the Atlantis gay cruise (www.atlantisevents.com) to the Mexican Riviera. I'll write to you from Mexico! Ole'

Today is the first day of the rest of my Blog

Well today is the first day of the rest of my Blog. I am so happy to get rid of my Diary and replace it with Blog. When the Gardiner Brothers (my web masters) called me and asked me if I wanted to start Blogging, I said “I’d love to! Let me get my tap shoes and violin and I’ll be right over” They explained to me that my Diary was old and tired and that I needed a easier way to update my dialogue with all of you, my dear friends. They were right. So I am now a sophisticated, high-tech lady who will be blogging often and I’ll be able to update it wherever I am performing around this gorgeous Globe. And Gorgeous it is! I just returned from three Atlantis Cruises in a row. The first was a Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Athens, The second was an Alaskan Cruise out of Vancouver BC with stops in Ketchikan, Sitka and Juneau. And the third was another Mediterranean Cruise which was amazing with stops in Sitges, Rome, Piza, Florence, Mykonos, Crete, Nice and Naples. I love being a performer for Atlantis. I have had such an amazing time and am honored to have been with them for almost five years now. After coming home from the last cruise I was surprised with a baby Chihuahua. He’s absolutely perfect and I too (like Paris Hilton) am going to love him and hold him 24/7 so he never develops leg muscles and will just be an extension of my arm. No, I’m just kidding! I do love him and have decided to name him TOBY. But his full name is SCOTT TOBY REAL. ( get it?) LOL He’s all white with a tan forehead and a couple tan spots around his tail. He’s learned to use the pee-pee pad (most of the time) and gets along with my cat, Booger. I’m one proud mother. Well now that I’ll be blogging often I don’t need to try to cram everything in all at once. Though I’m excited to tell you so much stuff. Until next time… I can’t wait!

Much Love

Edie

S.B. (Soap Box)
As the weather gets cold and we start buying our winter clothes please remember… DO NOT BUY FUR! It’s hideously cruel and I beg you to try to refrain from it. Even a little around your hood. STILL CRUEL! Even a little around your gloves, STILL CRUEL! Shaved and turned insideout is STILL CRUEL! I just heard some tired Fashion critic say “ Fur was all over the runway” SO WHAT? Then we all run out and buy it? NO! It’s still absolute torture and anyone who does wear it has no conscience. I just ask you to think about it. Thanks!