First of all, happy holidays to everyone! Tis the season of pageants and fundraisers and both are in full swing. Keep taking your vitamin C, or whatever else it is you take to stay healthy for tis the season of the crud, flu and ickiness that comes along with being busy.
There’s been so much happening in my little patch of the drag world, it’s hard to know where to start… Pageants. There’s always something to say about pageants, no? Like how they’re always rigged. (Read: or not.) Here in Phoenix, Pride prelims are in full swing. We’ve had 3 of the 4 Mister Prelims and there are only a few of the Miss left as well, and it’s been a doozy of a few weeks, let me tell you.
I’m sorry, but people are idiots. At any rate, both Trey and Eddie did fantastic in their respective prelims and earned their much-deserved wins. I don’t teach my drag family to be mediocre; I attempt to teach them to shoot higher than their expectations, to push themselves and to have fun doing it. If they do that, while being professional, win or lose I know that they will feel good about themselves, which makes me a happy Papa. And it’s generally the ones that cry “rigged” that have their own issues that they refuse to look at. In their eyes, they’re perfect. They don’t need to change a damn thing. They refuse to learn. They refuse to grow. They will not own up to their mistakes, no matter how big or how small, lying to themselves and others so often that they actually begin to believe the lies they tell. They refuse to admit that they’re miserable on the inside, which is why act so ugly on the outside. Before you start judging others, or calling a pageant rigged, maybe you should take a good look at yourself. Then take a good look at your pageant package. Was your talent REALLY better than the person who won? Was your on stage question REALLY better than the person who won? Or are you so used to your girlfriend, partner, friends telling you how amazing you are that you can’t handle the legitimate truth when you hear it? It makes me crazy. These are the people who not only attempt to make themselves feel better by bringing others down, but will never grow as entertainers or people. It’s sad.
The Spotlight show is gearing up for its 5th full show, which may not seem like a lot, but I’m tickled pink! We’ve put out some amazing numbers and our shows always pull in a decent crowd, which helps us, helps the bar, etc. It’s a win-win. Our supporters are amazing! Next year, we’re changing things up a bit, and going bi-monthly instead of monthly. My thinking is that it will give us more time to work on numbers, etc. Yes, it’s a bar show, but I’d still like it to be a good bar show, if possible, a GREAT bar show! Those in the regular cast are incredible entertainers, chosen for their ability to entertain, their professionalism and their lack of drama, which makes for a fun evening both out front and backstage.
As I said at the start of this blog, it’s the holiday season. It can be rough for so many of us. Depression hits hard, so please… surround yourself with those who lift you up, those who love you and who you love. With the saturation of commercialism, and retail stores shoving deals down our throats every second, there needs to be a moment of reflection for all of us, to figure out what’s really important. For me, that is my family. (Mind you, when I say “family” I mean those I consider to be family, not necessarily those blood related to me.) They keep me grounded, they keep me sane, and they make me smile when I see them. They help me get through the tough times, and are generally there during the good times. So find those people in your life, and enjoy the holidays, however you celebrate them.