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February 2007 Edition Of Excellence
The "L" Word! (L for Love, L for Life and L for
Luscious)
The month of January was quite festive for me.
I got to spend a night with Mercedes Alexander, 1st alternate to Miss Gay
Smoky Mountains America and Will Pappas, the promoter for Miss Gay Smoky
Mountains in Knoxville, TN. Rainbow Club West is a hidden treasure. The
college students pack this bar on a Saturday in heavy anticipation of a
fabulous drag show. I met soooo many bar patrons that took the time to look me
up on MySpace and send plenty of shout outs. I did a little MGA promotion and
invited them to log onto our Miss Gay America website. Here is my shout out to
my new Tennessee friends.
I was honored to be booked at the fabulous Talbott Street nightclub in
Indianapolis, IN. This is home to a former MGA top10 veteran, Alana Steele.
Between Alana and Shawn Batton, the show director, and the girls on cast at
Talbott Street, I enjoyed a weekend of pampering and excitement. I must say, I
was in the most lavish DoubleTree Hotel suite that I’ve been in, to date. Room
Service supplied courtesy of Shawn Batton was to die for. I must say, it was a
job-and-a-half trying to pack costumes for both Friday night and Saturday
night shows plus Ron’s clothes and accessories and still allow for a little
bit of shopping when I got in town. Friday and Saturday, 3 shows a night, 2
performances per show = 12 costumes (cause I don’t like to repeat costumes),
while trying to make sure the suitcase stayed under 50 pounds according to
Delta standards. I made it happen!!!!! I was told that I almost had as much
luggage as the legendary Tommie Ross on her frequent tours to Indianapolis.
All in all, it was a pleasure making my first trip to Indiana.
I recently did an interview with a new friend, Bob Taylor, for
CarrieFairfield.com. I met Bob in Tampa, FL last month, at the Miss Gay Pride
of Florida America pageant in December. Our casual conversation was followed
by Bob’s request to do an interview with me for CarrieFairfield. I was a
little nervous to accept his invitation as in the past, there had been a
little tension between members of the website and a few MGA supporters. I
decided to give it a try. Bob maintains a great deal of respect for the Miss
Gay America pageantry system and was very respectful of not asking any
questions that would put me in any uncomfortable situations. All in all, it
proved to be pretty fun. I opened up to him about many of my passions in life
and what future goals I’ve made for myself. I think you’ll be surprised. Check
it out in the next few weeks.
On another note, I know we are starting to get geared up for the preliminary
season in the next few months. While the MGA pageant is a contest amongst some
of the best boy queens in the country, it is also a contest amongst some of
the best promoters in the country as well. I have been speaking with many
promoters (by email and phone) and they are gearing up for competition. I’m
sure you all know that prior to the conclusion of the MGA 2008 pageant, I will
be announcing the best State and Regional promoters for the year. For me this
selection process begins early in the year, even before their state/regional
contest actually takes place. While yes, we Miss Gay Americas love to be
“wined and dined” upon arrival at the contest, I feel it is more impressive to
see a well structured, highly organized pageant registration, contest, and
crowning ceremony. I pay attention to the venue selected and ask myself, was
the venue appropriate for the contest? Were the contestants made to feel
comfortable? Were there schedules available for formers, contestants and staff
to assure everyone was where they needed to be, when they needed to be there?
While we, L&T and I, are not expecting the perfect preliminary, preparation
will help you to be as close to perfect as possible. This same preparation
will only grow your prelim in the future and can lead you to a State/Regional
preliminary of the year award. This too will open eyes in the community and
offer invaluable advertising for your preliminary in following years.
This month, I’m pleased to announce that I will be in Baltimore, MD for the
Miss Gay Baltimore, America contest at the “Hippo”. I’m anxious to see Andora
TeTe at work performing one of her many Miss Gay Maryland duties. I hope to
see all of the promoters from this area of the country in my short stay in
Baltimore and in DC. I will be in San Antonio for my first visit ever to do a
parade of national titleholders at the Miss TriStates USofA pageant. Just
think - I’ll be standing side by side to Erica Andrews, Kathryn York, Victoria
LePaige, Alyssa Edwards and many, many more. I’ll try to represent for MGA
next to all of these “feesh” LOL. I’ll be in Dallas at the Rose Room as well.
Last I’m super excited about attending Memphis’ annual Mystic Krewe of Pegasus
Memphis Fundraiser on Saturday, February 17, 2007. The fundraiser is an
opportunity for me to “give back”. That was one of my resolutions this year.
I’m off to a great start!
Hot Performance List
1. Up And Down – Deborah Cox
2. Do You Only Wanna Dance – Mya
3. We All Fall Down – Bekka Bramlett
Until Next Time,
Luscious
 Linda's
Lines By Linda Carrero (MGA 1999)
My Return to Miss Gay America
“Here we go! Here we go now!” was my introductory phrase
for the excellent articles during my reigning year as Miss Gay America 1999. The
five years of competition as well as the year representing the title are times
that I will always treasure as one of the most exciting chapters of my life.
When asked by Larry and Terry to be a member of the panel of judges for the 2007
national competition, I felt rewarded for my twelve years being part of the
oldest and most prestigious pageant system in the country. I have met Larry and
Terry during my reigning year in one of the preliminaries of MGA in Little Rock,
Arkansas. They were promoters in the system. I remember them taking good care of
me, taking me out for dinner and then helping me carry my luggage, etc. I did
not imagine that one day they would be in charge of running the national
pageant. These are two hard working individuals who proved to be good promoters
and want to continue the tradition of the art of female impersonation.
Congratulations guys for another excellent year!
This year during the pageant in Tennessee I felt humble to be sitting on the
other side of the spectrum. And at the same time I felt a big responsibility on
my shoulders since I was about to judge 49 talented and intelligent female
impersonators coming from around the country. It brought back memories of the
fun years of competition. I was first introduced to the system by the promoters
of Miss Maryland America in 1994, when I first won the title of Miss New Comer,
a preliminary of Miss Gay Maryland America, and then the same year went to
compete for the first time at the national level. Since then, I got hooked on
the system and continued competing until I achieved my goal to become Miss Gay
America. Here I was now, being a judge to select the new individual who would
represent us for a year and then become part of the history and to see my
elegant and classic sister Nicole DuBois, to relinquish her title after a great
year. What a great job!
My return to Miss Gay America was like a family reunion for me. It was nice to
see former Miss Gay America titleholders, new and old promoters and many old and
new friends. I must admit that I was nervous to go back on stage since three
years ago I decided to return to school to finish my degree and had to give up
performing to concentrate on my academic achievements. It is not easy to be a
nontraditional student working full time and going to school in the evenings.
Before going on stage, one of the judges said to me: “This is like riding a
bike. Keep that in mind when you are on stage.” That was true: once I was on
stage, there she was, Linda Carrero riding the bike again. And it felt so good
receiving the love and support of the audience.
I wish all the promoters, contestants, and everyone preparing for another
exciting year, this time with our lovely dancing queen Miss Gay America 2007
Luscious, the best in their preparation. My recommendations to potential title
holders are: read the rules and regulations of the pageant; prepare timely;
listen to the experts; stay out of gossiping -- it will not take you anywhere;
communicate with your promoters (key); get involved in the Gay Lesbian Bisexual,
Transgender Community activities, as it will help you in your interview; take
good care of yourself; and, last but not least, treat yourself and others with
respect.
All the best to all of you in your planning and preparation.
Hasta la vista!
Best regards!
Omar Reyes
AKA Linda Carrero, Miss Gay America 1999
From the desk of Larry & Terry
You Be The Judge...
We are often asked, “What
are the qualifications to judge in the Miss Gay America pageant system?” While
most everyone is unique in their background, at minimum, we want to see either
background in judging or experience in a particular field/industry that would
make someone to be an unbiased judge. One of our most important duties of
operating this national contest is to ensure that the contestants receive a fair
competition. It is the promoter’s responsibility to ensure that the panel of
judges is un-biased and free from behavior that could be construed as a conflict
of interest. In fact, simply said, judges must be the professional person, that
they expect the contestants to be.
In many ways, the judges are subject to just as much scrutiny as the contestant.
In fact, by the end of a long and tiring pageant week, the panel of judges are
most likely just as tired, if not more-so, that the contestants, for they will
have seen every contestant, multiple times and have to abide by a much longer
schedule than the contestants. More often than not, when an audience members’
“favorite” does not win the competition, they usually look for loopholes as to
why their “pick” did not win and in many instances the judges are then
scrutinized even further. This is the reason it is important for promoters to
select judges that are not going to cause any greater than normal stress
including un-professional reputations, conflicts of interest or unprofessional
behavior during the contest that might be construed as unfair or biased.
Promoters are strongly encouraged to select judges with a positive reputation.
Any “drama” that is associated with the particular judge, will most likely be
brought into the pageant. And as many promoters may attest, dealing with the
results of a pageant, is many times, difficult enough without having to defend
the behavior of one of the judges.
When promoters choose judges, consideration should be made toward the following
questions:
Is the reputation of the person positive?
Is there any potential for conflict of interest?
Is the person under consideration as judge, known to be a good friend of one of
the contestants, or anyone directly affiliated with the contestant?
Is the person under consideration as judge, known to be in a current conflict
with one of the contestants, or anyone directly affiliated with the contestants?
Does the person being considered to judge know many affiliated with this system?
Does the judge have a professional appearance?
Do you think the judge will be un-biased?
How much judging experience does this potential judge possess?
How much judging experience, within this system, does this potential judge
possess?
Can the potential judge supply credible references?
As one could image, not every person who requests to judge is qualified to
judge. There are some circumstances that might make one person more qualified,
when compared to another person. From time to time, promoters take a chance on a
particular judge, not possessing the desired experience to judge, however they
may wish to use the services of the person anyway. Then, the key is to ensure
that the person is prepared, well in advance of the contest, to judge the
contest. Once at the contest, a thorough Judges Orientation will also alleviate
potential for problems during the contest. Regardless of how many years of
judging experience a person has, the promoter should conduct each Judges
Orientation session with the mindset that all on the judge’s panel are new to
the pageant system, thus explaining the many facets of judging in this system
including Judges Etiquette, Proper Scoring Procedures and Category Descriptions.
It is imperative that the scores are carefully reviewed, usually by someone who
has viewed the contest, to ensure no biased scores.
Many ask if a city, state or regional promoter of this system may judge another
preliminary to this system. We do not see a problem with one promoter judging
the contest of another promoter, provided that the scores are validated by the
reigning Miss Gay America, to ensure a fair contest. When selecting a judge, the
promoter must ensure that there are no conflicts such as using a promoter, who
is the current promoter of another contest whereby the reigning titleholder is
entering the contest.
Many times, the “post pageant drama” is created due to a judges failure to
follow appropriate etiquette or a judges inability to observe several obvious
competition flaws that otherwise, might cause the contestant to not win the
pageant, therefore it is imperative that seasoned, mature and professional
judges are selected.
Judging is not an easy task and requires tremendous concentration, unbiased
opinion and the ability to be objective and opinionated enough to be able to
effectively communicate their decision, not only through their scores but also
in critique session . A well trained and seasoned judge will be able to see
through much of the fluff and should be able to select the “best of the bunch”,
as winner. A good judge can make a good contest flow smoothly and be an asset to
the contest. A bad judge can be devastating to a contest….so choose your judges
wisely!
Until next time…
Larry & Terry
From the Promoters Perspective
Robert York - Co-promoter – Miss Gay DC America Regional
 Happy New Year!
It has truly been an honor to be a promoter in the Miss Gay America family.
Cocker Productions is extremely proud to have been awarded Regional Preliminary
of the Year for Miss Gay DC America Regional. We were thrilled to know that we
had been nominated with other promoters that we hold in high regard and
admiration. It was a complete shock when Nicole announced our name. What an
incredible year for Miss Gay DC America Regional. As new MGA promoters, it was a
dream come true for Miss Gay DC Ashley Bannks to place in the top ten, Miss Gay
DC 1st Alt. Stephanie Michaels attaining 12th overall, and then winning regional
pageant of the year. We applaud all of the MGA family for an awesome experience
and year.
The pageant year went by so quickly that we sometimes have to pause and reflect.
Allan and I learned that the franchise was available for Miss Gay DC America. We
joked about it briefly and then said, “Hey, let’s become the new owners for Miss
Gay DC”. After a few phone calls with Terry and Larry, it all began to take
shape and we signed on as the new promoters. Those initial phone calls with
Terry and Larry were the true selling points for us. It was exciting to hear
about the new changes and direction that was taking place at MGA. For me
personally, I have been to Miss Gay America several times and witnessed the
crowning of Lauren Taylor, Maya Montana, Linda Carrero, Catia Lee Love and
Charity Case. As a former contestant and title holder in the Mr. Gay
All-American and Mr. USA systems, I have always admired and supported the art of
female impersonation. I saw my very first drag shows in Oklahoma City at Angles
and became a huge fan of Amii Dyshea, Sasha Loren, Brooke Carrington, Terri
Rodgers, Rachael Erikks and Michael Evans. When I moved to Washington, DC and
became a gay professional as Director of Capital Pride I began to become a
bigger fan of MGA. I remember seeing talented young men transform themselves to
entertain, support, and raise awareness in the GLBT community. I remember
watching in amazement when, at anytime, Kirby Kolby took the stage and left
everyone in the audience stunned and speechless with her talent and beauty. I
admire other performers such as Kofi, Coti Collins, Nicole Dubois, Luscious,
Vicki Vincent, Tommie Ross and the list goes on and on. It is easy to forget
that these are young men who have perfected the art female impersonation. Thank
you Larry and Terry for making the commitment to excellence and making the crown
shine brighter than ever.
It is exciting to be a member of the MGA family and to watch the art form
continue to grow and prosper. Miss Gay DC America 2006 seems like only
yesterday. We had 6 outstanding young men compete for the title: Patti Lovelace,
Christina Carruthers, Miss D. Meaner, Victoria Barrera Jaymes, Stephanie
Michaels and Ashley Bannks. Every contestant came prepared and was ready to be
Miss Gay DC America. Ashley Bannks won the pageant and Stephanie Michaels was
first runner-up. They have both been amazing. The work ethic behind both of
these talented young men is incredible. It really showed in Memphis as they
competed with such grace and style in each phase of competition. We were there
with them every step of the way before, during, and even after MGA. The comeback
story of Ashley is remarkable. She had not competed since being crowned Miss
Maryland 2002 and was determined to go back to MGA and give it her best effort.
We knew that with hard work, dedication, and a great attitude that our
contestants could both do very well at MGA 2007.
We have enjoyed supporting those contestants that did not qualify at Miss Gay DC
America throughout the year. We wish all six of our contestants could have
qualified because the caliber of talent in all of them is breathtaking. We
believe in all of them and every contestant that competed at MGA. The title of
Miss Gay America continues to shine and the system continues to grow because of
the young men who are taking pride in the art form and taking pride in their
GLBT community. I admire all of these young men who perform night after night,
week after week and year after year. It is not always an easy job for them and
sometimes they perform for free knowing that they are making a difference in the
lives of others. I have seen far too many times that when the GLBT community
faces a crisis that female impersonators are the first in line to help. Anyone
can win a crown, but it takes a true winner and title holder to make the
community a better place for all. I have witnessed entertainers who continue to
put others before themselves even in times of hardship. Those selfless acts of
kindness and generosity have molded the lives of so many great individuals.
As we celebrate a new year and a new season of pageantry, we are thankful to the
entire MGA family. On June 2, 2007 we will crown a new Miss Gay DC America and
she will have big shoes to fill after an awesome year with Ashley Bannks. We
invite all to come to the Nation’s capital and attend Miss Gay DC America
Regional 2007. People have asked us how we have achieved success. We are humble
to say that it is all about communication, hard work, dedication, community
support, corporate support, believing in all of our contestants, and believing
in the power that we all possess as we strive to be better and to make our
community a stronger one.
Allan, Blake, and I wish you a very happy, healthy and safe 2007. We look
forward to seeing you all soon and making great friendships along the way.
With pride and love,
Robert York
Co-promoter – Miss Gay DC America Regional
Cocker Productions, LLC
A Note From The Editor
The Excellence strives to be an informative newsletter delivered to the promoters of the Miss Gay America Pageant System throughout the year. Should there be any issue or topic of discussion a promoter would like to see addressed (or to write an article to be published) in a future newsletter, please contact the editor via
Email.
Please note, any article, comments, or opinions faxed, mailed, (postal or electronics),
or otherwise sent to any of our "addresses" become our property and carry an implied consent of publication should we choose to do so. No articles will be published in which one or more of the following occurs:
- complete identity of the author is not known
- plagiarism
- defamation of an individual or company
- false or misleading information (as we are able to determine)
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