Plum Tired...But Really Excited!



Latest Issue Of WHM With Exclusive
Interview With Sharon Needles

In a couple of weeks on December 2^nd, I’m planning on having one of the best times of my life aboard the Carnival Glory for the ALandCHUCK.travel Drag Stars At Sea – Revenge of the Wench cruise. We are going to be hosting over 1000 passenger to watch perform, meet and greet and drink themselves into oblivion alongside some of the most popular gurls of RuPaul’s Drag Race stars from Season 1-4 and the current ALL-Stars currently on Monday nights on LOGO TV at 9pm. Needless to say the anticipation is killing me, but in order to be able to have everything in order for me to be able to leave and just be able to enjoy the trip itself, I’ve been working double time on my magazine (www.whatshappeningmagazine.com) and my responsibilities as Marketing Director at A&C to be able to disconnect while I’m on board. Needless to say, I’m plum tired (hence the picture of Agnes that is being featured today).



Manila Luzon & I At THROB Earlier This Year.

Since I got back from convention a couple of weeks ago I’ve felt like I’ve been on a hamster wheel that won’t stop. The following weekend after the FR Con found Peter and I working all week long at A&C and preparing for the following weekend to be in the Orlando Come Out With Pride Parade (which we were sponsors of…so we HAD to be there). Luckily, we had a stretch hummer Limousine brimming with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and nibbly things (not to mention hot boys ins speedos). I never saw the outside of the Limousine and I literally fell out of the car “Patsy & Edina” style by the conclusion of the parade. Thank God PRIDE season is over. I’m as PROUD as one GAY can be for one year. The following week Marl Davidson and I hosted the Orlando Doll Club over on Saturday morning for our monthly doll meeting. It started at 11am at Marl’s house and ended at 6pm at my place. Then it was time to start setting up photoshoots and interviews for our next issue due to the printers for distribution on the first weekend of November. Gurl….tired….I mean tired. I’ve been falling asleep during my lunch breaks at home, taking cat naps after I get off of my day job and fall asleep coma-style every night after Chelsea Lately (btw: love the new studio…hate the new theme song…sorry Pharrell Williams, I think you are a genius but that theme sounds like something right out of a 80s video arcade. Annoying!)

Chad Michaels As CHER....AMAZING!



Getting back to the cruise that will be departing Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday, December 2^nd. I’m really looking forward to meeting some of the stars that I’ve yet to interact with specifically Chad Michaels (who does an incredible Cher impersonation), Sharon Needles (because Peter has met him and his partner Alaska Thunkfuck and thinks we will become instant friends) and Michelle Visage (because I was obsessed with her in the early 90s due to her short stint in the music industry with a song called “Lovely Day”…Youtube.com it she is totally doing early Madonna with no shame). Finally, it will also give me an opportunity to get to see Drag Star friends again like Latrice “Mutha Effen” Royale, Manila Luzon and JuJu Bee….those girls are just fun on a stick! This is going to be the largest reunion of all the girls including all 4 winners of the seasons and most of the All-Stars (all but 3, Tammie Brown,  Raven and Nina Flowers….scheduling conflicts. They are very much in demand right now). I will definitely take tons of pics and will be doing my best to blog during the entire time to keep all my doll peeps abreast of what’s happening aboard what is affectionately being referred to online as the Carnival Glory (hole).

Go To ALandCHUCK.travel On Facebook "LIKE" Them & Enter To WIN!!!

And to quote Ru,”And may the best Wo-man….WIN!”

Xoxox,

F

Ps. If you are interested in coming along pls. don’t hesitate to contact an ALandCHUCK.travel travel specialists soon….as space is quickly running out!

Pss. The deck that Agnes is strolling upon in my pic above is that of the Carnival Glory….sneak peak y’all! OMG….I just might take her as my travel doll. The lifesize gals will just GAG!

Victoire Roux: When Stars Hung Brightly In The Sky....

I long for the good, ole days of glamour. Call me a hopeless romantic but I’m just not into this “celebrities are real people too” crap that everyone from People to In Touch magazine is trying to feed us. I like my celebs to be living a lifestyle that I can dream about and aspire to. I don’t want to see Christina Aguilera wearing cut off shorts in her Ugg boots coming out of a Starbucks with her Venti Machiatto Late in one hand and while holding a $10,000 Marc Jacob bag in another.

In the fifties and sixties, our stars were always presented to us as complete packages. We either saw them in their featured movie, photo spreads in a glossy magazines alongside interviews that had been edited (if not written) by the studio’s publicity departments or a photo reel news flash at their latest opening. They were shining examples of the perfection that we could all marvel at. Stars back then….shined from a distance and glowed with intensity.

That’s why I was so sad when the Hollywood Legends series was discontinued by Integrity Toys….and so happy when the Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Sabrina, Victoire Roux and the soon to be released Funny Face set are coming our way in 2013 (can you believe that they are going to use Veronique and Vanessa’s original facemolds…I almost died at the convention when the images came up on the large screens…the facepaint is perfection and looks infinitely more like Audrey than the Breakfast set).

Victoire to me represents a fabulous time in the forties and fifties when women were ladies (and looked like them) all the time. The only person that I still know that lives by that standard today is my friend and world famous transsexual Amanda Lepore. She is a paragon of femininity. That woman does not step out to the grocery, gym or outside her door to pick up the paper unless she is completely DONE! Not unlike Victoire, she is a model and a sometime actress/singer that knows that every book is judged first by its cover.

I’m happy to say that I own every last one of the Victoire’s that have come out to date. I hope that IT makes them a bit easier to acquire, like they did at the convention. It was by the grace of God that I was able to get the raven and redhead version of the dolls. I’m so grateful that I have them and they hold a very special place in my heart and collection.

Here’s to the ladies!

Xoxoxo,

F

Looney Over Lonnie Lawrence

How can you NOT be utterly in love with Lonnie Lawrence?

Poppy’s new friend is the cat’s pajamas! How many dolls are so popular and likeable that in less than four years they get a cute boyfriend, a girlfriend that is Motown up and coming Diva and now finally an actress fresh off the Broadway stage. It’s like your best friends are a young Diana Ross and Barbara Streisand! Really, to have lived in those times when young people where taking the world by storm and the youth culture was prevalent in every aspect of popular culture and the media, must have been absolutely exhilarating.  

Not only do I see endless possibilities in the lives of Poppy, Darla, Chip (which by the way…maybe a new boyfriend should be introduced soon or a cat fight  might break out between these gals fighting over the only man in THIER world) and Lonnie. I’m especially excited by the direction that they seem to be taking Poppy next year – the 1964 World’s Fair! That was such a spectacular time in American history! At that point in time, we were starting to see the world as a huge planet yet through television the different cultures of the planet were becoming incredibly influential to us – not only in the food we ate and the fashion we wore, but more importantly in our philosophies. It will be very cool for us to revisit that time through the eye of Poppy and the gang.

All of this, of course leading up to the Woodstock era. That should be fun to see how the IT designers interpret flower power, hair-flowing, peace-loving hippies. Personally, it has never really been one of my favorite eras in fashion. I mean really, there is just so much tie-dye and leather fringed vests that you can take (although, Darla in a Christie Love style Afro and a dashiki…I CAN’T WAIT FOR THAT! Shades of MOD SQUAD…Google it)….but I’m glad that will not be coming for a while and we can continue living it the wonderful world of innocence that Poppy is currently exploring.

But, I digress - back to Lonnie Lawrence! When we finally received her as the table gift during the Poppy Luncheon…I was literally jumping up and down in my seat. That alongside what I now refer to as my Anne Margaret Poppy (the workshop version), I could not wait to get them home and try some of my early 60s vintage inspired clothing on them. The particular outfit that Lonnie is currently wearing (above in my picture) is the one that came with the amazing build-a-doll Point of Departure Eurgenia last year. I’m so glad that I kept it even though at first I was indifferent towards the outfit. Just goes to show there is always a perfect doll for each outfit. I love the new face molds and characters…it is always so cool and they really do offer dimension to the world of the main character.

 I can’t wait to see what the IT designers will do with Lonnie in the future. What plays will she star in? What hair colors and styles will she be featured in next? It just opens up a whole new world of options to explore during that tumultuous  and exciting time.

My advice….GET HER NOW! You will be kicking yourself once she becomes a HUGE star…afterall….this is her FIRST APPEARANCE! Let’s welcome her with open arms.

Xoxo,

Frank

"So, YOU'RE Randall Craig...?"

Vanessa 3.0 In An Original One Shouldered Turquoise Brocade Column Gown. 

Imagine my surprise when on the first night of the Fashion Royalty Topicalia Convention I walked into a room that was just buzzing with people. As I looked closely (through my Vodka induced haze) I saw that the dealer was selling several Randall Craig Designs especially made for the Orlando Convention. I figured the lady sitting behind the register who was dressed in a lovely yellow brocade sheath dress was  a dealer that specialized in the designers clothing that I had never met before. I sat on the bed and watched as many of the shoppers in the room were in a frenzy, grabbing and pulling at the tiny couture that glistened from within their perfectly packaged boxes simply label "RTW". In the corner of the room, I saw a fashionable young man sipping on a drink wearing a pair of aquamarine skinny jeans and a wonderful pair of espadrilles. I thought to myself,"He's cute." Then, when my friends were done, I got up from my perch on one of the two full sized beds in the room and we tra-la-la'd away onto the next room.

I hate shopping on the first night of the convention. Everyone is buzzing with excitement and running from room to room to scoop up the best deals. That's just not me. I really don't "hurry" or "run" anywhere. I think one of Sting's old lyrics stuck with me a long time ago - "A gentleman will walk...but never run." So, I tend to wait until things slow down and if I miss out on a deal or two....oh well, c'est la vie. 
The next day, after I was done with my shift of doing custom hairstyles at the Color Infusion Style Lab, I started wandering from room to room picking up deals here and there. I went back to the room that had been hopping the evening before and saw that there were only a fraction of the lovely fashions that had been there at the beginning of the convention. I saw the young man there again and began to chat with him. This quiet, shy and painfully styllish man turned out to be the designer himself - Mr. Randall Craig. Well, color me embarrassed when I said upon my realization,"You're Randall Craig?" in disbelief. For some reason, I had imagined someone completely different. His design have always been so classic, simple with a nod to retro-fab that I just assumed it had to have been designed by someone a bit older. I was definitely not expecting the person standing in front of me...who looked like HE could be a model himself.

Later, we were going to be hosting a few of the "boys and girls" from he convention to join us at one of the most famous establishments in Orlando - the world famous Parliament House. I invited Randall to come along fully expecting him to politely excuse himself, when to my surprise he answered that he would love to join us. Well, I was tickled pink that he decided to come along and I was happy to find that he was a very sweet, fun-loving, easy-going guy that fit in quite nicely with the rest of the party goers that evening.
After an evening that went on into the wee hours in the morning, we all made it home tired but having had a great time. Later on after nursing a spectacular hang-over, I meandered back to Randall's room (who to the untrained eye looked perfectly put together on the outside...but I could tell "Auntie Mame" was a "bit hung" when I looked closely into his eyes), and I decided that I needed to own a RTW original for my collection and I bought one of his nude muses that were also laying on the bed ready to go home with another collector to hopefully be loved as much as he had.
I look forward to seeing Randall again soon, considering that he lives close to me in Florida (again, much to my surprise) or at least seeing him at another doll event. Hopefully, he will take me up on featuring him in the December Issue of my magazine - www.whatshappeningmagazine.com.
I've included images of his amazing works of art to accompany this article (for your enjoyment) from his website: www.randallcraigrtw.com

Enjoy!
Frank

If You Don't Like Something....CHANGE IT!

2012 Titian Workshop Veronique Wearing Altered 2012 Tropicalia Convention Dress.

     Ok....I'm kinda in a mood today. I'm sick of the whinny, ungrateful nature that seems be the order of the day when it comes to our society in general.

     Case in point, this years FR Convention Doll. By now, everyone has heard, criticized or gossiped about the mix up between this years Build-A-Doll and the Convention doll at the Tropicalia Convention. Here are my two cents. First off,  WHAT OTHER COMPANY GIVES YOU A DOLL, SWAG & ACCESSORIES AT EVERY SCHEDULED EVENT....ON TOP OF THE TWO (COUNT THEM) 2 CONVENTION DOLLS. Whether one was the "Build-A-Doll" and the other the Official Convention Doll - WHO CARES! WE GOT TO TAKE THEM BOTH and got them on the same night. Why as people and collectors can we not be GRATEFUL for that? Putting on an event of that magnitude is hard...very hard. I've done it several times and no matter how hard you plan in advance some things always go awry. Cut these people some slack, they try to outdo themselves each year and to my experience in the last 4 years they have!

     Now, let's just say the Convention Doll (whichever it was) is not your taste for sake of conversation. Have you ever tried to make 450 people (not to mention all the collectors at home) happy? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. Some people like suits, some people like gowns. Other prefer vintage inspired. While another segment prefers avant guard cutting edge couture. The point is, if it is not your taste - SELL IT, GIVE IT AWAY OR CHANGE IT and get yourself what you want online from a previous convention or your "grail doll" that you've been saving up for.

     I for example, thought the Prada inspired resort wear was very cutting edge and the dolls themselves were AMAZING! But, since I went with my partner Peter I always get two of everything. This year I decided that I would do some "altering" to the gown for the NEW 3.0 Vanessa to wear. Like many starlets do for the red carpet, I altered the gown to be the silhouette that I LIKED. So, I took it in to my local dry-cleaner and asked them to hem the gown for me to cocktail length and added a crinoline. Viola....I LOVE IT! And I have nothing else like it in my collection. So, I'm keeping the altered one and giving my friend in South Florida (who could not afford to go to the convention) the other. Now, two people are happy and grateful. I also decided to redress my workshop Veronique because to me...her coloring worked better with the dress. Of course, that's only MY OPINION.....and just like another piece of the human anatomy....EVERYONE HAS ONE.  I've decided to dress my Vanessa in a gorgeous gown by Randal Craig instead....that I will share with you tomorrow (come back for it ;-).

     Think OUT OF THE BOX people!!! Stop complaining about it...it's irritating and immature. It especially bothers me that the IT Team should for a minute think we are ungrateful for all the work that they do for us. They are so generous and agonize over every decision that is made to "wow" and impress us EVERY YEAR FOR 9 YEARS. Whether or not you agree...can we at least be grateful for the EFFORT? I don't think that is too much to ask.

     Thanks for hearing me out. Like Oprah says,"If you live in GRATITUDE...you will have a blessed life." I prefer to live that why...so officially, I want to say (once more) THANK YOU INTEGRITY TEAM for another job well done. I really enjoyed every second of it!
With sincerity,
Frank
p.s. Wait till you see what I did with Imogen too....You'll regret selling yours if you did...because she awesome!

Of All My FR Dolls, Eugenia Speaks To Me....

2011 Helper Doll Point Of Departure Eugenia In Agnes' Truly Madly Deeply Chartreuse Gown.

Until recently, I had never really read the bios on the Integrity FR dolls. I thought it was “cute and creative” that they all had a back story, but I never had the time or interest to delve much further than that. To me, their names were just a way to differentiate the face molds. Until, I recently read the “bio” for Eugenia Perrin Frost, who happens to be my personal favorite. I don’t know why exactly. Something about her “personality” as expressed in her facial screening and mold has always “spoken” to me. Perhaps it was her pouty and bored expression with the hint of disdain that attracted me to her (although, Agnes still remains the Queen of devastatingly-drop-dead-droll-DIVAS). Now, I’m hooked on the soap-opera like backstory of the characters. And, it adds so much more dimension to the collectible line. How scandalous! It is better than Dallas, Dynasty and a Univision Spanish novella all rolled into one! Beautiful bitches pitted in a femme cat-fight while wearing gorgeous gowns and couture!

So, that then leads to the question – “What character do you identify with in the FR Cast of Characters?” I’m dying to know. Are you a virtuous victim like our Veronique (who by the way needs to start sharpening her claws and get a fresh coat of “Jungle Red” painted on them)? Or a conniving, straight up she-devil like Natalia Fatale (gurl, who knew?).

My friends and I are always re-casting movies. Like for example in the cast of Sex in the City, I’m always Samantha. In Steel Magnolias, I’m perpetually Clarisse (the original by Olympia Dukakis not that mess by Queen Latifah…although I must confess…I did shed a tear….I’M HUMAN!). In the cast of Golden Girls, I’m a Dorothy. I guess my friends are trying to tell me that I’m a “loveable, truth-telling, smart-ass”, as all those characters seem that share that common thread. I think Eugenia falls into that category as well (or she will in a few years when life’s hard knocks teaches her lessons the hard way). She reminds me of a more fearless yet naïve version of myself. Perhaps that is why I have always gravitated towards her.

It seems that every year at the FR Convention, someone asks Jason Wu who his “favorite” character or muse is. Of course, that is like Sophie’s Choice but for the last couple of years he’s answered that questions sheepishly by saying Agnes Von Weiss (who I understand is Alain’s alter ego…which totally makes sense because we only see her at special occasions like the convention once a year….not unlike Alain…lol). Maybe Jason also identifies with Agnes’ persona deep down inside. I see him more as a Vanessa though – a good girl with a rebellious streak. Of course, I’m sure his close friends could let us know which character Mr. Wu would be cast as in Fashion Royalty: The Movie! (Please….could you imagine…we would all  collectively DIE!)

So, now I turn the question on to you….my friends:

1-      Which character do you identify with in the FR Cast?

Or

2-       What actress or model do you think would be the perfect FR DIVA in Fashion Royalty: The Movie?

 

You all know my answer for question one – Eugenia.

My quick answer for question two…just off the top of my head:

Veronique: Emma Stone (it’s the eyes….)

Vanessa:  Bonnie Wright (from Harry Potter films)

Agnes: Angelina Jolie (duh…who else?)

Natalia: Nina Dobrev (from Vampire Diaries…I think she could play a young fiery Latina…of course if we wanted to cast her older there is always Sofia Vergara…although in FR Land she would be a Plus model….hey…there’s an idea!)

Eugenia: Emma Watson (I’ve had my eye on Hermoine…and so should you)

Luchia: Selena Gomez (mostly cause of the shape of her face)

Erin: Jennifer Lawrence (really loved her in Xmen First Class as Mystique)

Collette: Vanessa Hudgens (she can tan well…and let’s just face it the girl is gorgeous)

Eden/Lilith: Anna Sofia Robb (set to play the new Carrie Bradshaw)

 

That’s the best I can do on short notice…of course there are still so many characters to cast. I mean there are still the boys (someone…anybody would have to be Chris Helmsworth!).

Looking forward to reading your ideas!

Xoxo,

Frank (Miss Frost…if you are nasty!)

 

Think Pink....For Breast Cancer Awarness Month

2012 FR Convention High Point Eugenia Wearing Agnes' Suit. INSET PIC: My Partner Peter
(In The Black) With Our Friend Jose Mora (In The White).

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Everyone is showing their support from our local group of Red Hat ladies (who I saw all wearing pink hats this weekend at brunch) to football players wearing hot pink cleats on the field this Sunday – people from all walks of life are showing  support against the insidious disease of Cancer.

For those of you that are personal friends, you know that both Peter and I have lost several friends in the last six months to Cancer. So we are very sensitive to this horrble disease. We've had many women on both sides of our family fight and win while other's succumbed to it. Recently we lost one of our closest friends and although it was not to "Breast" Cancer....it was still still due to the big "C".

This year, we attended the funeral of one of our dearest and oldest friends Jose Mora. Jose was one of the individuals that could just make you laugh out loud until your sides hurt. He had been one of my partners  childhood friends since the age of 17 on. A few years ago they found a small growth in one of his lungs and they removed it orthoscopically. He didn't get chemo because they thought they caught it in time.  A few years later when on a routine visit to the Dr. he found that his blood work came back with indications that something was wrong with his system. Of course, like all men he hesitated and waited to go in to the Dr. to get an MRI exam for a couple of weeks. He feared the news would be bad, and it was. He had a hotdog shaped tumor in his lungs that had connected itself to his sternum. Immediately he was started on chemo and began his first fight against the deadly disease.

To his credit, I’ve never seen anyone have such a positive attitude. If he went through any fear, grief or anger none of us ever saw it. Every time we visited him his spirits were up and he was cracking wise the whole time. When his hair fell  out from the medication (which he nicknamed his Poison Martini) all of us that were close to him showed solidarity by shaving our own heads. Every couple of weeks he would send us a picture of himself in a new outrageous wig and make us all laugh. We all thought that his positive attitude and all our prayers helped him kick it the first time. We all thought we had dodged a bullet.

Some time passed and we received one of his regular calls to find out how we were and when he was planning to visit next (he loved visiting us in Orlando…because Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center and The Boston Lobster Feast were his favorite places on the planet). At the end of what seemed like a regular conversation he ended by saying,”Oh, I almost forgot. That bitch Cancer is back.” We were dumbfounded. Immediately we started bitching at him and asking why hadn’t he called us earlier to let us know what was going on. He simply said,”I beat that it once before….I can do it again. Don’t worry. You Cubans are always making such a big deal out of nothing. Drama Queens!”. We could tell that he was just putting up a front for us. This time he was scared, you could hear it in between the sarcasm in his sentences. We knew this time it was bad.

He fought for over a year after the 2^nd diagnosis, but we noticed he was wasting away before our very eyes. But he would just not quit living. Every time we talked he was going to visit a friend, planning a trip with his family or going out to dinner or a movie. He refused to stop living life every day to the fullest. I can honestly say, that Jose was an inspiration to all of us especially in his last days. Any time we wanted to feel sorry for ourselves about anything and bitch about whatever little problem we were dealing with in our life, we would think of “Joser (pronounced Hoser)” and things would return to their proper perspective.

Jose Mora drew his last breath in June of 2012 earlier this year. We went to his funeral but I refused to see him in his casket. I wanted to remember my friend laughing and healthy in my mind’s eye. I don’t regret that decision. He insisted we all wear red and wear Mickey Mouse shirts at his funeral. All his closest friends abided by his wishes. His family was appalled. He picked out his own suit for his viewing. A navy jacket, a royal blue shirt and a graphic Mickey Mouse tie held down by a “blinged out” tie pin. He held a rosary and a Mickey figurine that was flipping a “bird” to everyone. Everyone laughed and cried. Till the very end, he wanted all his friends to be happy and gave us one last laugh. His family was mortified.

On the 27^th of October, his birthday, a group of us are going to come from all over the U.S. and celebrate his life at his favorite place in the whole world – EPCOT Center in Orlando. We’ve rented a home that we will all be staying in for the weekend. We are going to eat lobster and tell “Jose” stories. At the end of the weekend we are going to light paper lanterns (we are trying to be green and not use red balloons) with messages written on them in red to him and release it on midnight. We hope to do this in his memory at least once a year.

For everyone that is currently fighting Cancer or has loved one that is fighting – learn from Jose,”Fight that BITCH!”

For those of us that have lost loved ones to this horrible disease remember their life and all the happiness that you shared with them. To only remember the sorrow lets the Cancer “win” and we just can’t allow that.

We miss you Jose….but I know that if you have web access in Heaven (and you probably do) and are reading this blog right now, you would say,”I love you too….Petey & Lechuga….fuckin’ drama queens!”

P.s. Jose had nicknames for all his friends – Peter was always “Petey – My Beeeeeeest Friend” and he would always say it just like that. I was “Lechuga” which translates to “Lettuce”. He gave me that name because I was always so “fresh” and always had a quick verbal come-back to anything that he flung my way. 

P.s.s. Jose also loved my doll collection. Especially the IT one.....he used to say to me,"They look like bitchy Drag Queens....no wonder you LOVE them! LOL!