I just got back from the convention in Orlando. It was informative and I made a lot of new friends. And I escaped before the hurricane hit!
On my way there, I almost walked onto the wrong plane. #ditzyblonde
I was a nervous wreck before performing my showcase, but I got a lot of great feedback. I was told by two different people that when I walked on stage there was some buzz among the agents about how great I look. I performed a short monologue before my song, and it went over well. I got some laughs, but afterward I got some feedback from an experienced impersonator that I should make it more sexy and less depressing. I think I'll keep elements of the depressing bits because that was a really big part of Marilyn's personality and it's important to me that I portray her as a real person and not simply a caricature or cartoon.
I should have taken more pictures! But here are a few that I got:
And here is one with three of the four Marilyns that were there this year:
And here is a group photo of everyone this year. Can you see me? I picked a nice central location in the back. Such a talented, passionate group!
It was a great time and I'm inspired with new ideas on how to develop my business and market myself. There's a Frank Sinatra singer who wants to drive to Arizona with his equipment and put on a show with me! He even has his own van. How cool is that?!
I didn't come home with any awards this year, and I was pretty disappointed to not even be nominated for Mirror Image (the award for looking the most like your celebrity without hair and makeup). So, here's hoping for next year! I'll come more prepared next year so I don't feel the need to practice so much so I can socialize more. Also, maybe my similarities will be more obvious when I've reached my physical goals. Two of the other attendees told me that I'd make a perfect Adele. (*sob*) Adele is crazy talented and beautiful, but it was distressing to think someone would think I would make a good impersonator for her. For one thing, I'm too short. If I'm going to impersonate someone, I have a strong desire to make myself as close to the real thing as possible. I'm blessed to have similar facial features and height to Marilyn, so now I just need to get my body where I want it to be and I think it will be impossible to deny the resemblance.
I'm on a new eating plan and so far it's going great. My plan is to be absolutely stunning by the time I go to the next convention in February in Las Vegas. That will be an even better place for me to make a splash because those agents may be more likely to want to hire me since I'm located closer geographically, although I am super excited to be able to say that an agent from a talent agency in Florida did approach me specifically and said she wanted to get in touch! She only seemed slightly less interested when I told her I was based in Arizona, so there may be a gig in Florida for me at some point in the future. It's exciting!
Overall, it was a great experience and I look forward to going back next year. Now I have a lot more contacts in the industry and some great new friends!
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