Lucy Designs | Shopping | Yahoo Group | Archives | Messages from Lucy | Official Xena Fan Club | Home |
2006
Messages from Lucy
12/3/06
NOTE FROM A HOUSECLEANING SHARON: While I was browsing my files, I found a note from Lucy about her appearance at the Factory that some forgetful gremlin forgot to post. In light of her upcoming Roxy appearance, it seemed appropriate. I also sense another t-shirt in what she wrote <G>
To all the posse who turned up to the Factory and all those that couldn't, but were there in spirit, THANK-YOU!!
It was an awesome evening and one of the most exciting of my life. A special note to the girls fromToronto and as far away as Miami, for all your support. What do I call you, the Posse . . . the Pink-Posse . . . the PinkPossecats?
Man, I tell you, performing on stage is a rip-roaring high. I don't know what else does that. I always flat-line right afterwards and nobody can get boo out of me, but I wake up high as a kite the next day.
I'm still not entirely comfortable up there but I'm getting there. Thanks for your support.
Love to you all,
Lucy
11/25/06
Darlings! I am so excited that so many of you have already bought tickets for the Roxy gig!
I am planning that it will be hot and heavy, so dress appropriately. Make sure you smell good to start with because by the end it's going to be awfully close in there and we don't want to smell like a pack of truckers. I'm debating the merits of stage-diving. So don't stand up the front if you can't support 140 lbs coming at you full force.
You were warned.
L
P.S. I'm including the lyrics to a couple of songs I wrote which I may perform if it feels right.
COWBOY SONG LYRICS
DOWN ON YOUR KNEES LYRICS
11/17/06
To all the Gang!
Thanks for giving my career meaning. You will never know what you have meant to me.
'Feel the Love Day' and the ‘Celebrity Duets Petition’ rocked my world.
Semper Fi,
Lucy L
PURPLE HATS
In honor of women's history month and in memory of Erma Bombeck who lost her fight with cancer. Here is an "angel" sent to watch over you. Pass this on to five women that you want watched over. If you don't know five women to pass this on to, one will do just fine.
IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck_
(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained or the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's" More "I'm sorry's."
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute . . . look at it and really see it. Live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!
Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.
Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with and what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally. I hope you have a blessed day.
If you don't mind, send this on to all the women you are grateful to have as friends. Maybe we should all grab that purple hat earlier. Please send this to five phenomenal women today in celebration of Beautiful Women's Month. If you do, something good will happen -- you will boost another woman's self-esteem.
11/15/06
LUCY ANSWERS SOME BATTLESTAR GALACTICA QUESTIONS:
SD: What did part did Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials play in your discussion with the Battlestar producers?
Lucy: At first I was attracted to the role of D'Anna Biers, because she examines some major philisophical questions about the afterlife, re-incarnation, the nature of God, within and without. These are also central to His Dark Materials. I bought this trilogy up with David Eick in particular, because it's just so darn heretical in parts and it forces you to examine your own beliefs in much the same way as BSG does. Of course you can get away with these musings in fantasy and Sci-fi, but we geeks know there is a whole lot of truth hidden in a good joke.
SD: How did they film the pan around the table, without cuts, where duplicate and triplicate D'Annas, Cavils, etc. are sitting?
Lucy: Smoke and mirrors. This scene took three quarters of the day. You try to plan the shape of your three characters' interactions and plot them according to the motion of the camera. So when the camera hits a certain point, D'Anna1 will shoot D'Anna2 a conspiratorial look and the other will shy away from the look in a different take. So when they knit it all together, it looks as if I am having a conversation with myself. Sometimes I create little scenes like that to keep myself busy during long scenes when I have nothing else to do. I got used to huge plays of triple character action when we did Xena and that was before the new computer editing, so you really had to perform some major, sustained mental gymnastics. I love it.
SD: Six's love of Baltar was the impetus for her to commit the first Cylon on Cylon violence in their history. What does that say about love?
Lucy: Love sux?
SD: Cylons talk a lot about god. Whose god? What god?
Lucy: Now isn't that the question?!
10/19/06
Dear friends,
Well, it's been quite a week!
I'd like to start by thanking the vendors of my photographs who withdrew them for sale after inadvertently buying them from a bad source. Thank-you, chaps. I looked at them and realised that some of them are far from the best. I have much cooler ones to come. I am excited about them.
I am trying to arrange a show early next year in LA. It's taking shape. I'm thinking duelling blues songs and will announce my opponent as things develop. But it will be a rockin' evening when it happens. Honestly, I can see it and hear it. I get a knot of excitement in my stomach when I think about it. That only happens to me when something is as good as real. Will keep you posted.
On the personal front, we are supporting a dear friend in making the transition from this life into the next. I guess the main thing is for her to be comfortable, to feel heard, to feel that her wishes are respected and that she can voice her anger, fears, gratitude and love. I told her that it will just be a breath before we are all together again. I don't know why I even say these things, they just kind of fall out of me. But I reckon that's what it will seem like on the other side, barely a moment will pass and her doorbell will ring as we file in one by one looking for a party. She's just going ahead of us to prepare a room. I'd ask her to make up a bed, if I didn't think she'd tell me to go to hell.
We are trying to have as many laughs as we can fit in a day.
Be generous with your love, it all comes back.
Love,
Lucy
10/11/06
Hello!
I'm a little distressed that someone has gotten hold of my photos and is passing them off as their property for sale. Any disco photos of me with the long blonde hair are ONLY the property of the photographer, Darrell Redleaf. I have done no others. Darrell is a dear friend, my erstwhile make-up artist -- he even painted me for
Duets. This photoshoot was his debut as a photographer. Please don't help criminals rip him and me off. They were due for use on the Pleasuredome project and my own music cd, so I am really pissed at anyone who illegally accessed them and is distributing them. That's just sleazy.
I will send you a preview of the shoot and we will make beautiful prints available for sale so that the photographer gets a payment. Please note that I will never sign a bootlegged copy. Legitimate prints will only come via this fanclub and are copyrighted.
Thanks for calling our attention to this, guys!
Love,
Lucy
10/1/06
Guys, thanks for keeping me in the show till the end! It was such a blast. I am so happy that I got to choose the last song and do it my way (with a little help from my friends!).
Somebody said they felt they had let me down by not dialling quicker/with more phones. Imagine if you hadn't all gone out on such a limb for me! Would I have made it past the third round? Possibly not. Don't worry your pretty head about it! I feel so proud of myself and so grateful to you all. It's not often that I say I feel proud of myself. It has been a long time since I was engaged in anything that challenged me as much as this. Plus I got to be mentored by the best in the business. Every one of those singing stars and judges taught me something that none of the others could and at exactly the right time. They have helped evolve me as a performer. Talk about being on the fast track. I truly feel that the universe is unfolding just the way it should.
To whit: Alfonso sang like an angel. He is a wonderful man with a wonderful charity. He wanted it. He wanted it more than anything and now Fresh Start, his charity, is going to be able to help a dozen or more children with severe deformities get the corrective surgery that will enable them to rise above the poverty-stricken circumstances into which they were born. It is hard enough to grow up poor with normal features.
I am so proud of Alfonso and all of the contestants who had the brass to get on that stage in the first place. The Duets producers will likely struggle next time to find 8 contestants whose motives are so pure. Our gang recognised from the start what an honour it was to share the stage with these legends and wasn't calculating what the show might do for their careers. After all, the show was a complete unknown quantity. It could have been a big flop. So our desire to learn and enjoy the opportunity had to outweigh calculations of net-worth, so to speak.
Eleanor Roosevelt was right, definitely do something every day which scares you. Courage is certainly not the absence of fear. Before I got on stage last night to sing “Tell Mama,” I had a total panic attack. After the opening number, my throat was so dry in the cold air of that studio that I began to cough. In my anxiety I began to hack up phlegm until I gagged. Marissa was telling me to calm down and drink warm water. I knew it was a case of mind over matter. Between Hal's song and mine there was an ad-break and, mercifully, Smokey and Gladys sang a duet. That gave me time to imagine my vocal chords melting like honey, relax my throat and run through an old hymn that I loved as a kid which always calms me down. It's funny how singing the 14th psalm can enable me to go out and be bad-ass. What's up with that?
Thanks for the flowers, you crazy chicks! (You know who you are!)
Thanks for the signs, the RSI in your dialling fingers, thanks for being the greatest fans in the world!
Love always,
Steeeeellllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
9/26/06
I was so shocked at Jai's leaving that I made myself sick. I had to spend a day in bed. That's what happens when you sing with a great Diva, huh? There's no room for anyone but her on the stage and let's face it, try to fight back against Patti LaBelle and you're shooting with blanks! But I have to say, I am sooooo thankful to last one more week coz this week is going to be a doozy!!! I am really doing backflips over my next two artists. One is a returned artist and one is one of the greatest anthems of the 80's sung by the original artist. She is unforgettable in her own right. I cannot believe I am getting to share a stage with her! For the record, Hal is truly one of the best fellas I ever met. I'm not kidding you. He is so genuine, he's stuck on go but since I have a son like that, it doesn't faze me in the least. He is non-judgmental, sincere and bloody funny. Alphonso is my hero, who saves my neck every time I fail to come in on my line. He thinks like a director, always three steps ahead. I can count on him to bail my sorry ass out of a sticky situation and laugh about it. Love him!
Too good, Too good!
Love,
Stelllllllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
9/25/06
LUCY ANSWERS 10 FAN CELEBRITY DUET QUESTIONS
1. Has it been hard for you to relax?
Yes. The first two weeks were difficult because my family was away and though it gave me a lot of time to concentrate, there was no one at the end of the day to take care of. I had no one to think about but myself. In the end, I found it rather unpleasant. I took my Sharper Image back massager to work and have been thrilling my colleagues with it in the make-up room. We are all feeling more relaxed and loved these days.
2. When was it that you felt the most "yourself" while performing?
I felt the most “myself” with Smokey Robinson the first week. Perhaps this was because I could not “play a role” in his presence. He was just too much of a superstar in my mind for me to get to that place of I-don't-give-a-damn that stage singing requires.
3. When did you have the most fun?
The most fun was last week with Richard Marx singing “Should'a Known Better.” Richard was the first one who acted like I was his equal. The guy just doesn't have any baggage at all. He's from Chicago, which seems some kind of an explanation. Love those Midwest folks! I'm going to take that feeling with me everywhere. Thanks, man.
4. What would be your dream song to sing and with which female icon would you like to do a duet?
I'm doing it this week!
5. Has participating in Celebrity Duets affected your attitude toward singing professionally or any ambitions you might have had in that direction? Would you like to cut an album?
Dang, you know it kind of has. Would I give up acting for singing? Before this week, I would have said, “No way.” Now . . . ? I possibly would. I did produce a couple of songs with friends last year, but got so busy with acting, it kind of went by the wayside. Hmmmm. Will keep you posted.
6. What is the hardest thing you feel you do in your preparation and performing?
The hardest thing is conquering your panic. Wynonna said, "Just show up and wait for God to walk in the room." I swear that works! The panic is just your ego. It ain't you and it ain't God. You have to
treat your ego like a yapping, whiny little dog that your grandma
left you. I like to tell it that I'm just going out on stage for a little while and it can wait in the dressing room. It won't be forever, I'll be back for it in, let's say, 15 minutes. Every week I get better at what I'm doing. How could you not improve when you are being mentored by some of the best performers in the world?!
7. Do you have a specific genre you prefer singing, like country, blues or jazz?
Kind of shocked how much I like rock or rather how much rock seems to like me. Haven't been given the opportunity to sing country. Blues is coming up!
8. Similarities/differences between preparing for acting and preparing for singing?
In both cases you prepare as much as possible beforehand, then go out on the stage and forget all about it! I'm not kidding. You can't act if you are trying to hit certain notes that you penned in your script earlier. That's about as spontaneous as paint-by-numbers and will fail to move your audience. It seems to me that my performances are changing because I am willing to have less and less control over the output.
9. Of the three judges -- Marie, Little Richard and David -- which one has given you the most constructive criticism?
Marie is the most consistently constructive, though I have gleaned
some important little nuggets from both David and Little Richard. Sometimes the criticism is just petty, which works just as well. Sometimes I want to say, "Don't make me turn all Xena on you, Marie.” Even Little Richard, if indeed that is his real name, thought I would be voted off last week. Between you and me, there is a savage little animal that lives in my breast and no amount of music will soothe that. It's coming atcha little Richard!
10. What lessons will you take away from this experience?
This has been a great lesson in courage, to take your career in your
own hands, though others think they know what's best for you. I have never had so much fun in all my life. I feel so proud to still be
here after 5 weeks.
I am learning to get back to a time and place when singing was an expresssion of joy and freedom and not a nightmare. I have not felt this good about singing since I was playing Nellie Forbush in South Pacific at the age of 16. Since that time, any singing I have done has been more therapy than pleasure.
I have learned about the nature and depth of my fans and how much they love the Earth, themselves and me. I thank them for their undying support. Semper Fi.
Always Yours,
Lucy L
9/18/06
Okay, I feel totally sick. The other night, I left out some people vital to my Duets evolution.
Judah Miller is the awesome guy who hand-picked off the rack some of my most show-stopping frocks. He has an unerring sense of taste and ought to be gay, except that he's marrying my best friend in three weeks. Maybe he is, what do I know?
Rickey Minor is the musical director who guides the direction of the show and has charted the course of my larnin'. Can't help lovin' dat guy!
Dorian Holley, the set-side vocal coach, is trying to get me to open my darn mouth and troubleshoots all our performances. Thanks, D!
Travis Payne is our choreographer and a huge part of my confidence.
Michael Orland, the best friend a singer could have, plays the piano in one key whilst reading the music in another key altogether. Such a genius and the guy Eric Vetro called the wittiest man on the planet.
And of course Sharon Delaney, without whom the fans would have no access to me. It is she that pokes, prods, cajoles and bullies me to break away from the little dirt track of my mind onto the superhighway of information to service my fans in some way. It's not that I wouldn't want to. I just don't have the skill set to contribute appropriately. Without her guidance, expertise and generosity of spirit, Lucy would be as remote as a Dwarf-star, formerly known as Xena. One of the most important jobs she is doing this month, in addition to her real job, is shepherding our precious guests into hard-won seats. We have some friends going through some pretty harsh medical treatments who need not to be standing in long lines. Some of them were turned away the first week due to over-crowding despite having tickets. The show was gate-crashed by industry insiders. My poor little housekeeper had bought a new dress and everything, so excited was she. Sharon has made sure these very special friends get the consideration they deserve and I thank her for it.
I am meeting my next artist tomorrow. One of the proposed songs has been canned. Drat. Would have been a tear-jerker. Evidently it can never be sung because the person who made it famous died and the artist cannot bear for it to be sung by anyone else. My recipe for happiness is to never spend one second moping for something I can't have. No wonder I am so unsentimental. (Yet wonderfully flexible!)
Love always,
Lucy-Lou
aka. Stellllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaa!
9/16/06
Oh, Baby! Thanks a mil for your support tonight. I didn't hear the telecast as I was out with Jai having our first martini in many moons, but we saw it in a bar in West Hollywood and it looked darn fine. We got up and boogied down to Alphonso and Denise, surely the nicest woman on the Earth, and rocked out to Hal. Boy, what a shock when Carly went, eh?! We were NOT expecting that! On the other hand, a nuclear bomb couldn't dislodge my little cucuracha, Cheech, from his stoner throne. I hope Carly sees this as a triumph, not a failing. After all, you can't win a gold your first time out, right? She did so well and we are all so proud of her.
I have many people to thank for putting me up on that stage every week. From my biggest fan, Rob Tapert, to the production team, my lovely (Tony-award-winning) assistant, Marissa Jaret Winokur, vocal coach, Eric Vetro, Hair and Make-up, Craig Gangi and Darrell Redleaf. And how can I forget the man who designed my frocks, Alek Adorian? Every one a winner! Plus Lorelei, my boob-wrangler, who sews bras into my gowns and Warden O'Neill and his team in the costume dept of Duets. You can see why this is such a team effort!
All of whom vote for me in many ways, but my greatest thanks is to the hundreds, maybe thousands of fans at home who have shown me their fiercest loyalty over the years, through thick and thin. I love you and honor you all the days of my life. You know who you are, best love and gratitude,
Lucy
P.S. Did you notice that I got Xena up on that stage tonight?
9/9/06
Dear Friends,
Thanks for your unbridled support! I can feel it flowing in from Florida to Vancouver. Finally the song "Wind beneath my Wings” makes sense to me. Please God, don't make me sing it. I don't like it THAT much.
I had the time of my life last night, as you may have noticed. Stella finally got her groove back! (Me Stella.)
Kenny Loggins is one of the most generous people in the world and with his support and friendship I managed to pull out all the stops. He spent time with me helping me find “my voice.” Truly a great guy. I actually had an epiphany yesterday two or three hours before the show. I remembered that the main prize of this show is to give $100,000 to charity. The charity aspect sent my ego flying out the window and freed me up to go out there and shake my groove thing. (I'm doin' it for the children y'all!)
That ego is a horrible, controlling little monster. It makes you afraid to fail, to the point that you become fixated on protecting yourself and sabotage the whole experience. Then Wynonna told me her pal Bono said, "Just show up and wait for God to walk in the room." That made all the sense in the world to me. It meant I didn't have to DO anything. That I was enough just as I am. And it let me just go out on stage without any anxiety. It all felt so effortless. So much so that I went out right after to the Aretha Franklin tribute at the Kodak theatre afterwards. The night before, after the Thursday show, I would not have had the energy. I went home and blubbed uncontrollably over the Diane Sawyer story about babies born to widows of 9/11 victims. I think it was a combination of poignant story and frayed nerves from trying too hard. I felt I had peaked too soon in the day and had wasted all my performance energy by the dress rehearsal. I now realise how important it is to pace yourself. In any case, when they showed the little babies faces next to their Dads', and I saw how alike they were and knew how much those men wanted to raise and love those kids, I fell to pieces.
This week I am singing with another veritable legend. How did I get here? This is too amazing. Can't wait to find out who everybody else got.
Wynonna and Clint Black are hysterically funny people. Clint is highly intelligent, witty and wry. Marissa had an enormous crush on him. His wife Lisa Hartman Black was there and she looks like a great gal, which doesn't surprise me in the least. And that Wynonna is truly Xena with a guitar! I just wanted to hang out in the tent where she was, to breathe the same air, despite the shrieks of protestation from Mama Rose to get back to my darn dressing room.
You don't get any time to rest on your laurels, though. Just when you think you've earned a weekend, they tell you your call time for the next day is bright and early. This juggernaut doesn't stop rolling. Gotta get fit for it.
Lots of love and thanks,
Lucy
9/1/06
Hi, Gang!
Thanks for all your good vibes for last night. I have to say that it was one of the most joyous experiences of my life. I never for one second thought I would even meet Smokey Robinson, let alone sing with him. I really tried to pay attention and breathe him in so as not to miss a thing. He was the main reason I came on the show in the first place. Even if I were to get voted off next week, I can only say THANK-YOU!!
I really love the crowd I am working with. The Duets Production team are great fun to be around because they love what they do. The other contestants are wonderful and very supportive of one another. I think there is a growing sense of camaraderie now that we realise the Russian roulette nature of this gig. I think we all thought that we were in a Broadway show of sorts where everyone is vital to the whole and you become a real community. Of course, on Duets one of us is publicly eviscerated. Terminated, even. God, we felt sick last night when we lost Chris Jericho. Everyone loved him and it was a shock when he got kicked off the playground.
Yep, we definitely have the feeling that we are facing extinction and need to hang together. Yikes. Now it's in the hands of the audience.
At least we have broken the ice by getting the first show out of the way. Things should be a little more fun from here out. The anxiety of the build-up to last night's show means that I have to have a wee collapse. Marissa says there's always payback for that kind of adrenaline rush. She ought to know. She is my Mama Rose. She is like the mother in Gypsy and tells me to stop talking coz I'm no damn good to her if I can't sing next week. She says, "Oh, you're going to do this! You're going to do it and do it well, cuz it's all FOR ME! FOR ME!! FOR MEEEEEEE!!!!"
She's insane, as you know, but she's so darn kitsch, I just can't bear to throw her out. It's a little bit like having a motion-sensor Little Richard doll on your bookshelf that you forget about and it scares the crap out of you every time you go to the loo in the night. Holy Cow, they are going to be in $2 Stores all over the world by Xmas. The Little Richards not the Marissas. She's very high end.
These judges, let's face it, are great television. They are genuinely nutty and you can't imagine what they are going to say next. I do not believe they are encouraged to be wacky, they just are.
Hooray for everything!
Love,
Lucy
8/22/06 --
Hi All!
The Duets prep is coming along. We are all having a great time. There was a heap of press the other day for myriad outlets, even CNN, which i was particularly excited about. I guess it's part of the I-can't-believe-this-is-happening-to-me phenomenon. Indeed the other day, when I got another pleasant surprise on the show, I had to ask myself whether I had had a stroke. Was I simply imagining the whole scenario? It's all beyond my wildest dreams.
Today I did something with Access Hollywood. They followed me to a voice lesson at Eric's and recorded twenty minutes of unusable banter, like . . .
"La-la-la-la . . ."
"Now, go up the scale, holding your tongue and gesture with your free hand."
"How's this gesture, Bud?"
"Ooooh, what a lovely gesture! Ev'ry inch a lady."
"Well, enough about you, Eric . . ."
etc, etc, etc..
I have found out my two singing partners for the two-hour opening night and which songs we will sing. I am so excited, I can't tell ya! More tomorrow.
Love,
Lucy
8/13/06 -- (conversation between Sharon and Lucy)
Lucy’s yelling at me.
I’m not yelling I just forbid you to ever write “Here she be” on our
website. “you sound like an old Pirate!”
What’s wrong with old pirates? A recent old pirate made 300 illion bucks!
Buccaneers? What the hell does that have to do with anything? You can’t sound like a fool, foo’!
You’re besmirching my fine Irish pirate heritage!
Besmirch? Is that even a word?
It’s a fine word used by old farts who say “here ye be.” See, I got it on the page. Ha ha ha
Damn you, Red Baron!
With my trusty sidekick Snoopy who will now fill us in on the latest hot news. You’re up Snoopy.
I told you not to call me ‘Snoopy’ in public.
What’s the latest on Duets, Snoop?
Well, I did two interviews this week. One for Associated Press and one for TV Guide. I guess they go out the week of the show. And, yeah, I’m doing it! I must confess to some hair-raising anxiety dreams in the night. That ol’ “Oh, my God, what have I done?” nightmare.
6/22/06 --
Hi Gang,
I just did the voice of an animated cartoon for Paramount, called Dragonlance. Obviously it's a fantasy story, with gods and monsters – (no lesbian subtext). I never felt I nailed animated performance before, so wanted to get a handle on it.
I played a character called "Goldmoon,” a Native American. We played around with accents awhile. I didn't know she was Native A till I got there and so didn't have time to research the accent (not many of those where I come from). More staccato! More comanding! More warm! Less disjointed! . . . Ummm, do you just want me to do Xena? Ahh, yes! That's it, do Xena! The voice is perfect! So warm, so commanding, so . . . yeah, yeah, let's get on with it.
It was actually really fun. At last I have done something my kids can actually watch. My son is gratified that I am not playing a bad guy. He can't stand me going to BSG every day to be mean to humans.
Oh well, it's a living!
L
5/27/06 --
Hi Y'all, still loving Vancouver. This is consistently rated one of the most desirable places in Nth America to live and I can see why. Lots of hiking trails that run steeply up the sides of ski slopes. At first it's shocking how many housefraus and geriatric Canucks are steaming past you up the Grouse Grind, but you can't help being inspired by their athleticism. Man, I wanna be like you when I grow up! The only thing is that they can't help giving you a little dig about stopping to gasp for air at the quarter-way mark, where I'm sure the air is thinnest. "What's the problem, lazy bones!?" I tell them my angina's playing up. I admire them and I hate them at the
same time.
Galactica is running smoothly. I have come to really love the cast and crew. I am done here in August and will move off on my next great adventure, whatever that is. (stay posted).
I have been part of BSG photoshoots for TV Guide and Maxim but don't remember when they are due out: June and Oct respectively(?)
Hope all is great with you,
LL
4/13/06 --
Hi, Everybody!
Thank you so much for all your kind thoughts over the last two months. My beloved Dad is finally on the mend. Yikes, what a ride. I have been watching The Sopranos go through the same thing only in three hours flat.
I am now in Vancouver where we just started shooting BSG. Everyone is fresh and excited. Daisy remarked that they all seem to LOVE their job. They certainly are deservedly proud of it. Peabody award, did you hear?
Thanks, everyone. Ummm, no I am not in Robert Rodriguez' movie. Zoe Bell is the star of Quentin's next movie and they are considering me to play one of her buddies, which of course would be way too much freakin' fun. Zoe took me out for my birthday in Auckland with all the stunties and we had such a wonderful time, I can't tell you. If they did want me for the role, it would be up to BSG whether they could let me go. I do have a couple of eps off so it could conceivably happen. But heck, it's in the lap of the gods.
i also went to Vegas for the Maxim event. The biggest surprrise pairing was Rob and I with Anne Heche and her husband Coley Laffoon. They are my new favourite people ever! (Don't tell Eric and Marissa!) They are so funny, and brave and charming and open. They told us the story of their love affair, we told them ours. We ate phenomenal food at Barlotta in the Wynn hotel and danced like fiends at the Maxim party. It was the first time in 7 years that we went on holiday without the kids. It was just what the doctor ordered. And you know I needed a doctor after that cussing spectacle in NZ on the Holmes show. I think the pressure of pretending in public that everything was just dandy, when it was horrendous, got to me. I went a bit doo-lally (nuts). I became totally dis-inhibited. You guys know that I've never pretended I didn't swear like a sailor, but I usually manage to keep it under wraps a bit better than that. I actually had no recollection that I said, "there's nothing to do but f**k" three times. THREE TIMES! It was supposed to be a joke about the fact that Kalgoorlie had two derelict drive-in cinemas and thirty brothels, but my sick father was not impressed, I can tell you.
On one hand, I think it is good to see how people really are instead of a carefully manicured image. But, I think it's not kind to subject people to foul language, when they haven't signed up for it.
C'est la bleeding vie!
Or should I say, -- C'est la Guerre!
L
3/12/06 --
Good! Morning! Everybody!
As Aunt Daisy, famous NZ radio host of the '30s and'40s, would say. I am absolutely APPALLED at the potty-mouth who wrote the last column under my name! I am here in NZ minding my own business, when I spied the rantings of a dingaling on my web page and decided they had to go. You know I would never cuss in print or in life. But enough of that.
Auckland is beyond lovely this day. The parks, full of sculpture, are bursting with life and the sea is all asparkle. (Surely that's a word. It should be!) I have been here spending time with family before moving to Vancouver for a few months. My kids have forgotten that they ever went to school and are spending all their days barefoot out on the beaches of the wild West Coast. You have to be careful of the rip-tides here, but the surf is pretty fabulous.
I am trying to answer the questions of Battlestar Fans who are worse sticklers for detail than Xena fans ever were. Sooner or later they will twig to the fact that Lucy just doesn't retain certain kinds of information and will stop asking. Phew!
Hope you are having a lot of laughs where you are,
L
2/24/06 --
Okay, that is totally embarrassing! I called it Good Housekeeping party, when it was Ladies Home Journal footing the bill. No wonder the editor kept looking at me blankly when I was thanking Good
Housekeeping for all their support of “Unexpected Dreams” (Eric's album). She must have thought I was really, really ballsy or a complete dingaling. In any case, I knew it was a title which had nothing whatever to do with my lifestyle of complete domestic avoidance. Sheesh, let's just face it: -D-I-N-G-A-L-I-N-G!!
I never can manage to schmooze effectively. I never get educated before a screen test, so I can act like a director's biggest fan. My friend, Marissa, is an evil genius and knows everything about everyone, their filmography, ratings, pay-packet, but I am just a dingaling. I try to tell myself it's my Grace not to be a kiss-ass, but maybe . . . ah who gives a shit, this conversation just got old. I bored myself. Why should I do it to you?
I am thrilled to have been painted by the great, Dave Mack. We knocked around a few ideas and came up with the idea of a totem pole of my family, which is en route to me as we speak. He also did a few studies of me just for the hell of it. I told him all I really wanted to be was a cowboy and he made me look like a total Fox!! . . . in a Brokeback Mountain sort of way. I thought Dave had to be about 50 because of his reputation. I guess I had it in my head these comic strip geniuses were all grey-bearded dudes with ponytails and roll-yer-own fags dangling from their mouths. (Not a Brokeback Mountain pun. Shame on you!) Turns out he was born in 1972 is a yoga-loving Fox in his own right. Check out the website about him davidmackguide.com. It even has photos of him in Aotea Square, Auckland.
Umm, what else? It's Mardi Gras time so spare a thought for all our friends in New Orleans who, Fat Tuesday or not, don't have homes yet. They wanted me to go to New Orleans to help draw attention to the continuing plight of its inhabitants and emergency services personnel, but we have been having a family emergency of our own. As it turns out, the health scare has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the relative in question. It revealed a much bigger problem that, left unchecked, would have been fatal.
As a schlebrity, you get asked to help out a lot, and it is a duty and pleasure to do so. But sometimes your ego gets away on you and you think your job is to “save” people by just showing up to something. You think you should help everyone, everywhere as much as you can, but sometimes you just have to save yourself.
All the same, New Orleans is still a chronic mess and Washington and FEMA need to DO THE RIGHT THING. Say, why not pull out of Iraq and spend that money at home? If we all drove vege-oil cars, we wouldn't need Iraq's fossil fuel, you wankers. And the corn- growing States would be psyched.
That's dingaling philosophy today.
Amen.
L
2/3/06 --
Hi gang!
Thanks for coming to see me at the Xena-con. I felt that Xena has the best, truest fans there are. Thank you for being gentle, forthright and for your compassion. You know, if there's a new Xena comic out, then the brand is being re-invigorated. Why on God's green Earth shouldn't a Xena movie follow? Let's put that out into the universe!
Ummm, so news to date: Yes, I am officially doing Battlestar as of this afternoon. I appear briefly at the end of this month as D'Anna and then there is a lull of I don't know how long. The role should be a doozy, and a whole lot of fun to boot. I really like that cast and crew so much.
I am also talking to someone else about another job right after. Oh, it's so exciting! I finally feel ready to go back to work. Fun, fun, fun in the big city. I'll keep you abreast of developments.
What else can i tell you? My cats are making everybody sneeze. Our dog has his nose very out of joint about them. My daughter has a green mohawk. All the regular stuff.
Going to Grammy party next week and a Good Housekeeping party -- because I just love cleaning house! Actually, it's a party to honour Teri Hatcher being on its cover and she has been gracious enough to use her moment to share the limelight with my good friend Eric Vetro, whose lullaby album is coming out late next month. I thought that was really cool of her. I, and our best friend Marissa Jaret Winokur (Hairspray, Tony award, blah, blah), sing on that album by the way; songs that Eric wrote himself. It's called 'Unexpected Dreams' – I think. Don't ask me, I have a mind like a sieve for details.
So, that's all the news that's fit to print.
Peace.
L
1/12/06 --
I want you guys to know that barring earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes, I’m likely to be doing a 10-episode stint on Battlestar Galactica later this year. I’m not lookiing to guest on other people’s shows per se, but, in this instance, the plot twists and character development proved to be irresistible to me. It won’t get in the way of my doing other projects, but we’ll keep you up to date as things go along.
Lucy
Contents of this webpage ©2013 Lucille F. Lawless/Sharon Delaney
12/3/06
NOTE FROM A HOUSECLEANING SHARON: While I was browsing my files, I found a note from Lucy about her appearance at the Factory that some forgetful gremlin forgot to post. In light of her upcoming Roxy appearance, it seemed appropriate. I also sense another t-shirt in what she wrote <G>
To all the posse who turned up to the Factory and all those that couldn't, but were there in spirit, THANK-YOU!!
It was an awesome evening and one of the most exciting of my life. A special note to the girls fromToronto and as far away as Miami, for all your support. What do I call you, the Posse . . . the Pink-Posse . . . the PinkPossecats?
Man, I tell you, performing on stage is a rip-roaring high. I don't know what else does that. I always flat-line right afterwards and nobody can get boo out of me, but I wake up high as a kite the next day.
I'm still not entirely comfortable up there but I'm getting there. Thanks for your support.
Love to you all,
Lucy
11/25/06
Darlings! I am so excited that so many of you have already bought tickets for the Roxy gig!
I am planning that it will be hot and heavy, so dress appropriately. Make sure you smell good to start with because by the end it's going to be awfully close in there and we don't want to smell like a pack of truckers. I'm debating the merits of stage-diving. So don't stand up the front if you can't support 140 lbs coming at you full force.
You were warned.
L
P.S. I'm including the lyrics to a couple of songs I wrote which I may perform if it feels right.
COWBOY SONG LYRICS
DOWN ON YOUR KNEES LYRICS
11/17/06
To all the Gang!
Thanks for giving my career meaning. You will never know what you have meant to me.
'Feel the Love Day' and the ‘Celebrity Duets Petition’ rocked my world.
Semper Fi,
Lucy L
PURPLE HATS
In honor of women's history month and in memory of Erma Bombeck who lost her fight with cancer. Here is an "angel" sent to watch over you. Pass this on to five women that you want watched over. If you don't know five women to pass this on to, one will do just fine.
IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck_
(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained or the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's" More "I'm sorry's."
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute . . . look at it and really see it. Live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!
Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.
Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with and what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally. I hope you have a blessed day.
If you don't mind, send this on to all the women you are grateful to have as friends. Maybe we should all grab that purple hat earlier. Please send this to five phenomenal women today in celebration of Beautiful Women's Month. If you do, something good will happen -- you will boost another woman's self-esteem.
11/15/06
LUCY ANSWERS SOME BATTLESTAR GALACTICA QUESTIONS:
SD: What did part did Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials play in your discussion with the Battlestar producers?
Lucy: At first I was attracted to the role of D'Anna Biers, because she examines some major philisophical questions about the afterlife, re-incarnation, the nature of God, within and without. These are also central to His Dark Materials. I bought this trilogy up with David Eick in particular, because it's just so darn heretical in parts and it forces you to examine your own beliefs in much the same way as BSG does. Of course you can get away with these musings in fantasy and Sci-fi, but we geeks know there is a whole lot of truth hidden in a good joke.
SD: How did they film the pan around the table, without cuts, where duplicate and triplicate D'Annas, Cavils, etc. are sitting?
Lucy: Smoke and mirrors. This scene took three quarters of the day. You try to plan the shape of your three characters' interactions and plot them according to the motion of the camera. So when the camera hits a certain point, D'Anna1 will shoot D'Anna2 a conspiratorial look and the other will shy away from the look in a different take. So when they knit it all together, it looks as if I am having a conversation with myself. Sometimes I create little scenes like that to keep myself busy during long scenes when I have nothing else to do. I got used to huge plays of triple character action when we did Xena and that was before the new computer editing, so you really had to perform some major, sustained mental gymnastics. I love it.
SD: Six's love of Baltar was the impetus for her to commit the first Cylon on Cylon violence in their history. What does that say about love?
Lucy: Love sux?
SD: Cylons talk a lot about god. Whose god? What god?
Lucy: Now isn't that the question?!
10/19/06
Dear friends,
Well, it's been quite a week!
I'd like to start by thanking the vendors of my photographs who withdrew them for sale after inadvertently buying them from a bad source. Thank-you, chaps. I looked at them and realised that some of them are far from the best. I have much cooler ones to come. I am excited about them.
I am trying to arrange a show early next year in LA. It's taking shape. I'm thinking duelling blues songs and will announce my opponent as things develop. But it will be a rockin' evening when it happens. Honestly, I can see it and hear it. I get a knot of excitement in my stomach when I think about it. That only happens to me when something is as good as real. Will keep you posted.
On the personal front, we are supporting a dear friend in making the transition from this life into the next. I guess the main thing is for her to be comfortable, to feel heard, to feel that her wishes are respected and that she can voice her anger, fears, gratitude and love. I told her that it will just be a breath before we are all together again. I don't know why I even say these things, they just kind of fall out of me. But I reckon that's what it will seem like on the other side, barely a moment will pass and her doorbell will ring as we file in one by one looking for a party. She's just going ahead of us to prepare a room. I'd ask her to make up a bed, if I didn't think she'd tell me to go to hell.
We are trying to have as many laughs as we can fit in a day.
Be generous with your love, it all comes back.
Love,
Lucy
10/11/06
Hello!
I'm a little distressed that someone has gotten hold of my photos and is passing them off as their property for sale. Any disco photos of me with the long blonde hair are ONLY the property of the photographer, Darrell Redleaf. I have done no others. Darrell is a dear friend, my erstwhile make-up artist -- he even painted me for
Duets. This photoshoot was his debut as a photographer. Please don't help criminals rip him and me off. They were due for use on the Pleasuredome project and my own music cd, so I am really pissed at anyone who illegally accessed them and is distributing them. That's just sleazy.
I will send you a preview of the shoot and we will make beautiful prints available for sale so that the photographer gets a payment. Please note that I will never sign a bootlegged copy. Legitimate prints will only come via this fanclub and are copyrighted.
Thanks for calling our attention to this, guys!
Love,
Lucy
10/1/06
Guys, thanks for keeping me in the show till the end! It was such a blast. I am so happy that I got to choose the last song and do it my way (with a little help from my friends!).
Somebody said they felt they had let me down by not dialling quicker/with more phones. Imagine if you hadn't all gone out on such a limb for me! Would I have made it past the third round? Possibly not. Don't worry your pretty head about it! I feel so proud of myself and so grateful to you all. It's not often that I say I feel proud of myself. It has been a long time since I was engaged in anything that challenged me as much as this. Plus I got to be mentored by the best in the business. Every one of those singing stars and judges taught me something that none of the others could and at exactly the right time. They have helped evolve me as a performer. Talk about being on the fast track. I truly feel that the universe is unfolding just the way it should.
To whit: Alfonso sang like an angel. He is a wonderful man with a wonderful charity. He wanted it. He wanted it more than anything and now Fresh Start, his charity, is going to be able to help a dozen or more children with severe deformities get the corrective surgery that will enable them to rise above the poverty-stricken circumstances into which they were born. It is hard enough to grow up poor with normal features.
I am so proud of Alfonso and all of the contestants who had the brass to get on that stage in the first place. The Duets producers will likely struggle next time to find 8 contestants whose motives are so pure. Our gang recognised from the start what an honour it was to share the stage with these legends and wasn't calculating what the show might do for their careers. After all, the show was a complete unknown quantity. It could have been a big flop. So our desire to learn and enjoy the opportunity had to outweigh calculations of net-worth, so to speak.
Eleanor Roosevelt was right, definitely do something every day which scares you. Courage is certainly not the absence of fear. Before I got on stage last night to sing “Tell Mama,” I had a total panic attack. After the opening number, my throat was so dry in the cold air of that studio that I began to cough. In my anxiety I began to hack up phlegm until I gagged. Marissa was telling me to calm down and drink warm water. I knew it was a case of mind over matter. Between Hal's song and mine there was an ad-break and, mercifully, Smokey and Gladys sang a duet. That gave me time to imagine my vocal chords melting like honey, relax my throat and run through an old hymn that I loved as a kid which always calms me down. It's funny how singing the 14th psalm can enable me to go out and be bad-ass. What's up with that?
Thanks for the flowers, you crazy chicks! (You know who you are!)
Thanks for the signs, the RSI in your dialling fingers, thanks for being the greatest fans in the world!
Love always,
Steeeeellllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
9/26/06
I was so shocked at Jai's leaving that I made myself sick. I had to spend a day in bed. That's what happens when you sing with a great Diva, huh? There's no room for anyone but her on the stage and let's face it, try to fight back against Patti LaBelle and you're shooting with blanks! But I have to say, I am sooooo thankful to last one more week coz this week is going to be a doozy!!! I am really doing backflips over my next two artists. One is a returned artist and one is one of the greatest anthems of the 80's sung by the original artist. She is unforgettable in her own right. I cannot believe I am getting to share a stage with her! For the record, Hal is truly one of the best fellas I ever met. I'm not kidding you. He is so genuine, he's stuck on go but since I have a son like that, it doesn't faze me in the least. He is non-judgmental, sincere and bloody funny. Alphonso is my hero, who saves my neck every time I fail to come in on my line. He thinks like a director, always three steps ahead. I can count on him to bail my sorry ass out of a sticky situation and laugh about it. Love him!
Too good, Too good!
Love,
Stelllllllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
9/25/06
LUCY ANSWERS 10 FAN CELEBRITY DUET QUESTIONS
1. Has it been hard for you to relax?
Yes. The first two weeks were difficult because my family was away and though it gave me a lot of time to concentrate, there was no one at the end of the day to take care of. I had no one to think about but myself. In the end, I found it rather unpleasant. I took my Sharper Image back massager to work and have been thrilling my colleagues with it in the make-up room. We are all feeling more relaxed and loved these days.
2. When was it that you felt the most "yourself" while performing?
I felt the most “myself” with Smokey Robinson the first week. Perhaps this was because I could not “play a role” in his presence. He was just too much of a superstar in my mind for me to get to that place of I-don't-give-a-damn that stage singing requires.
3. When did you have the most fun?
The most fun was last week with Richard Marx singing “Should'a Known Better.” Richard was the first one who acted like I was his equal. The guy just doesn't have any baggage at all. He's from Chicago, which seems some kind of an explanation. Love those Midwest folks! I'm going to take that feeling with me everywhere. Thanks, man.
4. What would be your dream song to sing and with which female icon would you like to do a duet?
I'm doing it this week!
5. Has participating in Celebrity Duets affected your attitude toward singing professionally or any ambitions you might have had in that direction? Would you like to cut an album?
Dang, you know it kind of has. Would I give up acting for singing? Before this week, I would have said, “No way.” Now . . . ? I possibly would. I did produce a couple of songs with friends last year, but got so busy with acting, it kind of went by the wayside. Hmmmm. Will keep you posted.
6. What is the hardest thing you feel you do in your preparation and performing?
The hardest thing is conquering your panic. Wynonna said, "Just show up and wait for God to walk in the room." I swear that works! The panic is just your ego. It ain't you and it ain't God. You have to
treat your ego like a yapping, whiny little dog that your grandma
left you. I like to tell it that I'm just going out on stage for a little while and it can wait in the dressing room. It won't be forever, I'll be back for it in, let's say, 15 minutes. Every week I get better at what I'm doing. How could you not improve when you are being mentored by some of the best performers in the world?!
7. Do you have a specific genre you prefer singing, like country, blues or jazz?
Kind of shocked how much I like rock or rather how much rock seems to like me. Haven't been given the opportunity to sing country. Blues is coming up!
8. Similarities/differences between preparing for acting and preparing for singing?
In both cases you prepare as much as possible beforehand, then go out on the stage and forget all about it! I'm not kidding. You can't act if you are trying to hit certain notes that you penned in your script earlier. That's about as spontaneous as paint-by-numbers and will fail to move your audience. It seems to me that my performances are changing because I am willing to have less and less control over the output.
9. Of the three judges -- Marie, Little Richard and David -- which one has given you the most constructive criticism?
Marie is the most consistently constructive, though I have gleaned
some important little nuggets from both David and Little Richard. Sometimes the criticism is just petty, which works just as well. Sometimes I want to say, "Don't make me turn all Xena on you, Marie.” Even Little Richard, if indeed that is his real name, thought I would be voted off last week. Between you and me, there is a savage little animal that lives in my breast and no amount of music will soothe that. It's coming atcha little Richard!
10. What lessons will you take away from this experience?
This has been a great lesson in courage, to take your career in your
own hands, though others think they know what's best for you. I have never had so much fun in all my life. I feel so proud to still be
here after 5 weeks.
I am learning to get back to a time and place when singing was an expresssion of joy and freedom and not a nightmare. I have not felt this good about singing since I was playing Nellie Forbush in South Pacific at the age of 16. Since that time, any singing I have done has been more therapy than pleasure.
I have learned about the nature and depth of my fans and how much they love the Earth, themselves and me. I thank them for their undying support. Semper Fi.
Always Yours,
Lucy L
9/18/06
Okay, I feel totally sick. The other night, I left out some people vital to my Duets evolution.
Judah Miller is the awesome guy who hand-picked off the rack some of my most show-stopping frocks. He has an unerring sense of taste and ought to be gay, except that he's marrying my best friend in three weeks. Maybe he is, what do I know?
Rickey Minor is the musical director who guides the direction of the show and has charted the course of my larnin'. Can't help lovin' dat guy!
Dorian Holley, the set-side vocal coach, is trying to get me to open my darn mouth and troubleshoots all our performances. Thanks, D!
Travis Payne is our choreographer and a huge part of my confidence.
Michael Orland, the best friend a singer could have, plays the piano in one key whilst reading the music in another key altogether. Such a genius and the guy Eric Vetro called the wittiest man on the planet.
And of course Sharon Delaney, without whom the fans would have no access to me. It is she that pokes, prods, cajoles and bullies me to break away from the little dirt track of my mind onto the superhighway of information to service my fans in some way. It's not that I wouldn't want to. I just don't have the skill set to contribute appropriately. Without her guidance, expertise and generosity of spirit, Lucy would be as remote as a Dwarf-star, formerly known as Xena. One of the most important jobs she is doing this month, in addition to her real job, is shepherding our precious guests into hard-won seats. We have some friends going through some pretty harsh medical treatments who need not to be standing in long lines. Some of them were turned away the first week due to over-crowding despite having tickets. The show was gate-crashed by industry insiders. My poor little housekeeper had bought a new dress and everything, so excited was she. Sharon has made sure these very special friends get the consideration they deserve and I thank her for it.
I am meeting my next artist tomorrow. One of the proposed songs has been canned. Drat. Would have been a tear-jerker. Evidently it can never be sung because the person who made it famous died and the artist cannot bear for it to be sung by anyone else. My recipe for happiness is to never spend one second moping for something I can't have. No wonder I am so unsentimental. (Yet wonderfully flexible!)
Love always,
Lucy-Lou
aka. Stellllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaa!
9/16/06
Oh, Baby! Thanks a mil for your support tonight. I didn't hear the telecast as I was out with Jai having our first martini in many moons, but we saw it in a bar in West Hollywood and it looked darn fine. We got up and boogied down to Alphonso and Denise, surely the nicest woman on the Earth, and rocked out to Hal. Boy, what a shock when Carly went, eh?! We were NOT expecting that! On the other hand, a nuclear bomb couldn't dislodge my little cucuracha, Cheech, from his stoner throne. I hope Carly sees this as a triumph, not a failing. After all, you can't win a gold your first time out, right? She did so well and we are all so proud of her.
I have many people to thank for putting me up on that stage every week. From my biggest fan, Rob Tapert, to the production team, my lovely (Tony-award-winning) assistant, Marissa Jaret Winokur, vocal coach, Eric Vetro, Hair and Make-up, Craig Gangi and Darrell Redleaf. And how can I forget the man who designed my frocks, Alek Adorian? Every one a winner! Plus Lorelei, my boob-wrangler, who sews bras into my gowns and Warden O'Neill and his team in the costume dept of Duets. You can see why this is such a team effort!
All of whom vote for me in many ways, but my greatest thanks is to the hundreds, maybe thousands of fans at home who have shown me their fiercest loyalty over the years, through thick and thin. I love you and honor you all the days of my life. You know who you are, best love and gratitude,
Lucy
P.S. Did you notice that I got Xena up on that stage tonight?
9/9/06
Dear Friends,
Thanks for your unbridled support! I can feel it flowing in from Florida to Vancouver. Finally the song "Wind beneath my Wings” makes sense to me. Please God, don't make me sing it. I don't like it THAT much.
I had the time of my life last night, as you may have noticed. Stella finally got her groove back! (Me Stella.)
Kenny Loggins is one of the most generous people in the world and with his support and friendship I managed to pull out all the stops. He spent time with me helping me find “my voice.” Truly a great guy. I actually had an epiphany yesterday two or three hours before the show. I remembered that the main prize of this show is to give $100,000 to charity. The charity aspect sent my ego flying out the window and freed me up to go out there and shake my groove thing. (I'm doin' it for the children y'all!)
That ego is a horrible, controlling little monster. It makes you afraid to fail, to the point that you become fixated on protecting yourself and sabotage the whole experience. Then Wynonna told me her pal Bono said, "Just show up and wait for God to walk in the room." That made all the sense in the world to me. It meant I didn't have to DO anything. That I was enough just as I am. And it let me just go out on stage without any anxiety. It all felt so effortless. So much so that I went out right after to the Aretha Franklin tribute at the Kodak theatre afterwards. The night before, after the Thursday show, I would not have had the energy. I went home and blubbed uncontrollably over the Diane Sawyer story about babies born to widows of 9/11 victims. I think it was a combination of poignant story and frayed nerves from trying too hard. I felt I had peaked too soon in the day and had wasted all my performance energy by the dress rehearsal. I now realise how important it is to pace yourself. In any case, when they showed the little babies faces next to their Dads', and I saw how alike they were and knew how much those men wanted to raise and love those kids, I fell to pieces.
This week I am singing with another veritable legend. How did I get here? This is too amazing. Can't wait to find out who everybody else got.
Wynonna and Clint Black are hysterically funny people. Clint is highly intelligent, witty and wry. Marissa had an enormous crush on him. His wife Lisa Hartman Black was there and she looks like a great gal, which doesn't surprise me in the least. And that Wynonna is truly Xena with a guitar! I just wanted to hang out in the tent where she was, to breathe the same air, despite the shrieks of protestation from Mama Rose to get back to my darn dressing room.
You don't get any time to rest on your laurels, though. Just when you think you've earned a weekend, they tell you your call time for the next day is bright and early. This juggernaut doesn't stop rolling. Gotta get fit for it.
Lots of love and thanks,
Lucy
9/1/06
Hi, Gang!
Thanks for all your good vibes for last night. I have to say that it was one of the most joyous experiences of my life. I never for one second thought I would even meet Smokey Robinson, let alone sing with him. I really tried to pay attention and breathe him in so as not to miss a thing. He was the main reason I came on the show in the first place. Even if I were to get voted off next week, I can only say THANK-YOU!!
I really love the crowd I am working with. The Duets Production team are great fun to be around because they love what they do. The other contestants are wonderful and very supportive of one another. I think there is a growing sense of camaraderie now that we realise the Russian roulette nature of this gig. I think we all thought that we were in a Broadway show of sorts where everyone is vital to the whole and you become a real community. Of course, on Duets one of us is publicly eviscerated. Terminated, even. God, we felt sick last night when we lost Chris Jericho. Everyone loved him and it was a shock when he got kicked off the playground.
Yep, we definitely have the feeling that we are facing extinction and need to hang together. Yikes. Now it's in the hands of the audience.
At least we have broken the ice by getting the first show out of the way. Things should be a little more fun from here out. The anxiety of the build-up to last night's show means that I have to have a wee collapse. Marissa says there's always payback for that kind of adrenaline rush. She ought to know. She is my Mama Rose. She is like the mother in Gypsy and tells me to stop talking coz I'm no damn good to her if I can't sing next week. She says, "Oh, you're going to do this! You're going to do it and do it well, cuz it's all FOR ME! FOR ME!! FOR MEEEEEEE!!!!"
She's insane, as you know, but she's so darn kitsch, I just can't bear to throw her out. It's a little bit like having a motion-sensor Little Richard doll on your bookshelf that you forget about and it scares the crap out of you every time you go to the loo in the night. Holy Cow, they are going to be in $2 Stores all over the world by Xmas. The Little Richards not the Marissas. She's very high end.
These judges, let's face it, are great television. They are genuinely nutty and you can't imagine what they are going to say next. I do not believe they are encouraged to be wacky, they just are.
Hooray for everything!
Love,
Lucy
8/22/06 --
Hi All!
The Duets prep is coming along. We are all having a great time. There was a heap of press the other day for myriad outlets, even CNN, which i was particularly excited about. I guess it's part of the I-can't-believe-this-is-happening-to-me phenomenon. Indeed the other day, when I got another pleasant surprise on the show, I had to ask myself whether I had had a stroke. Was I simply imagining the whole scenario? It's all beyond my wildest dreams.
Today I did something with Access Hollywood. They followed me to a voice lesson at Eric's and recorded twenty minutes of unusable banter, like . . .
"La-la-la-la . . ."
"Now, go up the scale, holding your tongue and gesture with your free hand."
"How's this gesture, Bud?"
"Ooooh, what a lovely gesture! Ev'ry inch a lady."
"Well, enough about you, Eric . . ."
etc, etc, etc..
I have found out my two singing partners for the two-hour opening night and which songs we will sing. I am so excited, I can't tell ya! More tomorrow.
Love,
Lucy
8/13/06 -- (conversation between Sharon and Lucy)
Lucy’s yelling at me.
I’m not yelling I just forbid you to ever write “Here she be” on our
website. “you sound like an old Pirate!”
What’s wrong with old pirates? A recent old pirate made 300 illion bucks!
Buccaneers? What the hell does that have to do with anything? You can’t sound like a fool, foo’!
You’re besmirching my fine Irish pirate heritage!
Besmirch? Is that even a word?
It’s a fine word used by old farts who say “here ye be.” See, I got it on the page. Ha ha ha
Damn you, Red Baron!
With my trusty sidekick Snoopy who will now fill us in on the latest hot news. You’re up Snoopy.
I told you not to call me ‘Snoopy’ in public.
What’s the latest on Duets, Snoop?
Well, I did two interviews this week. One for Associated Press and one for TV Guide. I guess they go out the week of the show. And, yeah, I’m doing it! I must confess to some hair-raising anxiety dreams in the night. That ol’ “Oh, my God, what have I done?” nightmare.
6/22/06 --
Hi Gang,
I just did the voice of an animated cartoon for Paramount, called Dragonlance. Obviously it's a fantasy story, with gods and monsters – (no lesbian subtext). I never felt I nailed animated performance before, so wanted to get a handle on it.
I played a character called "Goldmoon,” a Native American. We played around with accents awhile. I didn't know she was Native A till I got there and so didn't have time to research the accent (not many of those where I come from). More staccato! More comanding! More warm! Less disjointed! . . . Ummm, do you just want me to do Xena? Ahh, yes! That's it, do Xena! The voice is perfect! So warm, so commanding, so . . . yeah, yeah, let's get on with it.
It was actually really fun. At last I have done something my kids can actually watch. My son is gratified that I am not playing a bad guy. He can't stand me going to BSG every day to be mean to humans.
Oh well, it's a living!
L
5/27/06 --
Hi Y'all, still loving Vancouver. This is consistently rated one of the most desirable places in Nth America to live and I can see why. Lots of hiking trails that run steeply up the sides of ski slopes. At first it's shocking how many housefraus and geriatric Canucks are steaming past you up the Grouse Grind, but you can't help being inspired by their athleticism. Man, I wanna be like you when I grow up! The only thing is that they can't help giving you a little dig about stopping to gasp for air at the quarter-way mark, where I'm sure the air is thinnest. "What's the problem, lazy bones!?" I tell them my angina's playing up. I admire them and I hate them at the
same time.
Galactica is running smoothly. I have come to really love the cast and crew. I am done here in August and will move off on my next great adventure, whatever that is. (stay posted).
I have been part of BSG photoshoots for TV Guide and Maxim but don't remember when they are due out: June and Oct respectively(?)
Hope all is great with you,
LL
4/13/06 --
Hi, Everybody!
Thank you so much for all your kind thoughts over the last two months. My beloved Dad is finally on the mend. Yikes, what a ride. I have been watching The Sopranos go through the same thing only in three hours flat.
I am now in Vancouver where we just started shooting BSG. Everyone is fresh and excited. Daisy remarked that they all seem to LOVE their job. They certainly are deservedly proud of it. Peabody award, did you hear?
Thanks, everyone. Ummm, no I am not in Robert Rodriguez' movie. Zoe Bell is the star of Quentin's next movie and they are considering me to play one of her buddies, which of course would be way too much freakin' fun. Zoe took me out for my birthday in Auckland with all the stunties and we had such a wonderful time, I can't tell you. If they did want me for the role, it would be up to BSG whether they could let me go. I do have a couple of eps off so it could conceivably happen. But heck, it's in the lap of the gods.
i also went to Vegas for the Maxim event. The biggest surprrise pairing was Rob and I with Anne Heche and her husband Coley Laffoon. They are my new favourite people ever! (Don't tell Eric and Marissa!) They are so funny, and brave and charming and open. They told us the story of their love affair, we told them ours. We ate phenomenal food at Barlotta in the Wynn hotel and danced like fiends at the Maxim party. It was the first time in 7 years that we went on holiday without the kids. It was just what the doctor ordered. And you know I needed a doctor after that cussing spectacle in NZ on the Holmes show. I think the pressure of pretending in public that everything was just dandy, when it was horrendous, got to me. I went a bit doo-lally (nuts). I became totally dis-inhibited. You guys know that I've never pretended I didn't swear like a sailor, but I usually manage to keep it under wraps a bit better than that. I actually had no recollection that I said, "there's nothing to do but f**k" three times. THREE TIMES! It was supposed to be a joke about the fact that Kalgoorlie had two derelict drive-in cinemas and thirty brothels, but my sick father was not impressed, I can tell you.
On one hand, I think it is good to see how people really are instead of a carefully manicured image. But, I think it's not kind to subject people to foul language, when they haven't signed up for it.
C'est la bleeding vie!
Or should I say, -- C'est la Guerre!
L
3/12/06 --
Good! Morning! Everybody!
As Aunt Daisy, famous NZ radio host of the '30s and'40s, would say. I am absolutely APPALLED at the potty-mouth who wrote the last column under my name! I am here in NZ minding my own business, when I spied the rantings of a dingaling on my web page and decided they had to go. You know I would never cuss in print or in life. But enough of that.
Auckland is beyond lovely this day. The parks, full of sculpture, are bursting with life and the sea is all asparkle. (Surely that's a word. It should be!) I have been here spending time with family before moving to Vancouver for a few months. My kids have forgotten that they ever went to school and are spending all their days barefoot out on the beaches of the wild West Coast. You have to be careful of the rip-tides here, but the surf is pretty fabulous.
I am trying to answer the questions of Battlestar Fans who are worse sticklers for detail than Xena fans ever were. Sooner or later they will twig to the fact that Lucy just doesn't retain certain kinds of information and will stop asking. Phew!
Hope you are having a lot of laughs where you are,
L
2/24/06 --
Okay, that is totally embarrassing! I called it Good Housekeeping party, when it was Ladies Home Journal footing the bill. No wonder the editor kept looking at me blankly when I was thanking Good
Housekeeping for all their support of “Unexpected Dreams” (Eric's album). She must have thought I was really, really ballsy or a complete dingaling. In any case, I knew it was a title which had nothing whatever to do with my lifestyle of complete domestic avoidance. Sheesh, let's just face it: -D-I-N-G-A-L-I-N-G!!
I never can manage to schmooze effectively. I never get educated before a screen test, so I can act like a director's biggest fan. My friend, Marissa, is an evil genius and knows everything about everyone, their filmography, ratings, pay-packet, but I am just a dingaling. I try to tell myself it's my Grace not to be a kiss-ass, but maybe . . . ah who gives a shit, this conversation just got old. I bored myself. Why should I do it to you?
I am thrilled to have been painted by the great, Dave Mack. We knocked around a few ideas and came up with the idea of a totem pole of my family, which is en route to me as we speak. He also did a few studies of me just for the hell of it. I told him all I really wanted to be was a cowboy and he made me look like a total Fox!! . . . in a Brokeback Mountain sort of way. I thought Dave had to be about 50 because of his reputation. I guess I had it in my head these comic strip geniuses were all grey-bearded dudes with ponytails and roll-yer-own fags dangling from their mouths. (Not a Brokeback Mountain pun. Shame on you!) Turns out he was born in 1972 is a yoga-loving Fox in his own right. Check out the website about him davidmackguide.com. It even has photos of him in Aotea Square, Auckland.
Umm, what else? It's Mardi Gras time so spare a thought for all our friends in New Orleans who, Fat Tuesday or not, don't have homes yet. They wanted me to go to New Orleans to help draw attention to the continuing plight of its inhabitants and emergency services personnel, but we have been having a family emergency of our own. As it turns out, the health scare has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the relative in question. It revealed a much bigger problem that, left unchecked, would have been fatal.
As a schlebrity, you get asked to help out a lot, and it is a duty and pleasure to do so. But sometimes your ego gets away on you and you think your job is to “save” people by just showing up to something. You think you should help everyone, everywhere as much as you can, but sometimes you just have to save yourself.
All the same, New Orleans is still a chronic mess and Washington and FEMA need to DO THE RIGHT THING. Say, why not pull out of Iraq and spend that money at home? If we all drove vege-oil cars, we wouldn't need Iraq's fossil fuel, you wankers. And the corn- growing States would be psyched.
That's dingaling philosophy today.
Amen.
L
2/3/06 --
Hi gang!
Thanks for coming to see me at the Xena-con. I felt that Xena has the best, truest fans there are. Thank you for being gentle, forthright and for your compassion. You know, if there's a new Xena comic out, then the brand is being re-invigorated. Why on God's green Earth shouldn't a Xena movie follow? Let's put that out into the universe!
Ummm, so news to date: Yes, I am officially doing Battlestar as of this afternoon. I appear briefly at the end of this month as D'Anna and then there is a lull of I don't know how long. The role should be a doozy, and a whole lot of fun to boot. I really like that cast and crew so much.
I am also talking to someone else about another job right after. Oh, it's so exciting! I finally feel ready to go back to work. Fun, fun, fun in the big city. I'll keep you abreast of developments.
What else can i tell you? My cats are making everybody sneeze. Our dog has his nose very out of joint about them. My daughter has a green mohawk. All the regular stuff.
Going to Grammy party next week and a Good Housekeeping party -- because I just love cleaning house! Actually, it's a party to honour Teri Hatcher being on its cover and she has been gracious enough to use her moment to share the limelight with my good friend Eric Vetro, whose lullaby album is coming out late next month. I thought that was really cool of her. I, and our best friend Marissa Jaret Winokur (Hairspray, Tony award, blah, blah), sing on that album by the way; songs that Eric wrote himself. It's called 'Unexpected Dreams' – I think. Don't ask me, I have a mind like a sieve for details.
So, that's all the news that's fit to print.
Peace.
L
1/12/06 --
I want you guys to know that barring earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes, I’m likely to be doing a 10-episode stint on Battlestar Galactica later this year. I’m not lookiing to guest on other people’s shows per se, but, in this instance, the plot twists and character development proved to be irresistible to me. It won’t get in the way of my doing other projects, but we’ll keep you up to date as things go along.
Lucy
Contents of this webpage ©2013 Lucille F. Lawless/Sharon Delaney