Quick DFW
It’s no joke – Vilanch to host parade
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
IAN McCANN & BRANDON FORMBY ORIENTATIONS
You’ve all laughed at Bruce Vilanch’s work, whether you’ve known it or not. (You do watch the Oscars, yes?) Next week, we’ll celebrate Pride with him.
The writer/actor/comedian/fill-in-the-blank says he’s ready for his role as honorary grand marshal of the Sept. 17 Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade, having practiced a beauty queen wave for the drive down Cedar Springs Road to Lee Park.
But don’t be surprised to see him without what was once his trademark beard – he shaved it off a few years ago (on Live with Regis and Kelly –”I was afraid of shaving it off alone”) for his stint touring and on Broadway as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray – and it hasn’t been back since.
“Enough people told me I look younger without it,” Vilanch says. “When they say that in Hollywood, you don’t change. You’re not allowed to look older here.”
Vilanch (right) has done one-man shows, a documentary (1999’s Get Bruce) and regular TV game show appearances. He’s written for countless Academy Awards and has worked on the Tonys, the Grammys, the Emmys, the American Comedy Awards, the World Music Awards, the People’s Choice Awards … you get the picture.
There are few left in show biz who haven’t worked with Vilanch or spoken a Bruce Vilanch line.
“I’m down to Dakota Fanning,” he says. “They just let her into the Academy – she’s not old enough to see the movies yet, but she’ll be able to vote on them.”
Vilanch has already been to Dallas once this year, headlining Cathedral of Hope’s “There’s No Place Like Hope” fundraiser in July. And what does the Hollywood set think of our humble city? Not just J.R. and the rest of the Ewings, right?
“They mostly think of it as a place to change planes,” Vilanch says. “I think of big oil and big money. But the audiences are great there, and you can tell there’s money. It’s the home of Neiman Marcus – where the legend of Needless Markup was born.”
Send prideful thoughts to imccann@quickdfw.com and bformby@quickdfw.com.
