the year of 3's.

 this week's been super awesome.
1. ulcers
2. car accident - doesn't look bad, but the alignment made it undrivable.
3. some seedy neighbor signed for a very expensive package - stolen.

it's pretty obvious that las vegas is ready for my departure.......
which, added to other annoyances (including packing) has made me very happy to see 2011 in the distance.

here i am sandwiched between two very fragrant tow truck drivers.

i told them i'd sit middle console because lap sitting just wasn't in the cards. 

i'm smiling but crying and holding my breath on the inside. 

as i was feeling sorry/annoyed for myself , i received the most glorious card from bestie, dhyana. 

i just need to write it here because she certainly has better perspective than i do on this year.

natalie, 

they say that good things happen in 3's. 

this year you've

turned the big 3-0, 

made your 3'rd run on broadway, 

and been a member of a fine trio of ladies 

[ the 3 jersey girls ]

maybe there was some heartbreak amongst all those triumphs but 

with 2012, it's a new year with new and infinite possibilities. 

as you stand on stage this week saying goodbye to 

jersey boys 

and 

las vegas

and 

2011

think about all the wonderful things that await you. 

have a great final show. 

xo D

yeah... what she said. 

may you have a safe and blessed new year and 

great friends who remind you of the goodness in 2011. 

a very MARY (delgado) Christmas to you!

 Christmas was festive with lots of parties in vegas...

i even hung out with an idol and a former playboy mansion inhabitant 

(who is lovely and fun-btw)

here's a random sampling from my instagram page:

travis-one of my "frankies"- hosted  a party at his house where the boys all randomly wore plaid snap-downs....

 and i took a pic with my two husbands, graham and travis. it's a frankie sandwich!
(voices of angels)

 i visited a christmas tree with my new buddy pals whom i met at the park and became fast friends (bible).
naturally, the a las vegas christmas tree is completely without anything tree-like and full of glittery lights.

 i posed as teresa giudice  (prostitution! WHORE!!).

 on christmas eve, we had 2 shows (bah humbug!) so i hit in-n-out on my way to work...
my corsets were not happy with my #2.

 my secret santa really took great care of me.... loads of presents and bras and g-strings and tights neath the tree.

 have yourself a very MARY Christmas!

 the next am, at the crack of dawn, stella and i hopped a flight to utah for the day.
in true hill family fashion, the second i stepped off the plane, i was raced home to throw on a dress, handed a piece of bizarrely harmonized music and told to sight sing in church.....
i'm pretty sure it sounded dreadful but what do you people expect! 3 part harmony unrehearsed?!
par for the course with this group.

 stella lives for my dad. here she's modeling her new michael j fox puffy vest that m & d gave her over her jammies and dad appears to be clutching the torah.
close, it's a genealogy chart that kara (the official grandma-she LOVES puzzles and family history) gave him.

 my ocd BIL re-spooled all the ribbons & they looked grand.

 somebody actually went to the trouble to knit (or hired some poor starving person in a developing country) this lovely sprite koozie. because nothing says Christmas quite like warm sprite?!
whyyyyy?!

and ali found this neat-o fizz keeper so we put that warm sprite to work and had shirley temples on tap.


i will say, i DID feel the spirit of Christmas when i sang in church-
(by the way, NEVER EVER ask me to sing in church, your funeral/wedding/any special occasion where i could be touched or moved.... because when i feel things, i just cry. it's my go-to.
sorry. not sorry. )

so that's my random christmas and my bizarre commentary.

were you naughty or did santa bring you something nice? - direct quote from my acupuncturist..... gross. for the record, no man should say that to any girl of any age. creeper.

 { blerg } i've been trying to post christmas pictures, car accident pictures, etc... for days but blogger won't recognized the newest imports to my iphoto.....

still working on it....

hold tight...

what are you doing new years eve?

one of my favorite songs of all time...
and now one of my favorite versions...

so really, what are you doing? and who is holding you tight?

a weekend entitled "subtle lips"

 the brightest bit about living in sin city is the constant influx of visitors.
subsy and her mom & sis visited me  a few wks ago where celebrated subsy's birth by eating dinner + fried oreos @ lavo.

 miss emily showing her texas baton skills with a lavo breadsticks

 brunch at simon, naturally....

 with an extra large cotton candy
which always makes my kidneys hurt...

 "mean reds"

 subs bought those ridiculous stick on lip thingys- which were bizarre and hard to put on

 but provided us with tear-inducing laughs
(which doesn't really say much considering we could have fun with a cardboard box.
i honestly think our sleepover approximate age is roughly 13 yrs old)

 and made me look like a disco queen/blow up doll.

i love my friend.
thanks for visiting, subs!

merry little christmases now and all that...

4 yr old pic of stellie and me by sussy

have you ever heard the original lyrics to "have yourself a merry little christmas?"

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last,
Next year we may all be living in the past
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, pop that champagne cork,
Next year we will all be living in New York.

No good times like the olden days, happy golden days of yore,
Faithful friends who were dear to us, will be near to us no more.

But at least we all will be together, if the Fates allow,
From now on we'll have to muddle through somehow.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

depressing, no?

 but i DO like the lyric, "next year we all will be living in new york."

when i was around 8 or 9, i duped my mom into telling me that santa wasn't real. 

i'll never forget it. 

we had gone to crossroads plaza in SLC to attend the nordstrom (half-yearly/ anniversary??) sale. the children's department felt immense to me at that age. 

just dozens of giant rounders stuffed with clothes- an ideal place to play and hide if only it was appropriate. 

i truly believed santa was real but i had heard whisperings at school. Not wanting to be the last to know, i decided i'd fish it out of my mom. 

i scooted around the party dresses and said, "everyone at school knows that santa isn't real."

mom: "oh! you found out?"

cue crushed spirit and massive heartbreak. 

that christmas felt like a giant hoax. i wanted to tell my sisters -not for the justice of knowing, but cause if my christmas was going to be hell, i wanted to ruin EVERYONE ELSES! (i was 8... with a vindictive streak, obviously)

not since that wretched christmas have i found the season so empty. 

sure, i've spent many holidays away from my family, but was always surrounded by great friends and a lovely environment. and even though i DO get to skip to utah for 24 hrs on christmas day (yaaay!), it just doesn't feel like christmas....

i know the spirit of christmas begins with me- yadda, yadda, yadda....

 i've done the work! i'm not a slacker!

i've read about the Christ child, i've sung carols, i've done it all.... still nothing. ugh. 

christmas is home & snow & cold & nyc lights & hot cocoa @ rockefeller center & deer valley & family & puzzles & gingersnaps & homespun nativity spectaculars & christmas markets & love. 

so much love. 

but i'm feeling very alone in this palm tree place. 

i'm sure some of you are in the same boat... and instead of being all cheery and sappy, i'm telling you, i feel your pain. i get it. 

but enough of that. let's look forward to future christmases? 

ok... i'm gonna cheer up with the revised lyrics to "have yourself a merry little christmas"... especially this verse:

through the years

we all will be together

if the {Lord} allows

Hang a shining star 

upon the highest bar and

have yourself a merry little Christmas now. 

here's to next year... here's to christmas's that won't always feel like this and here's to choosing to have a merrier christmas NOW. 

oooh, and have you seen the 2011 Hill Family Christmas card? 

for the record, i was not entirely behind it but i was out voted:

check it out on sussy's blog

*also, sorry about the font eye offense---blogger is messsssed up right now...

happy hanukkah, chickens!

photo of my dreidels by sussy

girlfriends, loyalty and the ex-factor

girls are (generally) pretty loyal to their species...
i've definitely deflected a man's attention when one of my gals have previously expressed interest in that gentleman....

but why?

just because my gal feels a twitter about a certain male--even when he doesn't return her affection,  should i keep myself from a possible love connection just because that man is spoken for?

on the flip side,

i once entertained a gentleman. he was beyond lovely, but i didn't feel a spark. we hung out a lot, but kissed only one time and i set the record straight.
i DID, however, have stomach fireworks with his roommate.... and he returned the affection but wouldn't step on the toes of man #1  and didn't....for YEARS. i felt it was horribly unfair to brand me especially when his friends were so terribly eligible and date-worthy.

but there does need to be some loyalty, no?

after my annulment, i found solace in a girlfriend who didn't know my former husband. she was a great shoulder to cry on and helped me in many a time in need.
six months later, when i was doing a west side story in chicago, she went radio silent. a few months later, she called me and told me she'd been dating my former husband- in fact, she had sought him out- and asked me advice on how to get him back after he had learned we were friends and didn't feel good about dating a close friend of mine (good guy!).  initially, i tried to be the bigger person- i mean, who am i to stand in the way of a great love? but really? of all of the men in the world, you'd seek out my former husband who lives across the country?! i was crushed but thankful that he took the high road.

so let's define this, shall we?

if all really is fair in love and war, are there boundaries? should we be loyal? i'd certainly rather have a great partner in love than a mediocre friend.....

and as we all know, some besties are life long and some are circumstantial...

but here's how i see it:

if you are my good friend/ sister, don't you DARE think about going after my big ex's... don't touch mister, v, my ex husb, or really any major ex i've had in the last 10 years......

if you are my good friend and are interested in dating a fringe boy (who never made it to the big boyfriend show), just throw me a heads up and i'll be a-ok.

how do feel about it?
have you been down this road before?

SW at Wynn

i was invited by some very interesting men to join them on an outing to SW at the wynn. 

i've eaten a lot of outrageous meals in vegas but this was my very favorite. 

the best steak, celery soup, fois gras, chedder/bacon biscuits, brussels sprout, creamed corn and FUNNEL CAKES on a tree. 

i'm still craving it. 

it was over 3 wks ago...

i love a good meal.

stella's two moms

 my vegas bestie, madison (we'll call her that due to her shocking resemblance to daryl hannah in "splash"), is the most insanely giving, thoughtful, and generous person i've ever met.
before she fled the country for christmas with her family (rockstar), she dropped off a whole host of presents for miss stella and me.

i'm pretty sure stella loves madison more than me. i don't blame her - she cooks organic salmon & chicken for her and allows her to run around lavish golf courses to get exercise- she's crazy about madison. crazy. and goes into a funk whenever i take her back into my custody.

stella (and i) had  a particularly rough night --naturally, i slept on the cold bathroom floor & held her hair while she barfed ;) and madison suggested we let stella open her  pressies to cheer her up.

 poor santa lost an arm in the process.
i'll tell you, nothing cheers a girl up quite like 4 bags of organic treats,

 a chewy vuitton purse,

 christian loubarktan heels

flannel christmas jammies-that were SO cute/funny-but because i never put her in clothes, she acted like she was paralyzed from the waist down.
she guards and protects those toys with her life.

 and a gorgeous swarovski crystal'd , black leather collar & leash set with
stella's new my-two-mom's hyphenated name & BOTH of our phone numbers on the back....

isn't it fitting that a nyc dog would have two moms?

hilarious.

i'm pretty sure stella would rather go with her "cool mom"  for the holidays....

girl hunter

remember my fabulous friend, georgia?

she wrote a new book, girl hunter,
which was released today and already made amazon's recommended book list!

g is so fancy AND smart- two books?!
sheesh.... i'm behind on this blog!

watch this sexy video trailer.....
somebody needs her own tv show......

congrats, G! buy her book!

i'm leaving las vegas!

hooray!!!
i'm so excited to announce that my final jersey boys performance will be
january 1, 2012 (when the show closes at Palazzo and moves to the Paris)!

then i'm back to the big apple and onto the next big adventure....
good things to come, i'm sure.

vegas has been good to me.
i've had a blast and made a new bestie (i'm a bestie collector, as it turns out...)
but vegas isn't home--
it was like a nice transition boyfriend...
mr right now, not mr right.


i can't wait to see the people & city that i love on a daily basis.
west coast, come see me before i go away!

photo of me by the lovely ed foster

mary kay's pink sand

mary kay 
(no, i'm not a distributer
but my girl, erika is....)
has the most perfect pinkie/nudie nail polish,
pink sand.

it looks fantastic on all skin colors-
great wedding color, gals.

ugh... it's limited edition so hurry and get one-or three-
(i'm on bottle #2)
for your stocking.

save BONNIE & CLYDE!!

my darling friends,

i have to tell you something:
often, people are mean.
often, people will lie and slander you when you are good and true
and have the best of intentions.

it has nothing to do with you.
it has more to do with them....
they are small and ungracious and have motivations
that you will never understand because you love when good things and people succeed.


sadly, the broadway community can be that way in every facet.
i've seen horrible things written and said about brilliant performances and brilliant pieces..... with no founding.

that's happened to our dear bonnie & clyde.
critics often have personal vendettas about people in the cast/creative team or
interest in other shows going into a specific theatre...
sadly, critics think it's "highbrow" to slam a wildhorn score.
it's personal, it's nasty, and it's unfair...
(as a singer, i live to sing a great melodic line... frank writes that)
bonnie & clyde is his best work yet.
the music will move you and never leave you.
and it should be heard.

laura osnes (and i'm not swayed because she's my bestie) gives the performance of a lifetime. she sings her face off and slays it nightly. jeremy jordan is a dazzling star with the most thrilling voice and genius acting chops. claybourne elder (another dear sweet utahan) will break your heart as "buck" & melissa van der schyff  is one of the most incredible actresses/voices of our time. you MUST see her as "blanche."

but it's in trouble. at this point, it is not closing but is not selling tickets past 12/30....
unless YOU help.
if they can pack the houses for the next two weeks and show that people want to see this show, the investors will keep it open.

WE can prove that critics don't always get it right.
WE can choose what we want to see.
and WE can save hundreds of jobs for actors/stagehands/ushers/musicians.

if you're in NYC, buy a ticket.
if you're not in NYC, you can STILL buy a ticket and
and give it to a friend in town OR----

simply purchase a ticket, tweet @tadwilson & tell him it's waiting for him at the box office-
he'll give the tickets to people who otherwise couldn't purchase a ticket.

CHARITY!

see B&C this week and get our personal FRIENDS & FAMILY DISCOUNT!!! 
You can purchase these at the box office or via Tele-charge using the code BCWANTED.
The prices are below:

Orchestra/Front Mezz - $82.50/$79.50
Mid Mezz - $69.50
Rear Mezz - $59.50


be a part of a christmas miracle, won't you?


listen to one of my favorite songs:

i love @broadwaygirlnyc!

(this thing hid in drafts! sneaky sneaky- so it's kind of old news but still mega cool)

@broadwaygirlnyc listed her
100 theatre tweeters you must follow
and i made the list for the second year!
honestly, i like this girl.
she's always positive
(never snarky- a rare find in the theatre world)
plus she said super nice things about me
so obvi, i think she's the bees knees...
i want to meet the elusive pimpernel!

thanks, broadwaygirlnyc!

you can follow her { here }
and follow me { here }-- i can't promise anything spectacular...
mostly just drivel and things i find funny or charming.

i kind of love the twitter.

luxury magazine

i was featured in this month's luxury magazine by celebrity journalist, marsala rypka.
the piece was on leigh zimmerman, joyce chittick, and me--
(holy moly! they're both VASTLY more famous/fierce/experienced than i
- remember leigh as the "chicago" girl in the bway jockey ad?!
 i remember being so blown away by those LEGZ)
"broadway beauties" now living in vegas.

you never know what people will take from an interview, but in this case,
marsala and i became fast friends and spoke for nearly 2 hours.

she's such a wonderfully kind and supportive woman.
i'm so grateful she's now in my life.
lucky me.

new friends.
now THAT'S luxury.

check it out by clicking { here } then scroll on their online magazine to page 34

garth

on friday, i was lucky enough to see garth brooks in concert at the wynn.

woah, that was an experience.
garth singing james taylor, simon & garfunkle, george jones, meryl haggard......
ugh! it was outrageous.
he's a brilliant story teller and has absolutely perfect pitch.
i'm so crazy about him
(so long as i could keep myself from having chris gaines feelings).

trisha yearwood sang 2 songs with him and i nearly died. it was totally incredible.
you must see it.
you must.

lizzing

there are days when i swear i look/think just like liz lemon......

a new hand jive winner!!!

 remember that one time when i stole the hand jive trophy from GREASE?
i told you about it { here }
(a. pardon that heinous in-action nostril flared shot-
remember i danced that thing in a corset- sister couldn't breathe.
b. i deserved it! i worked my tail off for it!)

right after the heist with greaser, kevin quillon. 

 so when i was doing bye bye birdie i presented it to my
dance-off competitor, anna aimee white,
when she got her next broadway show, WHITE CHRISTMAS.
(partially to make a fun tradition and partially to get that eye-sore out of my apartment!)

and she returned it to me on my opening night of WONDERLAND 

(both of us were in the SAME 

Marquis theatre dressing room.)

ironically, the same stage management team (whom i love) 

and general manager did both GREASE and WONDERLAND 

so when this package arrived at the stage door,

i was SURE i'd be in trouble for stealing (oops)

.... happily, our general manager loved the tradition and gave it her blessing. 

 and i felt it only fitting to present (with special thanks to kate loprest for delivering)
miss laura osnes with the trophy
(i figure, if "sandy" would have gone to the dance,
she probably would have beat "cha cha" in the HAND JIVE)
on her opening night as "bonnie" in BONNIE AND CLYDE
(which you MUST see because it's brilliant and she's brilliant in it...)

anna pointed out that this trophy has opened two wildhorn musicals
and been in two marquis dressing rooms... cool.

grease is the word!!

sit on santa's lap.

have you seen this improv everywhere video?
they do musicals in random places- in this case, a mall...
can you imagine how funny/ awkward to have this spring on you?

my college boyfriend is the first idiot singing.
i laughed my head off.
look for his pretty wife, carrie,
who is crouching as a spectator with their adorable son, T