MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

DANIEL FRANZESE

Local boy Daniel Franzese returns to Fort Lauderdale to headline the Fort Lauderdale Pride Comedy Festival, but what does he miss that’s gone from South Florida?

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW JEFFERIS

When did you live in South Florida?  From age 7 to 23.  I lived in Sunrise until I was 17, and then I went to the Florida School of the Arts in Palatka.  I went to New York when I was 20, and I booked two shows at the Broward Stage Door Theatre, and “boom,” I was back in Florida.  What high school did you go to?  Piper High, in Sunrise.  When’s the last time that you’ve visited South Florida?  I try to come back at least once every month or so.  What do you miss about South Florida?  Besides my niece, the beaches. We have beaches in L.A., but the water is freezing all the time.  What South Florida venue do you miss that’s gone, and why?  There was a short-lived gay bar called The Pier.  It was so chic. You got in free if you pulled your boat up to the dock.  Every weekend there we incredible acts there like Cyndi Lauper and Amber.  It was awesome.

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Where did you hang out in South Florida, and why?  Everywhere I hung out is gone. The Edge, Sea Monster, The Saint, Coliseum, The Copa…  Where do you live now?  In downtown Los Angeles.  Did you ever meet Derek Dzvirko, the character that you played in Bully?  Not in real-life, but we talked online.  Which cast or crew have you stayed in contact with from Bully?  Kelli Garner and Leo Fitzpatrick.  What did you think about the musical version of Mean Girls?  I loved it.  It was great to see and hear more about Damian’s life—so surreal.  Where do you think that Eddie from Looking is in life right now?  He’s still married to Augustin.  He’s still at the center.  Eddie was someone who found his home in Looking.

You went to the season finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race.  Who’s your favorite queen from season 10.  I was really hoping that Eureka would’ve won, but all the top four were so fierce.  Who’s your favorite RuPaul queen of all-time, and why?  My all-time favorite queen is Raven.  She’s the whole package.  What’s your favorite role?  I loved playing Eddie.  I got to say whatever I wanted to.  What’s your dream role?  I wanna play a dad.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Working at Whole Foods.  It turns out that I didn’t need to know the sku for organic bananas.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  As kind.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan has asked?  It’s weird when fans ask me out when I’m in a relationship.  But I’m single now, so slide in those DMs.

What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Eddie Deezen, the guy who played Eugene in Grease.  I couldn’t believe he was real.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  Art, because I’m shopping for some new pieces.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why?  I love San Francisco so much.  It’s beautiful, the people are so cool and creative, and the food was so good.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  That you can have second and even third acts in your friendships.  What did you learn from your parents?  To shut the fucking light off.  What performer do you admire, and why?  I have a strong hustle, but when I see people like Todrick Hall, I feel lazy.  He works so hard.  What’s your best characteristic?  That I’m loyal and honest.

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How do you enjoy spending your time?  Watching cartoons stoned.  What other celebrity do you have a crush on?  I don’t reveal crushes because I don’t wanna get crushed.  Who do you admire, and why?  Tom Hanks.  All these years and all these amazing movies, and zero scandals.  And the same lady.  I wish that I could be that cool.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be, and why?  Jesus, because we need Him.  Where would you go in a time machine, and why?  I would talk to myself right at the beginning of my career.  I’d skip a few mistakes.  What would your last meal be?  I love charcuterie.  Death by antipasto.  What do you worry about?  If I’m getting too old to have kids. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW JEFFERIS

What are you afraid of?  War.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  That depends on who gets to play me.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A wolf.  Who depends on you, and for what?  I’m good at advice.  My friends come to me often for it.  Who are you closest with?  My mama.  What would your autobiography be called?  It’s Not All Sunglasses and Autographs Kid.  What music do you listen to when you’re upset?  Nineties hip hop and 70s soul.  What’s on your bucket list?  I wanna explore the Galapagos.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Partying when I should’ve studied audition lines.  What’s something that you never told anyone else?  Why would I tell you?  Where can we see you?  On my website.  I’m currently on my YASS! You’re Amazing tour!

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Events

SHANIA TWAIN

Shania Twain gave a rousing performance in Fort Lauderdale on June 1 in her Shania Now Tour.  But the tour name is apropos if this is her last foray on the road, as she’s threatened.

SHADE-O-METER RATING

5 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “10s ACROSS THE BOARD – LEGENDARY STATUS”

Who’s Shania Twain?  She’s a cross-over country/pop star, who’s one of the best-selling female country artists—if not the best-selling female artist—of all time.  She’s also one of the best-selling female music artists of all-time.

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Now, the first studio album for Shania in nearly 15 years, releases on September 29th.  The new album offered as both a 16-track deluxe and a 12-track standard album, both feature Shania s current single, “Life’s About To Get Good,” playing on country radio now.  All songs on Now were written solely by Shania, who also served as co-producer on the project.

What’s the Shania Now Tour?  It’s Twain’s fourth tour.  Twain said on Good Morning America in 2015 that her next tour, which ended up being the Rock This Country Tour (her third tour), would be her last one.  What is the BB&T Center?  It’s an indoor sports an entertainment arena in Sunrise, Florida.  It’s holds about 20,000 people.

How was the venue?  It’s a nice venue.  The staff is certainly more friendly at the BB&T than they are at, for example, the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (one can encounter cranky ushers there).  How was the parking?  They have ample parking.  The cost was included with the ticket.

Does the venue serve liquor?  Yes.  How were the drinks?  A double whiskey was $19, and a double wine (which was really more like a triple) was $20.  The drinks were fine.  Does the venue serve food?  Yes.  How was the food?  We didn’t get any.

How much were the tickets?  $115.  Where were the seats?  On the first level and directly on the side.  Was the show sold out?  It was about three-fourth fill.  Who was the opening act?  Bastian Baker.  How was the opening act?  We didn’t see him during his solo set, but he did a duet with Twain during her set.

How was the show?  It was apparent from the first moment that she was on the stage that there’s no one who’s more comfortable on the stage, or loves entertaining, more than Shania Twain.  Although certainly not a novelty—but nevertheless, impactful—Twain opened the show by walking through the crowd, starting on the opposite end of the stage, before making her way to it.  Twain then launched into a two-hour set, where she fluctuated through hits and lesser-known songs, which also featured an economy of performers, where they served different functions—sometime as an instrumentalist, sometimes as a dancer, and sometimes as a backup singer—in different numbers.  Regarding the visual element, the show could have rivaled Cirque du Soleil in set changes, a proliferation of costumes, and theatrics.  However, unlike some stars, where theatricality is strategically calculated to detract from the performer’s lack of aptitude, this was not the case with Twain—she’s the real deal.  Twain also did a fair amount of chit chating, which, at times, bordered on rambling.  In the hands of a less-skilled performer, it might have been irritating, but with Twain, it was actually endearing.  Towards the end of the show, a la Cher in her last tour, Twain flew over the audience on a guitar case, but she actually one-upped Madam “Half-Breed” when she not only sung but accompanied herself on the guitar during the flight.  Twain performed “Rock This Country” and the requisite “Man!  I Feel Like a Woman” for her encore, before she was consumed by a snowstorm of confetti.  And then, she was no more.

How was the crowd?  Composed of more woman than men, and with a fair representation of the LGBT community.  Strangely—and, I suppose, lazily—the crowd didn’t give as much as they took.

What could have improved the show?  I would have said that the dancers should have done same-sex dancing, but there was no couple’s dancing of any sort, either gay or straight.  The set design could have been a tad more varied.

What was surprising about the show?  Although Twain was recently a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and her image is certainly consistent as a LGBT ally, Twain still is a country star.  And we all know that things are not as liberal in the country scene as they are in, for example, the world of pop music.  Considering this, it was commendable that Twain subtly, but frequently, advocated the LBGT community with comments such as, “Things are getting better all the time,” “I love men” [with an obvious nod to gay men in the audience], and, the more flagrant, this song is “dedicated to guys who like men.”

The BB&T Center is located across the street from the Sawgrass Mills, at 1 Panther Pkwy., in Sunrise, Florida.  The venue is only open when there’s an event.