Tuesday, May 23, 2000

What a Drag



"Excuse me, honey, I'm trying to sing here." The sequence-dressed tall blond pushed me aside. Horrified, I mumbled "well, some of us are trying to network here." Bill Knab of Microcast might have been trying to show off his site to Amy Brownstein, independent publicist, but there would be none of that if the drag queens at Lucky Cheng's on Tuesday, May 23, had their way. These sort of restaurants might be fun for group dinners, but networking parties present a conflict of interest. And despite the Clio Awards’ well-run and reputed conference and award show, this cocktail reception struggled against the drag queens who seemed intent on being be the center of attention. Most people at the party, like Mark Hallinan of Broadcastproducer.com and Clio executive director Andrew Jaffe seemed to take it all in good stride, though. Some were slightly amused. Others sat lining the restaurant, enjoying the buffet and watching with wonder. Carolyn Dizon of Clio Awards and Alexandra Nevins of BlackBook (owned by BrandEra.com, a co-host for the evening) were enjoying themselves amidst the wackiness.