I’m a winner, baby!  I’m leaving Vegas a couple hundred bucks ahead.   I’m also a few pounds heavier courtesy of Cinnabon but, nonetheless, a good time was had by all.  There’s something thrilling about seeing a friend’s name on a marquee.  It’s even more exciting when it’s a 30-foot-tall Varla Jean Merman looming over the Strip – alongside Barry Manilow at the Westgate.  Her fantastic show, Stand By Your Drag, is in the midst of a national tour, and is hysterical and, sadly, timely.  During these days when drag queens are being targeted, Varla brilliantly weaves humor with a message of solidarity and defiance.  It’s an uproarious romp that’s guaranteed to please.

Then it was off to Kathy Griffin at The Mirage.  The day before the event, the red-headed spitfire announced a $250 meet-and-greet – with 100% of the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society in conjunction with Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.  It sold out in a matter of minutes!  As to the show itself, Kathy delivered close to two hours of anecdotes from the past few years – and what a few years it’s been.  OK, the material was somewhat less celebrity-laden than usual, but that’s to be expected.  Since she is a gifted storyteller, even heavy topics were heavy on laughs – and that includes the lurid details of her suicide attempt by way of a giant vase and a swimming pool!  The last half hour was vintage Griffin, including a lengthy recounting of her Mexican vacation with Sia.  To add credence to the tale, Sia got up from the audience and sang a bit of “Chandelier” (which you can see on our website).  Also seated behind me were Rosie O’Donnell, Chris Colfer, Laraine Newman, and Julia Sweeney.

If you wanna see Kathy, consider booking passage on the upcoming Atlantis cruise from Los Angeles to Mexico on October 23^rd.  Just go to AtlantisEvents.com and tell ‘em Billy sent you.  Just a little tip – from me to you.