Las Vegas Weekly

September 15, 2010 · 4:02 PM

Photos: Margaret Cho talks DWTS, first album, gay marriage and divas

By Don Chareunsy

Margaret Cho.

Photo: Pixie Vision Productions

By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor

Comedienne Margaret Cho has worn many hats in her entertainment career along with making people laugh: actress, fashion designer, author, gay rights activist, recent recording artist and now soon-to-be dancer on primetime television.

Cho is on her Cho Dependent Tour across the country that kicked off Aug. 26 and released her first comedy and music album of the same name Aug. 24 that features collaborations with music luminaries including Fiona Apple, Ani DiFranco, Grant Lee Phillips, Tegan and Sara, Ben Lee, Tommy Chong and Rachael Yamagata.

Cho, who will be at The Pearl in the Palms on Friday, as a comedienne and singer, also has been cast as one of 12 celebrity competitors on Season 11 of Dancing With Stars, which debuts Monday.

Cho talked with Vegas DeLuxe ahead of her live stage and TV shows.

Don Chareunsy: Tell me about your new CD and tour Cho Dependent.

Margaret Cho: It’s a comedy record with some great songs, so a mix of comedy and music. It features music from some really great and beautiful musicians that I have known and liked for many years.

D.C.: How does it differ from some of your previous work, such as I’m the One That I Want, Notorious C.H.O., which I had the fortune of seeing in Long Beach, Calif., and Revolution?

M.C.: Oh, thank you. My tour is still standup just like in the past, but this time with a few songs from the album. The tour is still mostly standup, while the album is music and comedy. From the first song written to the last song recorded, it took about a year and a half.

D.C.: Switching gears now, are you enjoying your role as Teri Lee on Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime?

M.C.: Oh, I love it. I love the show. Teri is a great role for me, and the cast has a fun time together.

D.C.: Were you part of the filming with the Thunder From Down Under guys [the male revue headliners at Excalibur]?

M.C.: Yes, I was on set and got to meet them. They are so nice, sweet and amazing -- and cute! It was a great sequence on the show.

D.C.: You’re a comedienne, actress, fashion designer, author and singer. Is there one area that you love more? One that you want to focus on in the near future?

M.C.: I would like to make another album and explore different genres. There are a lot of areas to cover in music, so I would love to work on more music in the future.

D.C.: I have to ask, since they’ve been such a big part of your standup: How are your parents?

M.C.: They’re great. My parents are both musicians, and we wrote a song together that will hopefully be on the next album. They’re fantastic singers. I grew up in a church family, so I’m exciting about making music with my parents.

D.C.: You’ve been married since 2003. How is married life? Are your relationships still a big part of your standup?

M.C.: Oh, they’re definitely still a big part of my standup. Married life is great, although we’ve been together since 1999, so a long time.

D.C.: What are your thoughts about Judge Vaughn Walker overturning Prop. 8 in California?

M.C.: I think it’s great, although the problem now is the stay issued on gay marriages. They were supposed to resume last Wednesday (Aug. 18), but now they’re not allowing them. It’s frustrating to have to wait and understand why gay marriages have to wait again. It’s a frustrating and upsetting thing. I am sick of the homophobia and hatred behind Prop. 8.

D.C.: You were born and raised in San Francisco and live in L.A. Have you thought about moving outside California?

M.C.: I live in Atlanta, where we shoot Drop Dead Diva, six months out of the year. And I’m on the road a lot.

D.C.: How do you like living in L.A. and Atlanta?

M.C.: When I’m in Atlanta, I’m away from what I know and what is familiar. But I also love Atlanta and have close friends there that I love to spend time with there. It’s a good balance.

D.C.: Going back to Drop Dead Diva, are you a diva?

M.C.: I’m not a diva, and I don’t know why. I really should be! I’m pretty easygoing and very shy. I’m easygoing.

D.C.: Who are some of your favorite comedians today?

M.C.: I love Wanda Sykes and Chris Rock. They’re both fantastic and really wonderful people.

D.C.: Do you travel to Las Vegas much, and what do you like to do when you visit Las Vegas?

M.C.: I’m not there very often. I hosted the Exotic World gathering. I attended the AVN Awards in January. They’re the Oscars of the porn world. That was fun, too.

About one week after talking with Cho, she was announced as a Season 11 cast member of ABC’s top-rated Dancing With the Stars. So we followed up:

D.C.: Congratulations on being cast on Season 11 of Dancing With the Stars. What are you looking forward to most on the show?

M.C.: Learning how to dance and of course meeting The Situation [Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino of Jersey Shore]!

D.C.: What will you bring to the show?

M.C.: Hopefully some humor, but also grace and stripper moves.

D.C.: How is practice going with your professional partner Louis Van Amstel?

M.C.: It’s been amazing because he is also on tour with me. We have become great friends, and I am so happy he is my partner.

D.C.: Which dance do you most look forward to performing?

M.C.: I am just itchin’ to jive!

D.C.: What is your strategy for winning?

M.C.: I am going to go for it G.I. Jane style and shave my head.

Cho is at The Pearl on Friday and debuts on Dancing With the Stars on Monday.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

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