When I sent the Facebook event about the upcoming NYC Vegan Talent Show to Mariann, she could feel my overwhelming sense of eagerness and lust for it from across the room. “Oh, sweetheart…” she said, in sympathy of my longing.
That’s because she knows that, whenever I can, I momentarily indulge in shows like American Idol (thankfully, our rabbit ears sometimes pick it up, even if for just a few minutes). At moments like those, I can almost certainly be found sitting on the edge of the ottoman that’s about 1-inch from our TV screen, moving my lips just slightly as the wickedly talented 20-year-old belts her little heart out right in front of me. I refuse to believe that I’ve officially surpassed the age limit of Idol (by, eh-hem, more than just a few years…). In my mind, I’m just waiting to be discovered for my otherworldly singing ability.
This is not me. But it could be. (If she’s good, I mean…)
Okay, maybe it’s not otherworldly. Or, if it is, perhaps it’s not of the world where people sing on key. But besides the key issue (incidentally, Mariann has excellent pitch — annoying!), I do have a strong-ish voice. My undergraduate major was, in fact, musical theatre (useful choice, I know). Somewhere inside of me, I’m still that 15-year-old who played Mama Rose in the local teen production of Gypsy. I’m still almost famous.
This is all the long way of explaining how gleeful I am (pun intended) about the upcoming talent show, which is set for this fall (date TBD) right here in New York — the town where my adolescent journals proclaimed, undoubtedly, that I would make it big. If you can make it here…
But I won’t digress again.
What’s particularly special about this talent show is not the fact that, like Idol, the audience chooses the best performance (!), rather, the best part is that the money raised will benefit Darwin Animal Doctors, an incredible organization that preserves the unique biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands. A talent show that’s out there to help with the greater good? I am kind of on overload here. This is even better than 2005 Idol winner (and fellow vegan!) Carrie Underwood’s rendition of “Sin Wagon.”
The talent show is being organized by Daphne Cheng (yep — of the scrumptious and cruelty-free Vérité Catering). To apply, email materials to info[at]veritecatering.com by October 15.
As if I need to say it, I get a little over-excited by innovative fundraisers like this one — especially when they combine the performing arts with animal rights causes. Somebody pinch me (before I break into “Rose’s Turn”).