24 Jun 2008
Cuchi-Cuchi
Sunday I got together with a few friends—Wendy Tokunaga, Gemma Halliday, Josie Brown, and Natasha Williams (an accomplished screenwriter). Picture it: four fabulous women and me, sitting in a posh French bistro, sipping drinks and chatting about everything from books to dating. It was like The View, only we're all thinner and less makeup'ed. It was totally a blog-worthy event.
But this morning I got to the café, ordered my milky coffee, and sat down next to a stack of event postcards. One of them—in a garish bright pink—caught my eye.
Kung Pao Kosher Theater Presents...
The Return of...
CHARO!
And her Las Vegas show... Sunday June 29 8pm
How could I write about Gemma's public quest to find Mr. Right or Natasha's fabulous shoes when Charo was shaking her ass-ets right in front of me?
I remember Charo from when I was a kid. She used to shake her thang weekly on TV on some sitcom. Then ten years ago I heard an interview with her on the radio. She was promoting a concert she was having, and the more I listened to her the more I really wanted to go. But I was a poor college student and couldn't afford the expensive ticket.
Now I'm tempted. I wonder if I can get anyone to go with me.
Charo in her pink sequined splendor. I got the picture off Google, and I'd credit the source but there wasn't any copyright info.
Sequins and Guitars: Five Reasons Charo is Fascinating
She's an amazingly accomplished flamenco guitarist. I listened to a recording of her playing and it blew me away. To put it into perspective, Andrés Segovia was one of her first instructors.
For all her hootchie mama act, she's rather brilliant. She's fluent in over half a dozen languages, and she's a savvy businesswoman.
Her date of birth is under debate. It's either 1941 or 1951. She actually went to court to uphold the 1951 date. Apparently she claims her parents agreed to add ten years to her age so she'd seem older when she married 66 year old band leader Xavier Cugat at the age of fifteen. I know! Crazy, huh?
She's in her late fifties (or sixties) and she's still wearing red sequined jumpsuits. How great is that? Not only that she'd still wear it but that she has the body—and moxie—to wear it.
She appeared on the Love Boat eight times.
Yeah, so I like her. In fact, I may want to be her when I grow up. If you see me go blond and bouffant in the next few weeks, you'll know what's going on.
