JUNE 28, 2007: Semi-Finals aired and this is the first time I can't comment on my act because I never actually saw the one I did. The televised version of the live theater performance one was entirely different as several who wrote in pointed out. Regardless, I was very happy to be on the program as we had some great entertainers from this industry and it was a nice idea to finally have a vehicle to showcase our talents. It is also great that the public is able to go to our web sites to learn more about what we really do! Thanks so much for the nice letters and I am thrilled with the web traffic response. It has been nothing but a postive boost for work and name recognition! I have some excellent new material that will be added to my site soon so keep posted and see you then!!!
Chris
JUNE 2007: LOOK FOR CHRIS APPEARING ON PRIME TIME TV!
JUNE 2007 - Mountains of feedback from my audition appearance from The Next Best Thing Show! The response has been very positive and the exposure has been great not only for me but for our Industry too! Thanks for all of your great notes and support. It is not as easy as it looks to walk into a room with 3 judges in dead silence and do a limited routine - but it went all right!!! I was a bit nervous because as you know, judges on these kind of shows can put people in the line of fire and I had no idea what to expect since this is a new show - but luckily I got their approval!
Again - a special thanks to Guy Guido for stylist guidence and the makeup and hair!!!
MAY 2007: DUE TO NEW CITY RELOCATION, CHRIS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING ADDITIONAL GIGS FROM MAY THRU AUGUST.
MAY 2007: This month is off to an excellent start as I am officially moving to a new area that has a supportive work environment for my career goals and growth . I am to finish relocating by June 1st and will return to my schedule of shows shortly after. The move has me now 5 minutes from an airport, our house being situated right on the golf course, just a stones throw from the beach and not too far from convention halls, boardwalks and Entertainment centers. TALLY HO!!! I will be in direct locale with dancers, choreographers and bands making this move the first one in my entire career that is conducive to my craft! I am pretty excited about that as work is strong and plentiful.
Although I will be featured on National TV for several programs, I am already flooded with calls for all kinds of work and projects - so 2007 has continued to be yet another really great year. I expect 2008 to be even better! Many thanks to the several industry friends and to agent Gina Lennon for making this a promising year of upscale engagements and venues!
Chris
APRIL 2007: A few things have changed this last month. It is now confirmed that we will be moving to another local area in the Tri-state region and I am so happy about this!!! We are to be moved by June 1st. and I suspect that I will return to work full-time by August.
In other news; I recently started voice lessons with New York's acclaimed Pop Vocal Instructor and pioneer KATIE AGRESTA: voice teacher of the most famous contemporary singers of our day: Steven Tyler, Jon Bon Jovi, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Seger, Phish, Phoebe Snow, Lita Ford, Jackson Browne, Meatloaf, Lenny Kravitz, etc. to enhance my "Madonna-esque" sound. She noted that my voice is almost identical to Madonna's and that the only difference is my throat & jaw muscles tend to be tight which can obstruct sound on occasion. She showed me some amazing techniques to counter this problem and what a difference it has made! The sound quality continues to improve over time and hopefully in the near future I will have retrained those muscles to where they cooperate automatically.
I have to invest a lot into the upkeep of this profession and have done so over the years, However in 2007, I had come to the point where I was swamped with the business end of my work - the negotiations, contracts, phone calls and factored in with travel and "life" catch-up time upon return, I was burning out. It finally dawned on me I could no longer "do it all". I never had the luxury of a Manager to handle my affairs; it felt like I could never catch up to develop and grow as I know I could because I was always short on time. Signing on exclusively with representation I believe will make all the difference and make sense. It will afford me the time to take certain classes and channel more time with people who specialize in areas I found I was not having the proper time for.
People are always amazed when they find out I do sing and sound like Madonna - even though I have been doing it for years and this year I have made the decision to release control on the business side so that I may concentrate more on the artistic instead. I am really happy about this. There will always be only ONE Madonna - but I am looking forward to developing a good secondary tribute act on a smaller scale to bring to you in my best way.
MARCH 2007: I auditioned for the above TV show and it went all right! There is still no guarantee I will get on the show as over 1400 have auditioned, but I hope I get the opportunity. I think it would be a fun experience!!!
Chris prepares to audition for the TV show "The Next Best Thing" with Master Celebrity Make-over Artist & Photographer GUY GUIDO.
"The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?," hosted by Michele Merkin, follows the search to find the best celebrity impersonators from across the country with a live finale in Las Vegas. Jeffrey Ross and Elon Gold join actress-comedian Lisa Ann Walters as judges.
2007 NYE NOTE TO MY FRIENDS for the Holidays; I am chronically behind with correspondence this season. Here is my holiday message to you (Please Note: this section has absolutely nothing to do with my "work" on this web site), parts of this page have become a blog on occasion with friends who stop in to say hi...
What a great & busy season for our industry! Myself and colleagues are so fortunate to be a part of such a unique industry. As we go into 2007, I give thanks for the many blessings in my life, large and small. Some took many years of hard work, dedication, introspection and will. I am humbled by the enormous gratefulness and appreciation I feel for family, friends, health, work opportunities and for my sweet, little dog - Pookie, who never ceases to put a smile on my face.
My wish to everyone - many blessings in the coming year. Meet more goals at the gym, help others reach theirs and to look for more opportunities to spread kindness and good will. Thank you everyone who has been kind enough to write and say hello. I want to thank the new friends I met this year and the ones who continue to bless me in my life. YOU have made a difference in MY life and it has mean't much to me! Talk to you after New Years!!!! :)
This is a short Preview from "15 Films"... The skits are intentionally "Spoofy"...
Chris in Cookie Box Ad
Although this Cookie Box ad is weird, it's been in print and renewed for a cookie company out of Puerto Rico. They felt it promoted healthy snacking "Madonna Style" with a disclaimer that the look alike on the box actually does have hands proportionate to body-size (the hands were superimposed in Puerto Rico to demonstrate how "Madonnalicious" the cookies are)- I DID mention weird, didn't I?!
Cheez-It... Get your OWN box! Dec 2006
For the few new impersonators compelled to plagiarize web sites VERBATIM and paste identical text/description/format onto yours... please buy a thesaurus! Have some professional integrity and courtesy. I am a huge advocate for all of my industry colleagues, but it is hard to be one for those who cheat. Checking out other talent is fine, but don't COPY their content! Figure out your OWN approach, delivery, format/style and develop some originality because it takes away from YOUR professionalism, mine and theirs (this is common business sense!).
When you copy - we'll BOTH lack originality (which is hard enough to get in this kind of work!) and that is bad business. Don't blend in with me or anyone else! It hurts everyone - including YOU in business. We already are a "clone" and there is nothing worse than clones cloning each other. Why would you want to sound like me or any other talent? Don't you want your OWN professional identity in our industry?
Blatant plagiarism is a "Minor League mentality" - Get with the Pros.
GOING INTO NOVEMBER: JANET CHARLTON gave special mention to me in her daily on-line Gossip Column - "JANET CHARLTON'S HOLLYWOOD" October 12th.
Look-Alike Stories: I met Janet several YEARS ago - of all places, at a sink, in the women's restroom of the JOAN RIVER's SHOW when we were both appearing for an exclusive episode about Madonna. At the time, Janet was the official Gossip Columnist for STAR MAGAZINE. She handed me her card and said "keep in touch" and I thought she was just being polite and would blow me off - to my amazement, we kept in contact and became friends.
A few years later, by a chance invitation to a Chris Issak's concert and because of Janet, I actually happened to run into Madonna face-to-face for the very first time at the House of Blues (May 1995). It was one of those life-surprises that I'll never forget and I still grin and chuckle when I think about it! The experience was totally coincidental and unexpected which made it all the more fun!
I met a lot of people while living in Hollywood and I must say that Janet was absolutely one of the most kind, generous, and gracious persons I met during my 7 year stay out there. She is as delightful and fun as she appears on TV, and yet I found her personally to be genuine, grounded, hard-working, quite insightful, brilliant, the kind of person you like to learn things from and excellent at the work she does.
We would visit now and then or she would call to invite me to some neat media event. She'ld listen and give me advice on subjects like boyfriends or places to sight-see in LA etc... Occasionally, I would unobtrusively accompany her on Gossip finding missions and just marvel at the entertaining ways she could obtain her latest information. People running up to her breathless and excited about "somebody" who was just in their store... She never reported mean-spirited things, she just seeked good, verified stories with colorful entertainment value. The kind that makes trash magazine reading the fun past-time that it is! There truly is an art to good gossip reporting and she is the best!
Away from her job she was just consistantly as down-to-earth and genuinely pleasant to be around. I found her fascinating and absolutely loved her quirky-yet-fashionable taste in clothing... including an amazingly stylish retro yet current-chic home decor - Janet is like a Gwen Stefani - she has a unique style that's all her own, expresses who she is and she wears it well!
I often would marvel at how she was around these "fascinating" celebrities... who seemed way more interesting at the time than a "nobody" like me, yet she still found time to remember me and say Hi once in a while. To the younger Chris, it made me feel special that she thought enough of me to take a genuine interest in being my friend. She probably didn't think twice about it, and that is what is so great about my experience in knowing her then.
All these years later, I get a phone call one afternoon this past August and it was Janet just calling to say Hi and to see how I am doing! It still means a lot to me but in a new way - I'm all grown up now and I see even more, how kind she was to this younger, flakey girl, cluelessly new to Los Angeles back in the day. She is someone who influenced me in a positive way to reciprocate and share that same good-will towards others.
I sometimes meet or get really nice letters from people who want to say Hello. My Look-Alike work intrigues a few of them, or they want to write and tell me about where they first saw me years ago, what kind of work they do, what they love about Madonna... Alot are from people who want to know how they can get started in the Look-Alike business etc... Just lots of enthusiasm and questions and I think back to the time when I was searching for something new that I could learn about myself and how certain people like Janet would take the time to show some interest. I value people more because I am reminded of certain times in my life when I am on the receiving end. I feel honored that in my own way I can pass on the lessons I've learned to others. It all comes full circle. I still have great people who influence me. I just try to be aware and include others in what I do too because I still appreciate when that is done for me.
She has her own official web site now and still does her job extremely well. You should check out her web site for amusing and entertaining Celebrity FYI's. Tell your friends about it too!
Janet, I am sure has no clue how highly I think of her. She has always been one of my very favorite people and contributed fond memories of an exciting journey in Hollywood in my younger days many years ago! Thank you Janet!!! I'm still a big fan of yours - especially for the person you are and the example you set for me :)!
LATE DECEMBER 2006: I have had some really excellent shows this month for several holiday parties! I am going to name one of my favorite as a construction company out of Maryland, Shade Construction. The employees there were just great to perform for and enthusiastically enthralled with the 80's Madonna theme. The women did me proud with their fully accessorised "Material Girl" rendition. It was quite a gathering and another reminder that this character is so much fun to portray! Photos to be posted soon.
MID DECEMBER: I worked with Bobby Brooks Hamilton, a fabulous talent out of Las Vegas who does many characters and sings live very well! He was Little Richard and Stevie Wonder. Really great to meet him. I also worked with top Joan Rivers Look Alike Dee Dee Hanson and her cute-as-a-button husband! She is dynamic as Joan - truly one, if not top in the nation. She is a lovely person and I hope to see them again soon!
Wes Johnson of WesJohnson.com is a friend and probably the most talented voice-over artist I have ever known. He has done video games and movie trailers... He suggested I try yet another character to round out my Madonna, Marilyn (& on occasion Gwen Stefani) acts... with - get this... A Hillary Clinton Impersonation. I like a good challenge. Look for me to perfect my Hillary Character in 2007 (just don't tell my husband ;)!I'll probably need a good amount of time to get the act down, so it is not going to happen right away... I will also continue to improve my stilt-walking skills too.
NOVEMBER: I did a really cool show for Sirius Radio's CEO and Alumni last week. It was an era themed event - the 50's and 60's and I did the 80's... Cher did the 70's... anyway it really was fun I was very surprised how progressive and great Louisville, Kentucky is... "Paradise City" by Guns & Roses was written about that place and now I know why!
MAY 2006: I SAW MADONNA'S CONCERT IN BOSTON THIS MAY AND WAS _LITERALLY_ 8 FEET FROM THE STAGE (PARELLEL TO THE DISCO BALL BEHIND ME - LOOK AT HOW CLOSE I AM)! THE AUDIENCE ASSUMES SHE DROPS DOWN IN THE DISCO BALL FROM THE CEILING IN THE OPENING NUMBER, BUT I FIGURED OUT THAT SHE COMES UP THROUGH A TRAP DOOR IN THE FLOOR... THAT'S ME CHOMPING ON GUM AND THAT'S MADONNA OF COURSE - RIGHT BEHIND ME! IT WAS STUPID FUN TO BE THAT CLOSE!
PEOPLE ACTUALLY RECOGNIZED AND APPROACHED ME AT THE SHOW - CITING SOME TV SHOWS OR PERFORMANCES THAT I DID YEARS AND YEARS AGO. GO FIGURE?!! IT FELT GOOD TO KNOW MY WORK IS APPRECIATED BY PEOPLE WHO LOVE MADONNA AND VALIDATED MY 23 YEAR HISTORY TO MY HUSBAND WHO HAD NOT YET BEEN EXPOSED TO "REAL" FANS OF HERS. WE BOTH FOUND HUMOR IN IT!
CHRIS
I had the BEST time at the Sunburst Celebrity Impersonator's Convention in Florida! The convention is put on once a year for agents and buyers to view our individual show cases. I preformed "Holiday" and "Jump"... I saw some people doing up to four different character impressions SPOT-on! I was VERY impressed with all the talent there! There were TWO different sets of showcases for Saturday and Sunday (see pictures).
I met some really terrific colleagues and hope to attend next year as well. I won "Best Costume" at the convention which was an honor considering that it came from my peers who attended. I'll be featured in this costume (above) on the Jay Leno show (not sure of the air-date but will post scheduling when I know). The convention was first class. I was amazed at the work & detail that went into programming our conference and all of the things it offered us as talent. Greg Thompson spear-headed the project and he truly did an outstanding job. His staff, his crew, Brian Cole and David Nations really made this convention a five star event!
