Photo Flash: Heather Shields Wins Miss Fag Hag Pageant

On Sunday, May 17th, Mintyfresh Comedy presented the first annual "Miss Fag Hag Pageant" as a benefit for the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk School.  The show was a huge success and played to a packed house full of Broadway, television, radio and comedy stars.

The event was hosted and produced by Shawn Hollenbach and Paul Case. Hollenbach felt honored to "not only take part in such a worthy cause," but also "to be in such wonderful company as all of those stars who took time to be a part of such an amazing night."  Case added that he was "touched by how many people were willing to donate prizes and come out to the show - especially on the same day as the Aids Walk."

The judges for the evening were Caroline Rhea (Host of NBC's "The Biggest Loser", "Sabrina the Teenage Witch"), Michael Musto (The Village Voice columnist), Hedda Lettuce ("Project Runway") and Katina Corrao ("Daddy" both on Logo and HBO).  Their wisecracks and witty criticism of the contestants kept the show rolling as 10 girls, each representing their own NYC neighborhood, vied for the title of "Miss Fag Hag".  These judges scored each of the girls in catergories such as evening wear, presenting your gay sponsor in a swimsuit, talent and Gay Culture Trivia.  Rhea said it best when she summed up the pyschology of a fruit fly: “Behind every gay man there’s usually
another gay man. But behind him, there’s a girl screaming, ‘Does this make me look fat?’”

Throughout the evening the audience was treated to performances from Kathy Fitzgerald ("9 to 5", "The Producers"); Alysha Umphress ("Make Me a Song", The After Party); Shayna Steele ("Hairspray", "Rent"); Bridget Everett ("At Least it's Pink", "Sex and the City" movie); Mel and El ("Mel and El: Show and Tell") and Britney Houston (Mtv, "Lily Allen and Friends").   Also making special appearances included Jon Wolfe Nelson ("the L Word"); Murray Hill ("This is Burlesque", Logo); Kenny Mellman (Kiki and Herb); Frank DeCaro (Sirius OutQ Radio, "The Daily Show"); Emily McNamara ("Awesome 80s Prom", Musical Mondays at Splash) and crowning the winner was Broadway's Nick Adams ("Guys and Dolls", "A Chorus Line").

After two dramatic elimination rounds, the winner was declarEd Heather Shields, Miss West Village.  The show's director and choreographer, Adolpho Blaire, summed up the entire evening by saying the entire evening was "an over-the-top extravaganza filled with amazing performances, outrageous contestants and brilliant cheesiness not seen since the Oscars in the early 80s" - quickly adding in "And this was just our first year out - Wait until 2010!"

For more info: www.missfaghag.com.

All photos by David J. Martin (www.djmphotographer.com)

Alysha Umphress

Nick Adams

Murray Hill

Jon Wolfe Nelson

Paul Case and Shawn Hollenbach

Mel and El

Hedda Lettuce and Caroline Rhea

The Contestants

Bridget Everett and the judges

Britney Houston

Jon Wolfe Nelson

Nick and Heather Shields

Shayna Steele, Danny Leary and Jenny Rubin

Frank DeCarro, Shawn, Hedda, D/Ch Adolpho Blaire, and Paul

Michael Musto

The Top 7, Shawn and Paul

Alysha Umphress

Hedda Lettuce, Michael, Katina Corrao, and Caroline Rhea

Kathy Fitzgerald

Britney Houston