Cocktail: Peach FuZZ pours: rue, fri, Sat Nights Bar: The Saint in San Antonio Photo by: Allen Grubaugh i ELi 4,· • but in other cities in Texas, His love of the business makes him work tirelessly to keep drag and performing alive and well. Nikko has performed for many years and competed for Mr, Gay Texas at Large USofA for the last four years, The first year he competed, he was second runner up, It was the first show of his career and the first time competing for a Texas title, This inspired him to continue performing and competing, He placed top three in each of the previous pageants, until this year when he won the prestigious title of Mr. Gay Texas USofA at Large, Nikko is extremely dedicated to his career. It is not a hobby! The many years he has been in the industry as performer, promoter, emcee and show director have made him the well rounded individual he is, His vast knowledge of all aspects of the art of performance and entertainment has given him the opportunity to provide help and promote the USofA system, Two weeks into his reign, Nikko has sold five new preliminaries, with more to come, He is a firm believer that "actions speak louder than words," He is not going to tell people what he can do but will show them! He believes in "For the drag community, by the drag community," Nikko believes that faith and family are the most important things in life, "Family is the core and essence of who we are," He says he is blessed to have an amazing mother Nikko Andrews, 2012 who taught and raised him to become the adult he is and help him be the person he is today, He can Mr. Gay Texas USofA at Large take on any challenge set in front of him and attack it head on and win, His faith is very important to By Dov E. Kupfer him, He has a very strong belief in God, "Without God we have nothing," Nikko says he is amazed at the resilience and beauty of the human spirit. hen asked to write this story about one We should all understand that whatever religion or of my special friends, I was more than belief we have should be our own and each of us should have our own faith that we can count onto happy to do it. I have known Nikko for W to get us through the difficulties of life, many years and have seen him become the "Drag Guru" of EI Paso, Aids foundations and charities in EI Paso have been one of his main focuses, He has given much Nikko's career in the drag entertainment world in time, talent, and funding to make sure that those began when he was 19 years old, He hosted a who are in need are not alone and have someone benefit show for Eric Andrews, After the show there to support them. ended, he was offered a job to emcee the drag shows by the bar management.. .and the rest is Nikko would like to personally thank Craig history! Nikko singlehandedly runs everything from Henderson, He has known him since he was 18 shows, benefits, fund raisers, and pageants as well years old, He says he is honored beyond words as promotes all EI Paso drag and entertainment to be working for Craig and wants all to know that events, He works hard to make sure that drag and Texas and Texas USofA Royalty would not be what performing is the best it can be, not only in EI Paso, it is today without Craig Henderson, He would also Pg,18 1WIT August 24, 2012 like to thank all the bars around Texas that have '~lY"TPiesFort Worth Nightlife supported him, all the friends he has made and all the new friends he will make during this journey. Ji_ J Photos by Eric Dickson The win of his reign as Mr. Gay Texas USofA at Large is not his alone but belongs to everyone in Texas, and that he will excel because of all the people that have been there for hirn. Nikko has added the last name of Andrews to his name this year. Since he started his career at the age of 19, he has known Erica Andrews. She has been a guiding force in his career. She has helped build and teach him in this art of performance. Erica is more than a drag rnother to him. She is a teacher, a friend, a shoulder to cry on and a jokester to laugh with when needed. He has always been an Andrews, but never attached the name till now. He has taken on the name to honor Erica's legacy and teaching. He is now Nikko Andrews. Nikko would like rne to end this story with his favorite quote from Gandhi. One that he lives by .. "Be the change you want to see in the world." I would like to add my personal congratulations to Nikko and know he will be the change that will make a difference! TWIT Photo by Leslie M HARPER Pg.20 lWlT August 24, 2012 August 24, 2012 lWlT Q)"- C'\I ~ T"" "- 0 co C'\I .! CL ~- e C'\I Q) I- > t5 Q) +-' ::J •• (j) OJ -.c ::J » « en .D (f) 0 1- +-' Z ..0c 0 CL I-e 0 ••e ( f- e ~ ~ '"M U 1-DI-.. ~~ C'\I C'\I cil ! 0... WHERE 1HE SEARS ARE.1V ---~---""""~~----~' ~~~. --,-~ MEETSIT'S "THE"MURGOLDEN GIRLS" W DER SHE ITH BIG HA WROTE" , IRY BEARS! We got to speak with the creators and stars of the ia Los Angeles from the creative team of new break out web series, Rick Copp, Joe Dietl, Rick Copp (The Brady Bunch Movie) Joe V and Ben Zook and they were able to tell us how Dietl (The Thin Pink Line) and Ben Zook (Jack this whole project came into being, and Jill) comes "Where the Bears Are," a comedy mystery web series that follows the exploits of three gay bear roommates living together in Los Angeles, Joe Dietl: Well, Ben and I have been life partners as they attempt to solve the murder of a party for 18 years, We're both actors, writers and guest that turned up dead in their bathroom. directors, and we've been friends with Rick for 13 Part "Golden Girls" and part "Murder, She Wrote," of those years, the series consists of 26 four-minute episodes, and Ben Zook: I'm a graduate of Chicago's Second is a romp through LA's trendy neighborhood of City and a founding member of "The Annoyance Silver Lake, and whose mystery eventually reaches Theatre", Joe is a graduate of "Circle in the Square it's clirnax in the desert outside of Palm Springs, Theatre School," and Rick is a veteran writer of Featuring guest appearances by Bruce Daniels, dozens of TV shows and feature films like "The Ben Zook: Basically, I'm the "Dorothy," Joe is the Tuc Watkins, Jackie Beat, and Shawn Pelofsky, Brady Bunch Movie," "Rose," and Rick is the "Blanche," It's the "Golden the series is designed to appeal to both gay and Rick Copp: The three of us had always wanted to Girls" meets "Murder, She Wrote" with big, hairy straight audiences alike, team up and do something together, I actually had gay bears! two feature scripts that I wrote that Joe wanted Rick Copp: The series is made up of 26 four- to direct, but we had trouble getting financing due minute episodes, and it's going to feature guest to the financial crisis in '08, So, we decided to do stars like Margaret Cho, Tuc Watkins from something extremely low budget that we knew we "Desperate Housewives," comedians Jackie COULD get made, and the idea was hatched while Beat, Bruce Daniels, and Shawn Pelofsky, So, it's we were all sitting in my Jacuzzi in Palm Springs really fun, You're in, you're out, it's quick, with a drinking, lot of laughs and a mystery thrown in as well. It's Ben Zook: Yeah, Rick is an amazing writer and also totally free, We just want everyone to watch, he had the concept for "Where the Bears Are" for Joe Dietl: There's also a lot of hot eye candy quite awhile, and we all realized that we could do in the show, as well as romance thrown in too, it on a low budget and get it made and on the web The whole thing has been just a really positive quickly, and basically nobody could say "no" to us, experience because everyone donated their time and talent for free because we had so little money, Rick Copp: It was very much like a Mickey and But, we had an amazing crew, and a really funny, Judy "let's put on a show" sort of thing, I had sexy, terrific cast, and I think people will be actually wrote for "The Golden Girls" when I was 24 shocked at the quality of the series, considering years old, and this is basically "The Golden Girls" it's low budget. meets "Murder, She Wrote" about three bears living together in Silver Lake in Los Angeles, who Ben Zook: Joe and I actually purchased our own attempt to solve the murder of a party guest that high def camera and equipment so we wouldn't turned up dead in their bathroom, have to rent it.