GET REAL WITH Willam Belli
LAST MONDAY night, nearly a million American viewers tuned in for the season 4 premiere of "RuPaul's Drag Race." The extra-sassy show is a reality-based elimination, a madcap mash-up of "Project Runway" and "America's Next Top Model." Only the competitors are men who dress like women - and who survive or get eliminated by lip syncing "for their lives."
LAST MONDAY night, nearly a million American viewers tuned in for the season 4 premiere of "RuPaul's Drag Race." The extra-sassy show is a reality-based elimination, a madcap mash-up of "Project Runway" and "America's Next Top Model." Only the competitors are men who dress like women - and who survive or get eliminated by lip syncing "for their lives."
Last Monday's viewership was a 50 percent increase over season 3's first episode and set a record for the lil' Logo channel (163 on your Comcast dial). The show's sudden popularity seemed curious: Why did RuPaul and his "girls" catch on, now? Are reality-TV watchers finally realizing these programs are meant to be enjoyed and laughed at, and the more laughter, the better? Or, was it that glamazon host/hostess RuPaul Charles has recently been out and about more than usual, making a cameo on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and showing up in gold lamé on bus shelters nationwide?
Maybe. But we think it's also because for the first time one of the Drag Racers is a very fierce, very outspoken competitor - with very strong Philly roots. His name is Willam Belli (pronounced "Bell-eye"), a professional actor who's been on "Sex and the City" and "Nip/Tuck," and who just performed alongside Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn and Andy Samberg in the upcoming film "Neighborhood Watch."
All dolled up, Belli, 29, may be prettier than Britney Spears and sharper-tongued than Joan Rivers. But, he says, deep down, he's just another South Philly guy who happens to look better than most in a bra and heels.
Q: Where are you from in Philly?
A: I was born in Methodist [Hospital] on Broad Street. My first apartment was on Tree Street in South Philly, across the street from Goretti [St. Maria Goretti High School]. Those Goretti gorillas. They would sit on my stoop and be all loud, and I'd dump snow on them.
Q: Did you do drag here?
A: I started out working when I was 16, with $300. "Tony and Tina's Wedding" was one of my first jobs. But they fired me for underage drinking at the Venice Plaza.
Q: Where are you now?
A: I've lived in L.A. for 10 years. It was hard at first, because L.A.'s an ugly city filled with beautiful things. If I could have worked and lived in Philly, I would have stayed. But there wasn't much work other than the occasional M. Night Shyamalan film.
Q: What's the difference between acting and being on reality TV?
A: When you're on a TV show that's reality-based, you're edited down to the most concentrated version of yourself. If you're a little bitchy and a little funny, you're going to become the funniest, bitchiest character in the world.
Q: What are you like, then, really?
A: I'm a cross-dresser. I'm a Mummer at heart. All of those guys [on the show] are Mummers.
Q: How would you describe your drag self?
A: Vintage Bob Mackie and Versace, with a little bit of my own vomit. I'm the first one to crack the joke on me, that I'm kind of a mess. In the end, what I do is never going to be on CNN, so let's just give it a break and call it entertainment.
Q: How long does it take to turn from a man into a woman?
A: I can go as fast as a half-hour to four hours, depending on what the drag is. I've been blue head-to-toe, a Smurf. If I'm on set with a makeup artist, it'll take an hour, hour and a half.
Q: To what do you attribute your success in films and on TV?
A: I just put myself out there, and people say, "He can act. He looks good in a dress. He can walk in heels. Let's book him."
Q: Why don't you have a funny name, like the other contestants, something like Madame LaQueer or Jiggly Caliente?
A: You can't exactly cash a check with a name like "Mequeesha Fundouche." I can be registered with the Screen Actors Guild with an alias. And, all the best drag queens don't change their names. RuPaul's real name is RuPaul.
Q: What do you do when you're back in Philly?
A: I always go to Voyeur, they do a Wednesday night that's awesome. Lorenzo's on South Street is a tourist trap, but I go because I love their pizza. If it's before Labor Day, I'm getting water ice. And I go to Tony Luke's - a lot.
Q: But how do you stay so thin and trim?
A: I go to Richard Simmons twice a week. He's 63 and still teaches three times a week. It's not "Sweatin' to the Oldies" anymore. He plays Rihanna and Madonna. He's so inspiring. He was able to change my attitude about food. He gave me abs. Now, every time I open the fridge, I do some crunches. It really prevents snacking. Plus, if I'm in drag, I normally don't eat, because everything is taped up there. My genitals get origami-ed into a paper parakeet.
Q: Do you have someone special in your life?
A: My boyfriend. Well, my husband. We got married when it was legal in California about five years ago. I know. It's super gay. We've been together almost 10 years. He's a medical malpractice insurance lawyer who develops software. I wore a Tammy Wynette T-shirt to our wedding that said, "Stand by Your Man."
Q: How does the hubs feel about your job?
A: I don't go watch him in court, and he doesn't watch me do drag. If I come on, on the TV, he'll flip the channel to a basketball game.
Q: What do you do for fun?
A: I'm in an all-drag-queen band called Trans Continental. We perform at the House of Blues in L.A. We're the groupies and musicians combined into one. I sing and play the sax.
Q: What do you hope to get out of "RuPaul's Drag Race?"
A: My dream is to come back and host the Pride Parade in Philly. Also, I'd like people to pronounce my name right.