"The Dame Edna Treatment" - new TV show details!

Hello, Possums! Hello, Darlings!

I first reported here that the new year would bring us a landmark new television series from our favourite ground-breaking gigastar. Well, I'm thrilled to report that our Dame Edna spies are reporting back to us now with some exciting news about the new ITV Dame Edna show.

The word is that it is to be called "The Dame Edna Treatment", and will be set in a spa - isn't that spooky! Memories of little Mel Gibson in Dame Edna's TV special called "A Night on Mount Edna" come to mind - do you remember, Possums? Gorgeous Mel spent the entire show in Edna's hot box (now don't twist my words, you little minx - I mean her sauna, of course!)

It's the perfect setting for Dame Edna to probe all the nooks and crannies of her special guests. And as she declared on Parkinson last year, she won't be interviewing any of these non-entity celebs we see so much of nowadays. Oh, no! Only top level stars for our Australian legend. We've heard that the likes of Jane Fonda, Charlton Heston, Liza Minnelli, and Sean Connery are already lined up, and no doubt, international superstars around the globe will be clamouring to get The Dame Edna Treatment! Sadly, I doubt that little Mel Gibson will get a look in, particularly after those rather "uncalled for" remarks he made about the Red Sea pedestrians... Dame Edna is a Red Sea pedestrian you know...or at least she thinks she might be... In any event, she might think about inviting some other Australian stars to join her. What about Russell Crowe? After all, they're both Gladi-ators!!!!

I also wanted to bring you news of some website updates, my darlings. First, you'll find a new up-to-date touring schedule on the official Dame Edna website. You'll also find some new photos in the photo gallery section of The Untamed Edna Experience website. Scroll down to see some of the gorgeous shots from our recent VIP day at John Lewis on Oxford Street. You'll also find the site easier to navigate with improved links to help you probe our space (web space, that is).

Well, that's all for now, Possums! We're so excited about the new TV series!!! And if you hear any news yourself, be sure to let us know!!!

Dame Edna in the West End in 2007?

Happy New Year, you darling little mites!

Welcome to a glitteringly gorgeous new year! Have you recovered from all of the fabulous festivities yet?

Dame Edna had a busy festive frolic, as she was both on stage in her fabulous show "Back With a Vengeance" in Melbourne, and spent the rest of her time receiving and cataloging expensive Christmas gifts from admirers all over the world. In fact, Madge is still in the basement of Edna's Melbourne villa (well, the basement is the best place for Madge really...), preparing extensive lists of all the loot for the Smithsonian Institute who have been begging Dame Edna to lend them her collections of rare and priceless gifts for a landmark exhibit in the United States. She has finally relented, because it's clear the world is clamouring for more of the legend that can only be Dame Edna, and also because there just isn't any more room in her homes around the world (unless of course she were to oust a certain New Zealand bridesmaid, which be assured, has been considered on more than one occasion...)

And speaking of Dame Edna's current run of "Back With a Vengeance" in Australia, a dear friend of ours who has recently returned from a trip down under where she caught the show, tells us that there was talk of the show coming to London's West End!!! This would be amazing news if it is true, and it has to be said that the West End could use a dash of delicious delight these days in a dismal field of current offerings including Dirty Dancing and the upcoming Lord of the Rings - sigh!

We've probed all the nooks and crannies of the net in search of some kind of confirmation of this wonderful news, but to no avail. So we're counting on you, Possums: Keep your eyes and ears to the ground, and if you hear anything at all, please get in touch with us here!!!

In the meantime, we have found some truly gorgeous sites celebrating Dame Edna's current run in Australia, as well as the 50th anniversary of her life as an entertainer and a saviour to nations around the world!

First, there is the site created by Victoria's Cultural Network called Virtually Edna. It features some wonderful new videos on the Edna Cam, as well as some fantastic pictures of Edna through the years and costume designs and snaps. Brilliant!

The next is the Dame Edna Live site, which has two sections: One for the amazing Back With a Vengeance show, and the other for the landmark Ednafest, Melbourne's celebration of Dame Edna's 50 golden years.

Quicksticks, Possums! Check it out! There are listings of events and exhibitions, including Ednaville (a chance to walk back in time into Mrs Norman Everage's Mooney Ponds home) and a display of our favourite megastar's astounding and ground-breaking dresses and gowns. I wonder if Kenny was involved in setting up that exhibition?

Well, darlings, I must run...there are squillions of web pages to scour for more news of our glittering gigastar. And remember, Possums, if you hear any news of an upcoming West End run in London, get in touch!

Christmas message from Dame Edna in the Radio Times!

Merry Chrissie, you little darlings!

It's not long now til the big day! Have you been good? Are you expecting some nice pressies under the tree?

Well, we must have all been quite good, because there is a gorgeous little gift for us all in the 23rd December Christmas edition of the Radio Times - it's an interview with our favourite giga-star Dame Edna Everage:

photo credit: Radio Times

Turn to page 44 for the best read of the season. Never mind the Queen's message, this is one that matters! Dame Edna reveals all in this hilarious interview, including confirmation of plans for her new chat show in 2007 (which we first announced here ) - and there will be no non-entity z-list celebrities for Dame Edna! There's also a little insight into her plans for Christmas (in a truly charitable gesture, she'll be spending it with her disappointing daughter Valmai...)

So, possums, with the promise of a fabulous new Dame Edna TV series, 2007 is already shaping up to be a truly gorgeous year!

Happy Chrissie to one and all! See you in the New Year!

Caring and Sharing at John Lewis

Hello, darlings!

Well, John Lewis' VIP event on Saturday was a huge success! And of course, our Australian giga-star (lovingly impersonated by Simon) was at the centre of it all, caring and sharing with all of the gorgeous little possums who came to the John Lewis beauty department looking for a dash of delicious Christmas glamour. Dame Edna is often asked for beauty tips from women all over the world, taking calls from Kate Moss, Iman, and Elle McPherson on an almost hourly basis (she's stopped trying to help Victoria Beckham, because honestly, folks, some people just can't be helped - I mean, look at Madge!), so shoppers were delighted to be in the presence of one of the world's classic style icons...

Hmmm...darling...is this a gift from Ann Summers....it looks a little bit yucky...call me old-fashioned, but it does!!!

These gorgeous little senior citizens don't really have any idea what's going on - they're just enjoying the movement and the colour! Someone call the maximum security twilight home and let them know we have the escapees!

The amazement in understandable...it's not every day you meet someone who was the spiritual adviser to Mother Theresa!

A fellow lover of face furniture!

Is this your father, darling? You might be interested in my work as chairwoman of the Friends of the Prostate!

Darling, you look wonderful... I remember when a coat like that was fashionable!

For a look at more photos of our gorgeous giga-star, click over to this web-page !

Bye-bye, darlings! Bye-bye!

VIP Dame Edna!

Hello, Possums!

Just a quick reminder to all you gorgeous little mites that Simon will be appearing as Dame Edna tomorrow at John Lewis during Oxford Street's VIP (Very Important Pedestrian) Day. We've been told that Australia's greatest gigastar will be on the main floor in the beauty department (no doubt, lots of Kenny's friends will be working there too!), and the appearance will be taking place from approximately 2 - 5 pm.

As Dame Edna always looks so ravishing, I'm sure all sorts of complete non-entities will be clamouring to ask her beauty advice. But sometimes, all the beauty advice in the world won't help if you don't have the bone structure - just look at Madge! Hopeless. So we're leaving her at home to dust and wash the floors.

But never mind about Madge. I think it's going to be a fantastic day - call me old fashioned, but I do! See you there!

Christmas Entertainment Dame Edna Style!

Ho ho ho possums!

It's spooky how quickly the year passes, isn't it? It's nearly Chrissie time, darlings! Have you been good this year? As Dame Edna says, will Santa be visiting you with his bulging sack?

Christmas time is definitely Dame Edna time! One of my favourite Christmas TV moments of all time was on the Parkinson show several years ago when Dame Edna made her "Christmas Address to the Commonwealth". I was absolutely on the floor with laughter! If you haven't yet seen it, run out and get the Dame Edna Christmas DVD - you won't be sorry, I promise! As it says on the DVD case: "Just slip this disc into your facility and the gift of Dame Edna will make your chestnuts sizzle!" Well, who can argue with that? Call me old fashioned, but you can't!

As the Chrissie season fast approaches, it promises to be a busy time for The Untamed Edna Experience! Folks in the know have invited Simon to bring Dame Edna's brand of Australian good will and cheer to their Christmas parties far and wide. To kick things off, those gorgeous little mites at Flight Centre UK have asked us to pop along to their festive soiree tomorrow night at Chelsea Football Club. Edna will come alive on stage in all her megastar glory, singing holiday favourites such as "Dame Edna is Coming to Town" and "We Need an Aussie Christmas" - what could be better? Thankfully, Madge won't be there to spoil things, hanging around the mistletoe with a pathetic and misplaced look of hope in her eyes...

Quicksticks, possums! If you're still looking for some Christmas Entertainment to make the season bright, then check out the The Untamed Edna Experience website for some great ideas. You can take a look at some video footage to experience for yourself the kind of hilarity that Dame Edna can bring to your party or event - creating Christmas memories your guests won't soon forget!!!

I'd best run now, my darlings! I've got to pack up the trunks and run them out to the Edna-Air helicopter - keeping this Australian housewife and international phenomenon on the go is a full time job!

Dame Edna International News

You little minx - you've come to the right place for all the news about our beloved mega-star Dame Edna Everage!

Simon and I have just returned from New York where Dame Edna is featured in a photograph in the current Broadway Playbill programmes given to all audiences in Broadway's theatreland. In an article about "Theatre Talk", New York City's most prominent theatre talk show on television, Dame Edna is pictured with the co-hosts of the show:

photo credit: Elizabeth Ruml

Only the best and brightest of Broadway are featured on the show, so it's only fitting that Australia's best-loved housewife/international icon would be interviewed, along with the likes of Chicago's Kander and Ebb. Dame Edna, in fact, won a Tony Award in 2001 for her Broadway show "Dame Edna: The Royal Tour", as well as a Tony nomination for the 2004 hit show "Dame Edna: Back With a Vengeance".

And speaking of the "Back With a Vengeance" show, following the hugely successful run on Broadway (which we witnessed!) and a fantastic North American tour, she's taken the show home to Australia where she is currently playing to her adoring fans down under. This run celebrates Dame Edna's 50 years on the stage, and this very week the show is playing in Perth at the Regal Theatre until the 26th. Just think of all the lucky people who will see that show - their lives will probably never be the same again!

photo credit: Richard Hatherly

TV Appearance on ITV2 - "The Lookey Likey Show"

Exciting news, possums!

Simon is going to be appearing on TV this week on the ITV2 program "The Lookey Likey Show"!

The sequences were filmed earlier this year, and we've just received word that Simon's segment as Dame Edna will be on this Thursday night at 21:00. So make it a date and join us for some fun and mayhem, Dame Edna style!

We filmed various scenes, as Dame Edna graced the high street with her mega-star presence, overwhelming the non-entities with her glitz and glamour as they did their shopping. Next, she surprised local shoppers as she did her grocery shopping at Tesco - needless to say, it was the highlight of their day (and probably their entire lives)!!!

During filming, we couldn't believe our luck when we spotted a vicar in the store, so we're really hoping that the scenes filmed with him make it into the program! As Dame Edna has provided spiritual advice to so many around the world (including, of course, Mother Theresa), her words of advice about the choices to be made when selecting the juiciest melons were gratefully accepted by the good vicar. Great stuff!

If you want a little more information about the series, you'll find it here:

The Lookey Likey Show

And for the details of Thursday's show, here are the ITV2 listings:

ITV2 listings

Enjoy!!!

Public Appearance at John Lewis, Oxford Street!

Hello, you little darlings!

We often get asked if people can come and see Simon as Dame Edna at the many events and parties he is asked to attend. However, because most of the appearances he makes are at private functions filled with very glamorous and powerful people, non-entities such as yourselves just wouldn't be admitted (I'm sorry, call me old-fashioned, but you wouldn't!)

But there's good news on the horizon, possums! There is a big public event on the 2nd of December in London, at which Simon will be appearing as Dame Edna! So you can all come and see him thrilling the crowds, caring and sharing, and probing deeply into the lives of Dame Edna's adoring public! Come and join in the fun - your life will never be the same again!

The event is called "Very Important Pedestrians", and Oxford Street will be closed to traffic that day, making it a pedestrian-only shopping street. There will be a number of entertainers on hand throughout the day to add to the fun. Simon has been invited to appear at John Lewis as Dame Edna from approximately 14:00 - 17:00 that day, so if you're in the mood for a shop and a laugh, why don't you join him?

Click on this link to see all the details of the event:

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/traffic-free-shopping-day-london_index.html

Never mind Hallowe'en, there's only 55 days until Christmas - now that's spooky, possums!!!

New Series for Dame Edna on ITV!

Hello possums!

We were very excited to see that during her wonderful appearance on Parkinson at the end of September, Dame Edna announced to the great British public that she will be returning to grace our television screens next year! This is fantastic news as we've been missing her while she's been enjoying great success in the United States with her appearances on Ali McBeal and her live shows on Broadway and on tour. (photo credit: Parkinson website, ITV)

If you'd like to see pictures of Dame Edna's appearance on Parky, or video of the show, go to the official ITV Parkinson site:

http://parkinson.itv.com/video_clips.phtml?show_id=52

Her appearance was truly hysterical! She shared the story of her affair years ago with Picasso, and asked Helen Mirren if there were any nude scenes in the film "The Queen". Classic!

Looking forward to the new series with great anticipation!!!

Welcome to the new blog for Dame Edna lookalike Simon Whitehouse

Hello and welcome to the new blog for Dame Edna lookalike and impersonator Simon Whitehouse!

You can find him at:

www.dame-edna-lookalike.com

...where there are video and audio clips for you to enjoy, as well as information about what Simon does and testimonials, photos, and contact information too!

My name is Dale Mercer, and I take care of all of the operational side of things for Simon. I'm hoping to use this blog to keep you up-to-date on all of the latest news featuring the real Dame Edna and her creator/alter-ego Barry Humphries, as well as updates about Simon's appearances and website news.

I'm looking forward to this new blogging experience, and I look forward to bringing you all the latest from the world of Dame Edna Everage!

Best wishes,
Dale Mercer