Diana & Mom's Blogs

It's been a long time since the last blog, but wanted to give a few updates.

Come join us at Chow Baby for the Atlanta Food Bank. You can cancel a negative with a positive, so be positive about life and doing good things for others. Times are tough for a lot of people, so hang in there and help one another.

On another note, a dear friend of ours (Diana's and mine) is very ill and would love an uplifting card from anyone who would take the time. He has been there for Diana many times throughout her life, and it would be nice for him to know everyone cares. So if you get a chance, write a note to Mike Burris at the following address:

Mike Burris, c/o Julie Chicoski, 912 Brook Hollow Place, Jacksonville, FL 32259.

Also, you can click on www.burrisentertainment.com and drop a note to him.

I know everyone has waited for an update on the hacker. Well, she is still alive and back to her old tricks. We were advised that giving her space on this website was giving her the attention she wanted, so we have ignored her. But if the hacker has done ANYTHING to you, then we suggest you file a separate criminal charge against her. The FBI has advised us that each person has their own individual case. If 300 people have been bothered by the hacker, then ALL 300 of those people can and should file separate charges against the hacker. Sooner or later the criminal will come back again for more, and perhaps this time the court will see the truth. But only with everyone's help will it stop.

So anyone being bothered by the hacker can contact the local FBI, the Atlanta FBI, and/or the Melbourne Police Department. We encourage you to file charges against anyone breaking the law against you, Diana, or this website.

All is well in Atlanta. Moving forward and trying to keep up with the world around us.

Know that we love you all and wish the best for you.

Chow, Baby!

Mom D

Happy 20th Birthday Diana!!

(Diana answered these interview questions for someone. Brenda gave them to me to post)

How long have you been performing in professional theater?

I have been performing since I was five years old, but in professional theater since I was approximately 12 years old, when I played Tessie in Annie at the Fox Theater, a Theater of the Stars production out of New York. Then I went to Opryland and did their Christmas dinner show while in the fourth grade. And then I joined the James Rogers Show at Music Mansion in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee -- and did that off and on for about two years. I had tutors and went back and forth to school. I then played Maria in West Side Story in San Jose, California, in 2005; went on to do Penny in Hairspray on Broadway; played the lead in Brooklyn, which toured the summer of 2007; and then returned to Penny and Broadway last September.

How did you get into acting? Did you have to take classes?

I've always been a ham -- ever since I was born, and I started doing TV commercials, modeling, voiceovers, and Cartoon Network when I was very young. (I'm sure you have seen me in commercials and didn't know it was me!) I worked with Atlanta Workshop Players and was chosen to be the youngest player in their traveling show. I did that for about two years when I was about seven years old, and we performed at schools around the area and in Florida. I then auditioned and worked with Coca-Cola as an Olympic City Kid during the 1996 Olympics here in Atlanta for about five months. There were so many that I can't remember all of them, but I guess you could say I had on-the-job training at each performance.

What is it like being a pro?

Since acting is an ongoing, never-ending evolution of your talents, I guess I should say there's always room to grow and improve on your acting and vocal skills, so perhaps you only feel like a "pro" when you have finished your career and have received all the awards you can receive in that particular field. But if being a "pro" means making it to Broadway, then the answer is that you make a whole lot more money when you reach the professional level!!! And that feels really good! I mean, how many people can say they performed on Broadway? It's incredible!

We recently learned in class that everyone working in theater is usually a member to Equity. Are you a member?

Yes, it's mandatory in the professional scene on Broadway, New York, etc.

When did you become a member?

I became a member of Equity when I did theater in New York and San Jose. I was a member of AFTRA and SAG when I was younger. I have been a member of NARAS (the Grammies) since I was about 10 years old! The youngest member ever! The more you can join and learn from, the better you will be in your field.

What did you have to do to become a member?

It was part of the contracts for professional theater, so everyone joins Equity. To join the others, I just made the decision to apply and join.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of being in the union?

Obviously, you can't work on Broadway without Equity, and it protects the actors/singers from being abused. The disadvantage is that you can't do shows that are not Equity if you are a member. And the same goes for AFTRA/SAG, but they only have to take the uniunion , provides health insurance, retirement; and if you're ever in need or have a question about your job, they're there for you. Some people prefer not to go union for movies and other jobs -- or go union after you have worked for some years at the bottom level. But once you move over to the union level, you have to stick with it. It could cost you doing a non-union job, but that's the decision you have to make to have some security.

In class we also learned that each actor has an agent or agents, do you?

Absolutely. I have more than one agent. Some agents are better for some things than they are for other things. For instance, some agents specialize in theater. Some agents specialize in tours and booking musical gigs. Some agents do only TV and movies. Most big agencies have agents who specialize in a specific field.

Does your agent work for other actors or just you?

Yes, other people -- except my mom; and even she sends jobs to other people that I can't do or are perhaps better for someone else!

What does your agent do for you?

He takes calls for you. He gets breakdowns on new shows and current shows and what the casting agents are looking for from his connections in the business. He then tries to link up the actors/performers to jobs that are best suited for you. He also negotiates the deals and takes a percentage of the money for his work. He doesn't get paid unless he books the talent, and then he only collects when the actor is paid. This is his incentive to really work for you!

How much of a percentage do they get for your work?

Most agents take 10 percent. However, sometimes it can be up to 20 percent. Agents can also be paid by BOTH sides. The company pays them 10 percent, and the actor/artist pays them 10 percent. A lot of actors don't realize that that is the case; so 20 percent with 10 percent makes a big percentage for the agent!

Do you have contacts with certain producers?

I have contacts with lots of producers. Once you are in the business, people get to know you; and you begin to network with those people around you and who they know, also.

Do they approach you directly or go through your agent?

Both. Sometimes it's easier to just take the call directly; but when it comes to finalizing the job, it's always good business to let an agent negotiate and book the event for you. The artist doesn't want to get involved in the negotiating part of the contrat, and that's where a good agent is well worth more than the 10 percent they charge. Because if an agent doubles your money, it's better to give a piece of the pie to someone who knows what they're doing than to lose the job. Plus, they have standard contracts that cover the artist on issues such as who pays airfare, who pays hotel expenses, who handles the backline, deposits up front, insurance, etc.

Do you have your own team of managers, etc.?

Yes.

What was the process of securing your role in Hairspray?

My agent called and said he had the "perfect" part for me. It was something I had not ever done before, but he was sure I could do it. So I did, and I loved it. Penny was such a great person to play because she kept everyone laughing, and Brooklyn was a wonderful experience -- working with the greatest performers!.

Can you explain in general what rehearsals are like?

Wow! Long and time-consuming. By union rules, you can work a long day, six days a week. Some shows only rehearse for a week before they start. West Side Story rehearsed for a month. Everyone shows up and is ready to go. As the rehearsals progress, the director may change things to adjust to the stage, the actors, the lighting, the music. They are long, long days until the opening peformance. You also have additional rehearsals when a new performer joins the show. There are times when you are doing one show and rehearsing for another one -- like when I did Hairspray and was getting ready for Brooklyn. The days are long and the breaks are few; but in order to do a great show, that's what it takes. Sometimes only part of the cast will be called in to rehearse, and sometimes the orchestra is there and sometimes not.


Describe a typical day on a national tour from the time you wake up to when you go to sleep.

Since you have worked late the night before, you get up late, have breakfast, get dressed, and return to the theater about two or three hours before the show. If you're on a musical tour (with bands and just music), you may have traveled all night to get to the next city. You may have slept on a bus all night and are reaching the hotel at 4 a.m. in the morning, so you wait for your suitcases to come to your room (sometimes an hour with a large tour), and then you go to sleep until you have to get up and go to the arena, usually around noon. Music tours are really tiring because on your off days you are traveling, and sleeping on a bus is almost impossible. When I did my tour with American Idol, I had to leave at the end of the show before my off day and fly all over the country to work on my album. Sometimes I got no sleep, recorded music, and then got back on a plane to catch up with the tour. I was exhausted throughout the tour, and that is definitely not the way to do an album!

What kind of pressures and stress do you have being in this industry?

It's a music BUSINESS, first of all. It's all about making money. So although you may love to sing and perform, the business comes first. The "industry" is only interested in selling records and showing numbers, so you're just a pawn in a big game. It's a game that not many people can survive, and there is an enormous amount of stress. You may be ill and still have to perform. You may be tired, but they still expect you to produce. It's not a kind business to the performers. The record companies have to make their money. There's a saying in the record business, "We're rich. You're famous." Hmmmm ... think about that one!

Also, you have scans on your records. If you don't have a URL, your sales on CD's don't count. If you are an urban artist, they scan your records 3 to 1 or even higher; so you may actually have sold 100,000 and get credit for 300,000. The Mom-and-Pop stores get higher scans. It can go as high as 5 to 1 on the scans; e.g., you buy one CD at their store, but the urban artist gets credit for five sales. You pay for all those limo rides and high-priced hotels. Nothing is free. It's a business! The pressure is to remember that it's a businss first and foremost. The stress is overcoming the business side first before you can be the artist.

What is it like when you perform on a tour going from one city to another?

Very tiring, but so much fun. You get to meet so many great new people and see some really cool places. We weren't allowed to spend time with the fans while on the American Idol tour, but on all other tours the artist performer has the right to sign autographs and meet with the fans any way he/she/they would like -- either before the performance or afterward.

Where is your favorite place you have performed in? Why?

Oh, that's a tough one. Probably Broadway and in Baghdad on New Year's Eve. The soldiers were so much fun and so appreciative. The entire tour with General Pace was great -- from Germany, to Africa, to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Dubois, the middle of the Rabian Sea, to Baghdad -- and all the other countries. I'm looking forward to going overseas again. Our troops were incredible! Also, Broadway was so great. I will always love Broadway.

How does the audience affect your performance?

The audience always affects the performers. The more they get into the performance, and the more fun they have, the more the singer/performer has fun. Both feed off the other.

What was your favorite character you played and why?

Penny in Hairspray, Maria in West Side Story, and then, of course, Brooklyn! Penny was sooooooooooo much fun, and the audience loved her. And Maria was my first serious professional role, and I loved that show. Brooklyn was great because the music was incredible, and the people I have worked with in all the shows have been the very best! I love live theater.

What was the most difficult part to play and why?

The most difficult part was Maria in West Side Story. I had to work with an accent coach, and the part involved a huge amount of drama, too. You have to dig deep in your heart and soul to bring out the sadness Maria feels at the end of the story. It was exhausting, but wonderful!

Was there anything that was difficult in theater that you had to overcome?

The accent for Maria was very difficult. Working with such great performers and feeling like the new kid on the block was tough to begin with, but I learned from all of them. Brooklyn had to sing in a very high key and belt, so that was always difficult -- making sure your voice was warmed up and not tired. Having to do eight shows every week can be very tiring; and, of course, trying not to laugh when another actor made a mistake or said a funny line!

But it was all great!

Do people treat you differently when they know you're a star?

Yes, people who don't know me. My real friends don't care.

I heard one of your songs while I was shopping at Gap, do you ever hear your singing unexpectedly somewhere and how do you feel if you do?

I love it! The first time we heard it, we were in Las Vegas and heard my song over the sound system of the huge hotel there; and that was really great! I kept thinking: That song sounds familiar!

What is the best advice anyone has told you?

Believe in yourself. Never let anyone's opinion of you set the standard for who you are and what you can do. I never failed; I just found a lot of ways that didn't work!!! That's a great motto. It's your life. How can you fail at your life? A wish and a dream are nothing if you don't act upon them. The only person who doesn't make a mistake is someone who does nothing. And the world could not survive if everyone did the same thing. Sooooooo find your place among the stars and ... Go for it!

What are your goals for the future? How will you make sure you achieve them?

My goals are to do some of everything. I'd like to do a movie, TV, more theater, another album, entertain the troops again, and travel!

For everyone's information, the only update I can give on the hacker is that sentencing is set for May 4. The hacking is continuing; but for all of you who have been affected by the this situation, I need affidavits as soon as possible. We have a form that needs to be used. However, we are not doing this by internet. Please contact one of the administrators of this site or call us (number is in the book) on a land line (not a cell phone), and we will supply it to you.

Please be specific with your information and problems. Do not open any e-mail from any AIM, Hotmail, Gmail, or otherwise that you don't know the person or that has an attachment. Spoofing addresses is common, and the mail you get may not be from the person you think it is.

Keep you firewalls up, keep your Microsoft patches up to date, and scan your computer with more than one virus scan. This is not a cure, but certainly helps.

After this is resolved, Diana will post a message via the blog.

Thanks for your patience and lots of love to everyone!

Mom DeGarmo

Hello Fans & Happy Holidays!

As another year comes to a close, I would like to take a moment to remember and give thanks for all of the wonderful things in my life. 2006 was a year of many new and exciting experiences, like Hairspray and Brooklyn. The USO Tour with General Pace certainly kicked off '06 with a bang! I have gotten a chance to meet even more wonderful people this year that I hope will stay in my life for many more years.

All of you have stood by me through all the good and even the icky bad. I truly thank you for your continuous love, support, and belief in me. I hope you all are ready for a kickin' 2007. This upcoming year is full of promise, and I cannot wait to take all of you along for the ride! I will only be staying with Hairspray until February 11th. Also, my
first performance for 2007, outside of Hairspray, will be for the Georgia Lt. Governor, on January 7th, for his Inauguration.

Everyone keep an eye out for what's in store for after the 'Spray. I don't want to spill the beans yet, or jinx anything, but be prepared to be shocked (in a good way)!! :)

Last, but definitely not least, I would like to thank everyone who sent me magnets, ornaments, and gifts this past year. I wish I had the time to thank each one of you individually, but just know that I know who you are! Everything is beautiful, and I am honored to have you all as my fans and friends!.

Once again, Happy Holidays & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Peace & Love,
Diana