No doubt about it Gigi is the answer to the energy crisis. All we have to do is figure out how to bottle it and we’ll be set. Ungodly long plane flight and a late night with the previous evening’s festivities be damned. She’s still raring to go!

She bounced around the stage like pastel colored Tigger, just as happy to see us as we were to see her. In a vampish voice she crooned out a little song of “hello”. And with that same enthusiasm told us what’s she’s been up to since we have seen her last: Singing. 

She cut a song… well… more of an epically long piece of music with her voice in it as well as lot of other interesting noises. Who knows if we’ll ever be able to find it at Tower Records, but to hear her describe it, the recording was an adventure in itself. What’s a song without a video? In fact, she had just finished filming a piece of performance art to go with it. 

“What else can I tell you?” She wondered out loud. Then excitedly she launched into another story of how she had to rap for a particular television role. George, the character she portrays in the Aussie TV drama, “The Secret Life of Us” did a rap song in her very first day of shooting. Gigi performed it for us. I get the feeling the folks in the US are missing out on some pretty interesting TV viewing. 

There were some interesting questions from the audience. USCB Dad asked her about her gown for a recent awards banquet she attended in Oz (mainly so that he could keep his own daughter away from buying what was apparently a very risqué piece.) You get the sense that Gigi is still a newbie at this “star” business once you hear the tale of the infamous gown. After a harrowing day of digging through her closets, Gigi learned that designers actually offer to dress the actresses for such events. Eventually, she was able to get one, cut just so. I’ve got to find a picture of her in this dress! It sounds incredible! 

There is an interesting request. A member of the audience had made faux flame batons for Gigi to twirl and she treated us to a bit of the famous routine from “Scratch n Sniff”. For what would see me end up in a burn unit, she made look easy and fun. Of all the characters, Chiana’s was seen the most in working with fire. Pretty interesting. I’d never made that connection before. Apparently neither did Gi. Ricky Manning adds his quip that Gigi’s makeup was the only variety that wasn’t fire proof.

Chiana’s sunbathing scene from "Terra Firma" was a topic someone brought up. Gigi offered an interesting tid bit. After Chiana’s little dance number (as seen in "Constellation of Doubt"), which was filmed in the morning, Chiana was to have jumped into the swimming pool. But ultimately the idea was scrubbed because the logistics of shooting time and makeup did not jive. She was to have filmed the sunbathing scene that afternoon and the makeup would have to have been reapplied following a bout of Nebari skinning dipping. I can only wonder how they make her sit still long enough to put the stuff on once. Maybe they sedate her? 

As I watch her mannerisms I wonder how much of Chiana has imprinted itself into Gigi. Or did Gigi make Chiana? From time to time and you can see a bit of that Nebari rebel-girl. The flesh tones and blonde pigtails don’t fool anyone.

AmyJ