Dreamboy Interview Michelle Webley

As a young gay black kid growing up in Baltimore, Dale Madison idolized the Supremes. So it seemed natural to shape his memoir as an homage to them and to the 1984 Mary Wilson book, DREAMGIRL: My Life as a Supreme.




And DREAMBOY: My Life as a QVC Host and Other Greatest Hits was born.

I had such an emotional cultural attachment to the image of what success had to be for the Supremes in the 1960s, coming from nothing, Madison says. At some point in my life I felt as if I were each one of the Supremes. I cant tell you how many times my mother caught me singing like Diana Ross!

In an unexpected twist, Madisons short film of the same name has succeeded before the manuscript it was intended to promote. Developed with music editor Joe Breaux, DREAMBOY earned four nominations at Februarys 2008 San Diego Black Film Festival and won the LGBT film award.

What was supposed to be a 10-minute video sales pitch to accompany a query letter ended up being this 25-minute documentary, says Madison, of Inglewood, Calif. I was so proud of what Joe achieved that I decided to submit it to film festivals.

Both book and movie chronicle Madisons life from a schoolboy in Baltimore through his career as telephone operator, artists model, movie extra, founder and member of two educational theater troupes, QVC host, African doll designer, drag queen performance artist, owner of an African-themed store, and TV, movie, and theater actor. He compares each chapter of his life to a hit Supreme song.

In DREAMBOY, he discusses with candor and charm his Baltimore childhood, his gay and straight relationships, his varied careers, his four years as a shopping channel host at QVC, and his work as a background bit player in the Hollywood system.

The film is being shown in a benefit screening at 10 p.m. March 22 at the Vintage Hollywood Private Club also commemorate Madisons 50th birthday.

My goal was to have my book published by my 50th birthday, says Madison, but this works out the way it was supposed to. I want people to walk away saying, I want to read a book about this guys life.

The event will benefit The Village Health Foundation with donations accepted at the door. Doors open at 9 p.m., and an after party will follow.

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Entertainment

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