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Doc Carruthers wrote:

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I'm gonna have to check this out, she seems to be getting alot of attention lately, and her website is shaping up to be something special.

A "horror host" type question for Penny...Why, Oh why, are you not a contestant on the find the new Elvira show, I caught it the other day, and am hooked...totally dorky, but when she zaps the rejects into screaming skeletons...and the dwarf maid comes out and sweeps up the ashes, glaring at Elvira, glaring back at her...Weeeird stuff!
Anyway, Ms. Monster got on...you know of her, right? She looks like she walked out of the Dan Brereton comic book, the Nocturnals. I think you'd be perfect, I mean if that's your thing...Actually, you probably have better things to do.

Hi Doc Carruthers,

I just saw your message. I actually did get involved with this to some small extent. When this show was announced, several folks encouraged me to try out. I applied under the condition that I could audition as Penny Dreadful and that I wouldn't do an Elvira impression. I think it's unwise to try and attempt an imitation of an established, and well-liked, persona. The Reality Remix folks liked the application so they asked me to send them a video clip as Penny. I did so and received a call the following week asking me to come out for the audition. I again told them I had my own horror host persona and that I would only audition as Penny. They said yes to that, so I dropped some moolah for a plane ticket and flew out to Long Beach for the tryouts, which also gave me an opportunity to visit my sister who was living in LA at the time. I spent a night on the infamous Queen Mary, and met Ms. Monster who was a sweetheart. We had fun chatting while waiting for the audition on the night of the 13th.

When the time for the tryout came, I entered the audition room in my usual pointy hat and cape, making a grand (i.e. hammy) entrance through the fog. Elvira was super friendly and remembered meeting me at Monster Bash. I got up onstage and did my schtick as Penny for Elvira and the two drag queen judges. They got a big kick out of the subsequent silliness (hey at 1 AM jokes about your broom start to sound pretty funny). However, one of the drag queens began insisting I do an Elvira impression. Since I was thinking of "Elvira as metaphor" for this thing, I refused and said "well that's not really my bit." They kept pressing me, so I did a deadpan impression of Penny "imitating" Elvira - showing off my decidedly un-Elvira striped tights etc (i.e. NOT imitating her in the least). All this got big laughs. So when all was said and done, Elvira and her two pals were very nice and praised my audition & my own hosting persona but were very clear that they wanted someone who was going to actually BE Elvira for this show. As I said - not my bit. I'd much rather do my own thing. Afterwards, the camera guy did a quick interview with me. I made some bad puns and wished luck to the participants.

I wasn't the least bit disappointed because I lost on my own terms. After watching the show, I know for sure I wouldn't have done a lot of the stuff they were asking the participants to do, nor would I have put up with some of the snarky remarks I heard on the show. I have a low tolerance for that sort of thing (and for Reality TV in general). But it was a good way for the Elvira character to stay in the public eye, so good for her. Not sure how the "new Elvira" will fare when she meets up with fans, but I suspect they wouldn't accept anyone but Cassandra Peterson in that role.

Anywho, if you watched the "afterparty" on the Reality Remix program after the final episode, they did show a very brief clip of my entrance at the audition.

~Penny~