“Randy Roberts, Jai Rodriguez and Frenchie Davis join Lucie Arnaz for annual dance competition benefiting D.A.P.”
PALM SPRINGS, CA (November 30, 2016) – Songbird Frenchie Davis will join Lucie Arnaz, Jai Rodriguez and Randy Roberts when she entertains during the December 17, 2016 Dancing with the Desert Stars. Davis was first introduced to the world as a fan-favorite on the second season of the television show, American Idol and since then, she has continued to wow audiences with her unique and versatile talent. She has performed in numerous Broadway shows, including RENT; Cinderella, Enchanted, Dreamgirls; and Ain’t Misbehavin’, which earned her a Grammy nomination.
Davis will be introduced by this year’s emcees Jai Rodriguez and Randy Roberts. Emmy Award-winning television host/actor Jai Rodriguez has appeared in numerous Broadway shows, creating and performing the title role of Zanna in the Off-Broadway sensation Zanna, Don’t! Most recognized for his role in Bravo’s culturally groundbreaking series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Jai created a niche role on the Emmy Award-winning series as the ‘Culture Vulture,’ He continues to work as an authority in culture and style. A dynamic vocalist, Jai was featured in Lady Gaga’s video “Telephone” featuring Beyoncé’.
Randy Roberts has been entertaining audiences for over 30 years and was featured on NBC television’s “America’s Got Talent”. Randy’s uncanny impersonations of Cher and Bette Midler have kept him in the spotlight. Roberts is currently headlining The Crystal Room Cabaret at Lateda in Key West Florida and has become a popular performer with symphonies across the country. The Randy Roberts show is an all live, multi-media tribute to some of the world’s most loved performers.
Lucie Arnaz is the first of three celebrity judges to be announced. Arnaz has had an extremely diversified career spanning over 50 years in show business. She has starred on the New York stage in They’re Playing Our Song, Lost in Yonkers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Pippin, and Grace and Glorie. Arnaz has appeared on television in The Lucie Arnaz Show, Sons And Daughters, The Black Dahlia, The Mating Season, Who Gets The Friends?, Washington Mistress and six seasons of Here’s Lucy; on the big screen with Neil Diamond and Sir Laurence Oliver in The Jazz Singer, Down To You, Second Thoughts, Billy Jack Goes To Washington, The Pack, Wild Seven and has lent her voice to the new animated fantasy about the NY Yankees, Henry And Me.
About Dancing with the Desert Stars
Seven competitors – three women and four men – will each dance twice during the event with their respective professional dance partners. This year’s women include Alexandra Pierce, reporter weekend anchor KESQ / Local Channel 2; Jill Glover, Director of Mental Health, The LGBT Community Center of the Desert; and Erin Scott, Manager of Marketing & Public Relations at The Living Desert. The 2016 male competitors are Mayor Robert Moon, City of Palm Springs; Christopher Kennedy, Christopher Kennedy Home Furnishings & Interior Design; Rick Manzano, Owner of Creative Take Medical; and Dr. Naren Chandrashekar, Partner, Coachella Valley Nephrology & Kidney Institute of the Desert.The community is invited to join the fun at the Palm Springs Convention Center, beginning with cocktails at 6:00 PM while local celebrities warm-up for the competition at 7:30. VIP tickets are available for $150 – or $1,500 for a table of ten. Preferred tickets/tables are available for $100/$1,000 and general admission seating is $40/$400. You can purchase tickets online at https://www.desertaidsproject.org/event-view/dancing-with-the-desert-stars/ or by calling Ron Willison at 760-992-0445.
2016 Contestants
JILL GOVER
Jill Gover, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Director of The Scott Hines Mental Health Clinic at The LGBT Community Center of the Desert. Dr. Gover is responsible for all mental health services at The Center, and oversees the clinical internship training program and several grant programs for youth, seniors, and the general LGBT community. Dr. Gover has authored journal articles and booklets on suicide prevention, children of alcoholics, gay youth, and self-esteem issues, along with many presentations on an array of mental health topics, including LGBT health and aging. At The Center she has participated in several research studies focused on LGBT health disparities. This is her debut as a dancer and she is exciting about doing something so new and different!RICK MANZANO
Rick Manzano is an experienced marketing professional who founded CreativeTake Medical with the goal of creating a medically-responsible marketing agency that would provide comprehensive yet cost-effective marketing services geared specifically toward healthcare professionals. He designed “CreativeTake Medical” to function as a “one-stop” agency, where clients could access a large team of highly-trained staff members who specialize in technology-driven marketing for professionals working in all areas of the healthcare industry. Rick’s personal experiences as the co-owner of a successful plastic surgery practice (Dr. Q Plastic Surgery in Rancho Mirage, CA) with his wife, a board-certified plastic surgeon, give him a unique and valuable insight into medical practice marketing, and help to shape his innovative website designs, aggressive and effective marketing strategies.CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY
Christopher combines vintage and contemporary sensibilities to create spaces that are layered, livable, and inviting. Neither trapped by tradition nor tied to trends, a Christopher Kennedy interior reflects a fine balance of design ideology, effortless function, and personal taste. Christopher holds Bachelor of Architecture and MBA degrees from Drury University. Born in San Francisco and raised on California's Central Coast, he brings a synthesis of big-city style and relaxed resort living to his work. Easy elegance and casual sophistication are hallmarks of Christopher's style.
DR. NAREN CHANDRASHEKAR
Dr. Naren Chandrashekar has been providing care to patients in the Coachella Valley since 2002. He serves as medical director of the La Quinta Kidney Center and the Kidney Institute at Eisenhower Medical Center. An active member of both Eisenhower Medical Center and JFK Memorial Hospital, he has served in multiple physician leadership roles on the Medical Executive Committee at Eisenhower Medical Center and as former Chief of Nephrology at Eisenhower Medical Center. Dr. Chandrashekar is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Nephrology.
MAYOR ROBERT MOON
Robert (Rob) Moon has been a resident of Palm Springs since 2001. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and did graduate work at George Washington University. He served as an officer in the United States Navy for 22 years, retiring with the rank of Commander. During those 22 years of commissioned service he spent 14+ years at sea, including multiple tours in the Middle East, Persian Gulf, and Mediterranean, as well as most of the Atlantic and Pacific regions.
He serves as the President of the Palm Springs Desert Roundtable and is on the board of the Palm Springs Art Museum Contemporary Arts Commission. He has also severed on the boards of the Palm Springs Sunup Rotary Club; the Palm Springs Opera Guild; Palm Springs Front Runners; and the Vista Las Palmas Neighbourhood Organization.
ALEXANDRA PIERCE
Alexandra Pierce joined the News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2 News teams in April 2015. She is a general assignment reporter who writes, shoots and edits her own stories. Prior to arriving in Palm Springs, she reported at KSBY-TV in San Luis Obispo, California. Now, Alexandra is happy to be back in the desert after interning with News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2 News the summer before her senior year of college.
Alexandra graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism in 2014 with a degree in broadcast journalism. Before leaving college she reported and anchored for KOMU-8 News, the NBC affiliate in Columbia, Missouri for three years.
Alexandra loves any excuse she has to dance. She has been dancing since she was three years old. Most recently she was a member of the University of Missouri’s prestigious Golden Girl dance team.
ERIN SCOTT
Erin Scott is the marketing & public relations manager for The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens and is responsible for managing all aspects of the zoo's marketing, branding, communications, and public relations. Prior to The Living Desert, Erin was the director of business development for Integrated Wealth Management. Erin is an active member of the Coachella Valley community serving as a board member of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, committee member of Desert AIDS Project's 100 Women program, and former chairwoman for Leadership Coachella Valley. She received her Master’s in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and Bachelor’s degree in English from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She currently resides in Indian Wells, CA with her husband and black lab/beagle Abby.
About Desert AIDS Project
Desert AIDS Project (D.A.P.) is a Federally Qualified Health Center in Palm Springs, CA offering D.A.P. Total Care – a combination of medical, dental, counseling, social services, support groups, alternative therapies, in-house pharmacy and lab, and other health and wellness services. D.A.P.’s sexual health clinic, The DOCK, offers STD testing and treatment, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and free HIV and HCV testing. D.A.P.’s Get Tested Coachella Valley campaign, the nation’s first region-wide HIV testing and access to care initiative, was recognized by the White House for helping to bring about an AIDS-free future. D.A.P. is rated a “Top 20 HIV Charity” by About.com.Visit the Desert Aids Project for more information.
Dancing with the Desert Stars Announces Headline Entertainer and Celebrity Emcees
