Fans: 27
Michelle Hotaling (pronounced ho-TAL-ing) grew up in the commonly mispronounced town of Coxsackie, located outside of Woodstock, New York. At the age of 17 she moved to Manhattan to attend college and follow in the footsteps of her diva- idols, Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand and become the most powerful woman in the entertainment industry. While in college she traveled the country with her best friend, Stephanie Webster, as a Bette Midler groupie. What started out as a documentary paying homage to the "Divine Miss M" ultimately became a literary one-hit wonder entitled "Bette or Bust" (published 2001 by Random House/Xlibris- check it out, if you have a shared interest in drag queens, death-defying bus rides, and yes... glitter). Michelle modeled on the side for cosmetics companies such as Aveda and Loreal, while also working for Barbra Streisand's film company, Barwood Films and singing at night in cabaret and clubs around the great island of Manhattan. At the age of 19, she completed her Bachelor's degree in Communications and drove cross country to Los Angeles, toiling away as an actress and appearing on the West Wing, American Dreams, and a lame CBS pilot where she got to wear pink panties and a fur coat, and run around the desert pretending it was December in Vermont. Not up to her speed, Michelle abandoned Tinseltown after a year and returned to NYC to focus on music. Collaborations with a handful of producers and sessions at The Quad ensued until she found her ultimate musical partner-in-crime and producing legend-to-be, Scott Slater. Together, they are in the final production stages for her first album, "Chained By Dreams" and working on her own original songs. "Tentative" release date is perfectly autumnal day in October (but no promises, it could rain that day).
