We're living in the age of the cyber-celebrity. People like Perez Hilton, Jessica Lee Rose, and Markos Zu;niga have circumvented the standard avenues to stardom in lieu of the Information Superhighway. Tila Tequila (born Tila Nguyen) is one of the latest self-made celebrities poised on the brink of crossing over into mainstream stardom. She is best known as the "most popular person on MySpace," having more "friends" in the online community than anyone, save its president, the ubiquitous Tom Anderson.
Tequila's new "reality" TV show, A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila will premiere October 9 on MTV. In it 16 straight men and 16 lesbians will live in Tila's house and compete for her affection, the twist being that the contestants will not be aware of her bisexuality until later in the series.
Before her dating romp hits the nation, Tequila took a break to sit down and flirt with The Advocate.
So what's your new show all about?
My quest to find someone I love, male [or] female.
Was the show's bisexual angle your idea?
Well, it's a part of who I am. They saw I was interesting and wanted to do something with me, and when they found out I'm bisexual they were like, "Oh, let's do that!"
A lot of straight women in entertainment, Madonna for example, have portrayed themselves in erotic scenes with other women. Some people may think your bisexuality is more about shock value. How truly gay are you?
Well, I guess those are newbies asking that, because I've been doing this for a long frickin' time. To anyone who doubts that, I would say: Track back and look at my history. I am definitely not a newbie.
Have you ever had a long-term relationship with a woman?
I haven't had a long-term relationship with anyone! [Laughs]
What's the difference between romance with a man and a woman?
Um... Very different, actually. With a guy -- they're very easy to figure out. [Laughs] And sometimes with women it's wa-a-ay too frickin' emotional. I need that balance. Girls can be too overdramatic, and then with guys it's like, "Are you really that shallow?"
Your fame has been generated by your own, grass-roots efforts. Do you encounter any snobbery from celebrities who gained fame through more conventional means?
Well, not really. I see more snobs from new celebs like Perez Hilton. They're like, "You're not a real celebrity." People who've come from backgrounds like me. Which sucks because it's like, we're all in this together, y'know?
What's been the biggest thrill so far of your new celebrity status?
I sat front row at Britney's performance at the VMA's. You see my ass in the front row going, "Uh, wow."
On your Web site and in interviews you often talk about your difficult childhood and adolescence, whereas many celebrities like to keep those kind of details on the down low. Why is it important to you that people know about your hard-knock life?
Because it's got me to where it got me today. What's the point of hiding who I am?
What do your parents think about what you do?
Growing up they were, of course, very strict -- y'know, wanted me to be a dentist or a lawyer and I'm like, "Ha ha, I'm gonna be a prostitute!" [Laughs] No, but really, after a while they realized, we're gonna support her or we're gonna lose her, so...their support of me is awesome.
You spent some time, as a child, living in a Buddhist community. Is that religion a part of your belief system? Do you consider yourself a part of any religion?
Y'know, I don't. I like Buddhism, I like the Zen aspect of it. Where I grew up -- that Buddhist community -- was more like a cult.
A lot of your fame has been based on your good looks. Have you asked yourself what you want to be doing when you're too old to be a pinup model?
That's ironic, because I never wanted to model. That fell into my lap. I hate modeling. I hate posing for pictures!
So what do you see yourself doing when modeling is no longer an option?
Oh, well, writing...music...art...acting. Challenges that are kind of like therapy. Writing songs is like therapy for me.
Any behind-the-scenes gossip from your show you can tease us with?
Hmm... Everyone had to eat a [artificial] penis and balls. It was like, "Whoever deep-throats that wins a date with me!" So you see these straight guys eating a penis. [Laughs]
