Tiffany Pollard - better known as her reality show-spawned celebrity alias, "New York" - isn't a name you forget. At least not if you caught her, and all the drama she dragged in, while starring in a string of saucy VH1 docu-series, including 2006's "Flavor of Love," "I Love New York" and her most recent, "New York Goes to Work." Pollard wasn't named "Head Bitch in Charge" for nothing, but the 28-year-old diva has cooled off, she says, and finally feels in charge - of her life Before stopping on Oct. 8 and 9 at Detroit's Ice Nightclub, the reformed rabble-rouser called us from California to chat about why the gays get her looking like a man, and how lunch with out director Lee Daniels led to her first major film role
Do you stop by a lot of gay clubs?
Well, I've been blessed and very fortunate to have a large gay following. You know, gays confide in me; I love the gays. They give me so much love and support, and so I like to hang out and frequent a lot of gay clubs when travel or when I'm here at home
How old were you the first time you went to one?
Oh my goodness - I think I was 17 How did you get in if you were underage? I've always just been fabulous, so they had to let me in What goes on at these gay club appearances? I mingle, I give love, I receive love. It's always just a cool vibe. Gays are just full of love, and that's how I'd sum up the gay lifestyle - just a whole bunch of love
What about you attracts the gays?
Gay people are fearless, and I know that they have a lot of challenges in their life, and because of that I feel like they're real. A lot of gay people that I speak to are in-your-face, take-it-or-leave-it, love-me-or-hate-me, and can relate to that in my life. And I'm a heterosexual, but I still relate to it Strength recognizes strength
What are you up to these days?
These days I'm still single. I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning more toward doing it again and looking for love, but right now I'm working on some plays. There's one coming up in North Carolina. I'm also doing charity work; I'm going to Calcutta, India, and I'm excited about that. So I'm just trying to branch out and venture off and get onto a new path
What made you interested in doing charity work?
I love people, and God is, like, the head of my life. And I don't think people know how spiritual I am, and I just feel if he's blessing me I have to spread it around and bless someone else
So you actually do have a heart of gold (Laughs)
Right, exactly! What's going to be cool about this is they're going to document the trip; I'm going with Joyce Meyer Ministries, so it'll play out on TV, all over the Internet and all over her podcast. I'm just excited to put that side of myself out there.
Will this tie into a reality show?
You know, the sky's the limit! And there's going to be a possibility there.
What do you think of the image you made for yourself on your reality shows?
I feel like my life is a progression; obviously you get a little older, bu looking back at it, that was where I was at that time in my life. So, I stil love New York, I still support New York; that's just who she is. But like said, I got a little older, so I've calmed down a little bit more and focused more on ... I think I wanna get married! (Laughs) I'm, like, really ready to settle down and get my husband on. But I don't know if I want to have a baby yet D
does this mean you're leaving New York behind?
I wouldn't say I'm leaving her in the dust; she's still there. She's not totally in the past, but more so that I'm discovering myself through a new light And you got to understand, they're playing my shows in different countries now, and I get hit up from London and England and all over the place, and to just have that kind of notoriety is almost larger than me. It's like, I see the bigger picture And quite a feat to be larger than you, considering the size of your boobs
