Charo Stole the Show at the TV Land Awards

In the words of the inimitable Charo, it was so long ago that she rose to fame as The Love Boat’s most lovable recurring guest star, her “cuchi- cuchi” was just a “ceechi-ceechi.” And with that, the pint-sized Latina stole the show at the TV Land Awards last Saturday night.

With all the legends in the room like Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Tom Hanks, no one sparkled quite like Charo. Dressed in a frilly fairy dress that proved she’s still got it going on after all these years, Charo stood up and waved to the audience when her name was mentioned. All the announcer had to get out was “Cha-” and she was on her feet, flapping her gossamer wings and basking in all that TV Land love.

Yes, time has passed since Charo played the winsome stowaway April Lopez on eight episodes of the star-studded ship series. Sure, Charo isn’t as popular now as she was back then. But you could tell she felt like a queen on Saturday night, scooping up her TV screen statuette along with the series regulars.

And she still pops up on small screens every once in a while. If you missed her appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race this season, you can watch it online at Logo.com. And, of course, she’ll be on the TV Land Awards show when it’s broadcast this Sunday night at 9:00 PM.

Visit Charo’s website, www.charo.com.