Liliana Lovell
Encyclopedia
Liliana "Lil" Lovell is an entrepreneur, best known as the founder the Coyote Ugly Saloon
and Ugly Inc. Lovell was the host of the reality TV show The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search
. In the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly
, she was portrayed by Maria Bello
.
with a degree in psychology and communications. During college, she worked as a bartender
in New York City
. While working on Wall Street
as an investment banking intern, she made $200 a week. After making $300 a night pouring drinks, she started bar tending at a cowboy bar, the Village Idiot, to make money full-time. Lovell managed the Idiot for three years, where she perfected her unique routine of dancing on the bar, singing, and challenging customers to drinking contests. She learned her business model "beautiful girls + booze = money" from her boss, and notorious bar owner, Tom McNeill. Lovell left to start her own bar with partner, and now husband, Tony Piccirillo. They leased a failed Italian eatery across the street from the Idiot and opened the Coyote Ugly Saloon
on January 27, 1993. Modeled after the Village Idiot, Coyote Ugly was one of the original cowboy concept bars in the Village. Others, like Doc Holliday's, Red Rock West, Yogi's, and Hogs and Heifers, soon followed.
wrote of her experiences in a story for Gentlemen's Quarterly magazine, called "The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon." In the article, she described Lovell's idea of a Coyote bartender:
She hired young women and taught them her wild routine, which included such antics as chugging alcohol, setting light to it, and then breathing fire. While some girls were good at singing, others good at dancing, and others good at yelling, Lovell found that not all the girls were talented in each of the three aspects, so she often paired girls with complementary abilities.
, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
. Coyote Ugly is a romantic comedy
/drama
released in August 2000 (See 2000 in film
). The film stars Piper Perabo
and Adam Garcia
with a small role by Tyra Banks
. It was directed by David McNally
and written by Gina Wendkos. Lovell was played by Maria Bello
. The film grossed over $61 million and received mixed reviews.
Tourists began packing the bar after the release of the movie looking for a re-creation of the experience.
As she planned to expand internationally, she discovered that Jorge Manterola, brother of Mexican singer Patricia Manterola
, had set up a website for Coyote Ugly's "master franchise" in Latin America. The website claimed: "Just like you have seen in the movie, there will be very preety [sic] and sensual women from all over the world serving drinks, dancing on the bar, and doing the most funniest and unimaginable things." Lovell responded with legal action which resulted in a deal. She helped Manterola open a Coyote Ugly in Cabo San Lucas
on the condition that he paid license royalties. While she could revoke the license if Manterola didn't pay, she had little control over the bar's operations.
In 2002, Ugly Inc. had revenues of $1.5 million from licensing fees and royalties. As of 2003, the nine bars collectively generated between $22 million and $24 million annually and employed 300 people. Building on her Cabo experience, Lovell decided to maintain controlling interest in all future Coyote Ugly Saloons in an effort to protect the brand.
(CMT). The premise of the show involved Lovell auditioning young women to become the next "coyote". With the help from a few of her "coyote mentors", Lil trained girls to become bartenders, dancers, and all around entertainers. The winner received $25,000 and the title of "Ultimate Coyote". As of 2008, the show was in its third season.
In 2007, the series reappeared on CMT Canada. In this version, the series was based on teams. Lil chose five of her best Coyotes from bars across the country. Each of those coyotes would then hold auditions at their home bars to find teammates for the competition. The teams for the competition were:
Team New York won in 2007, and were awarded $50,000. As of 2008, the show was in its third season.
Coyote Ugly Saloon
The Coyote Ugly Saloon is an American drinking establishment and the namesake of a national chain of bars. It served as the setting for the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly.-History:...
and Ugly Inc. Lovell was the host of the reality TV show The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search
The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search
The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search is an American reality television competition broadcast by Country Music Television. In the series, singing-dancing female bartenders compete for a position with the company's traveling troupe, and a $50,000 prize...
. In the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly
Coyote Ugly (film)
Coyote Ugly is a 2000 romantic comedy/drama based on the actual Coyote Ugly Saloon, set in New York City. The film stars Piper Perabo and Adam Garcia...
, she was portrayed by Maria Bello
Maria Bello
Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
.
Background
Liliana Lovell grew up in Westchester county, N.Y. She graduated from New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
with a degree in psychology and communications. During college, she worked as a bartender
Bartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. While working on Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
as an investment banking intern, she made $200 a week. After making $300 a night pouring drinks, she started bar tending at a cowboy bar, the Village Idiot, to make money full-time. Lovell managed the Idiot for three years, where she perfected her unique routine of dancing on the bar, singing, and challenging customers to drinking contests. She learned her business model "beautiful girls + booze = money" from her boss, and notorious bar owner, Tom McNeill. Lovell left to start her own bar with partner, and now husband, Tony Piccirillo. They leased a failed Italian eatery across the street from the Idiot and opened the Coyote Ugly Saloon
Coyote Ugly Saloon
The Coyote Ugly Saloon is an American drinking establishment and the namesake of a national chain of bars. It served as the setting for the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly.-History:...
on January 27, 1993. Modeled after the Village Idiot, Coyote Ugly was one of the original cowboy concept bars in the Village. Others, like Doc Holliday's, Red Rock West, Yogi's, and Hogs and Heifers, soon followed.
Coyote Ugly Saloon
The Coyote Ugly Saloon was a popular New York City bar from 1993 to 1997. In 1997, the bar was propelled into the national spotlight when former bartender Elizabeth GilbertElizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth M. Gilbert is an American author, essayist, short story writer, biographer, novelist and memoirist. She is best known for her 2006 memoirs, Eat, Pray, Love, which as of December 2010, has spent 199 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, and was also made into a film by the same...
wrote of her experiences in a story for Gentlemen's Quarterly magazine, called "The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon." In the article, she described Lovell's idea of a Coyote bartender:
Early in my own Coyote Ugly Saloon career, I made the mistake of saying to a customer, "Here's your beer, sir." Lil overheard and shouted, "Don't ever call anyone in this place 'sir'!" So I said, "I'm terribly sorry. I meant to say, 'Here's your beer, douche bag.' " Lil and the customer laughed. And I thought, Oh, I get it, but I am a very quick study. Some bartenders were friendly but not relaxed, so they didn't last. Some bartenders were gorgeous but not sexy, so what's the point? Some bartenders laughed a lot but were not funny themselves, so that didn't work, either.
She hired young women and taught them her wild routine, which included such antics as chugging alcohol, setting light to it, and then breathing fire. While some girls were good at singing, others good at dancing, and others good at yelling, Lovell found that not all the girls were talented in each of the three aspects, so she often paired girls with complementary abilities.
Film
Disney bought the rights to Gilbert's story and adapted it into the movie Coyote UglyCoyote Ugly (film)
Coyote Ugly is a 2000 romantic comedy/drama based on the actual Coyote Ugly Saloon, set in New York City. The film stars Piper Perabo and Adam Garcia...
, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
. Coyote Ugly is a romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
/drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
released in August 2000 (See 2000 in film
2000 in film
The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
). The film stars Piper Perabo
Piper Perabo
Piper Lisa Perabo is a Golden Globe Award nominated American stage, film and television actress.-Early life:Perabo was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, the daughter of Mary Charlotte , a physical therapist, and George William Perabo, a professor of poetry at Ocean...
and Adam Garcia
Adam Garcia
Adam Garcia is an Australian actor and tap dancer of partial Colombian descent .-Career:...
with a small role by Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Lynne Banks is an American model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, author and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough...
. It was directed by David McNally
David McNally
David McNally may refer to:* David McNally , Canadian film director* David McNally , Chief Executive of Norwich City F.C.* David McNally , Canadian political scientist* Dave McNally , US baseball player...
and written by Gina Wendkos. Lovell was played by Maria Bello
Maria Bello
Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
. The film grossed over $61 million and received mixed reviews.
Tourists began packing the bar after the release of the movie looking for a re-creation of the experience.
Ugly Inc.
Building on the national exposure, Lovell created Ugly Inc., a licensing company. The company follows a standard licensing scheme, in addition to a $50,000 fee, licensees pay 5% of gross sales and 25% of merchandise sales. In October, 2001, the first expansion bar opened in Las Vegas, Nevada, inside the New York, New York casino. Others were opened in Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, and San Diego. Lovell, herself, opened another bar in New Orleans.As she planned to expand internationally, she discovered that Jorge Manterola, brother of Mexican singer Patricia Manterola
Patricia Manterola
Patricia Manterola is a Mexican singer, actress, model, and fashion designer born in Mexico City.-Background:...
, had set up a website for Coyote Ugly's "master franchise" in Latin America. The website claimed: "Just like you have seen in the movie, there will be very preety [sic] and sensual women from all over the world serving drinks, dancing on the bar, and doing the most funniest and unimaginable things." Lovell responded with legal action which resulted in a deal. She helped Manterola open a Coyote Ugly in Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas , commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people...
on the condition that he paid license royalties. While she could revoke the license if Manterola didn't pay, she had little control over the bar's operations.
In 2002, Ugly Inc. had revenues of $1.5 million from licensing fees and royalties. As of 2003, the nine bars collectively generated between $22 million and $24 million annually and employed 300 people. Building on her Cabo experience, Lovell decided to maintain controlling interest in all future Coyote Ugly Saloons in an effort to protect the brand.
The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search
In 2006, Lovell began hosting The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search, a reality TV show on Country Music TelevisionCountry Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
(CMT). The premise of the show involved Lovell auditioning young women to become the next "coyote". With the help from a few of her "coyote mentors", Lil trained girls to become bartenders, dancers, and all around entertainers. The winner received $25,000 and the title of "Ultimate Coyote". As of 2008, the show was in its third season.
In 2007, the series reappeared on CMT Canada. In this version, the series was based on teams. Lil chose five of her best Coyotes from bars across the country. Each of those coyotes would then hold auditions at their home bars to find teammates for the competition. The teams for the competition were:
| Home Bar | Coyote | Apprentice |
|---|---|---|
| New York | Maria | Regan |
| Charlotte | Kat | Stephanie |
| Memphis | Bri | Sandra "Mexico" |
| Nashville | Sally | Molly "Ice" |
| Fort Lauderdale | "Wiggins" | Amanda "Red" |
Team New York won in 2007, and were awarded $50,000. As of 2008, the show was in its third season.