By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Everything is beautiful these days for comedian Margaret Cho, who will work her butt off this weekend with three back-to-back concerts Sunday at Hawai'i Theatre.

"I used to do multiple shows when I started out," she said of the jam-and-cram schedule. "To do a whole bunch of shows in a row is fun, so I'm looking forward to returning to it."

Cho launched "Beautiful," her new show, in Australia last week, and will give Island fans a first peek before she criss-crosses the Mainland.

Fresh off the plane in Los Angeles the other day, she chit-chatted by phone, talking about beauty, tattoos and Barack Obama:

Q. You call your new show "Beautiful," to explore the nature of beauty. Is beauty in the eye of beholder, as the saying goes, or where or how do you find or define it?

A. It is definitely in the eye of the beholder. I think everybody's beautiful. Everybody has that beauty and sparkle — it's a matter of if you want to show it or not. People should show off their beauty.

The theme was something I'd been thinking about, after doing a show called "Sensuous Woman," where there was singing and dancing, lots of different kinds of performances. So the idea grew from that show, where I was working with women with self-images.

Q. How was the Aussie response to your show? Are Down Under folks pretty much like American or Asian fans?

A. Australia has a lot in common with Hawai'i — a huge Asian population, and people interested in all things going on in the Mainland. It was a good prep to coming there (to Hawai'i).

Q. You've got some beautiful images on your Web site — with one-side eye liner, tattooed body and back. But not much makeup. Is this the new you?

A. I don't wear makeup. It's just me. I can't be bothered. And the tattoos are very real, done by someone from Hawai'i named Don Ed Hardy. The tattoos were done when we both were in San Francisco four years ago. I'm adding more and more. ... I think tattooing is a lovely art form. Pain? Not so bad, though it really hurts, I'm kind of OK with it.

Q. Comedians are seldom afraid to take potshots — like it's a responsibility to bash Bush. Politically, are you pro-Obama or Clinton or in the McCain camp?

A. I'm very much into Barack Obama; I'm a campaign surrogate for him. I think he's great, I think he'll bring change. I like Hillary, too, but you can't pick two. I just feel he's really interesting, really smart, really enthusiastic, and he's motivated a whole generation of people into politics. My parents never voted; but he includes people like my family, he's proud of immigrants. I think he'll be great for America.

Q. Your blog (at www.margaretcho.com) upholds water as the best beautifying agent. What, you don't like our Hawai'i water from the tap? And how much water do you consume on a typical day?

A. I've been into water for the last few years; I wasn't aware how important it is to drink water till I was much older (she's pushing 40) and how much we need it or how good it is for you. We live in a dehydrated society, so drink water instead of Coke. I don't measure how much I drink, but it's a lot.

And I think the tap water from Hawai'i is good (she omits us online) but I love Hawai'i a lot. My manager lives there, on Kaua'i, so I get to visit him. I feel at home there — so American, yet so Asian — that everyone should make a trip there and live part of their lives in Hawai'i.