singer Patti Labelle -- on a book tour.

Publishing company Broadway Books, a division of Random House, hired homegrown talent Sybil Barrington -- also known as Mark Anderson -- to help promote the diva's cookbook, LaBelle Cuisine.

"She is on her book tour so they have me at a few spots where she will come and sign them for her fans,'' Mr. Anderson explained. "And I am there a few hours before to stir up additional excitement.'' But according to Next Magazine, Sybil stirred up a little too much excitement at a recent signing.

"Of course, many people thought Sybil was Patti,'' the magazine reported.

"And an overanxious fan caused a fender-bender because he was busy shouting hello while hanging out the window of a moving car.'' Sybil's next book store appearance will be today at the Tundent Data House of Africa in East Orange, New Jersey.

The successful drag queen has already appeared on Rolonda, the Charles Perez Show, Entertainment Tonight and in the movies "Party Girl'' and "To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar''.

But he is also kept busy in a host of other venues.

Next week Friday he is scheduled to re-appear on the Rikki Lake talk show entitled "I dress in drag and my friend dresses in drag who looks like a hag.'' And Sybil also reports he now has his own cable talk show "Barrington View'' which airs each Tuesday.

In addition, the local celebrity hosts five nightclubs in New York including the Limelight, Octogon, and Warehouse.

Patti by day...: Local drag queen celebrity Sybil Barrington -- aka Mark Anderson -- poses as Patti LaBelle outside a New York bookstore.