Trixie Mattel Orville Peck cover Johnny Cash

What's better than one queer country icon releasing a single? Two queer country icons coming together to release a single.

And now that dream is a reality: Today, Trixie Mattel of RuPaul's Drag Race fame and Orville Peck, noted gay cowboy bandit and psychedelic country musician, dropped a joint cover of Johnny Cash's "Jackson."

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FILM & TV

WEEKLY RUCAP | All Stars is back, henny!

Halleloo, ladies! Rupaul is back, and ready add a third queen to the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

RuPaul’s Drag Race | All Stars 4 Official Trailer

WARNING: THIS RUCAP CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!

Hey kitty girls!

Rupaul is back with her new, legendary All Stars in a bombastic season premier that brought more than a few twists and turns. And despite my many fears, it seems that this season aims to not only match the legendary All Stars 2, but chisel it's own place as one of the best seasons of Drag Race we've ever seen. The queens have come to play and honestly, it's relief. This season has definitely been one of the most talked about seasons of the show's herstory - and I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to the hype.

But this premier did that.

We start the episode with the usual work-room walk-in starting with Trixie Mattel rollerblading through the work room door.

She delivers her, now iconic, "Oh hoooney," before almost falling on her face - but she recovers and even gives us an appropriately corny "And that's how I roll." She's perfectly pink, and sporting some 80s neon bodysuit realness. It was so perfectly Trixie and I lived for it. And she wouldn't be Trixie without throwing a little shade, "There's nobody in here. It's like a Morgan McMichaels meet and greet."

Then we had Season 6 club kid favorite, Milk! Serving some "denim pennochio."

It wasn't my favorite look out of the rest of the queens, but it definitely showed of Milk's ability to own any look she puts on. Plus, her opening line, "I just farted," gave me a good chuckle. And honestly, I picked up some definite diva vibes. It makes sense, Milk has seen a lot of success in her post-Drag Race career - but this is Drag Race, and it wouldn't be Drag Race without a little shade.

Then we have bayou queen, Chi Chi DeVayne!

She wears a beautifully made twist on her original entrance look - it's still trash bags, but they're yellow and they don't actually look like trash bags. She looks stunning, even if she can't keep that hat on her head. Not to mention, she brings a certain level of Southern charm that makes you just like her.

Then we have the permanently peppy Brooklyn queen, Thorgy Thor!

She is serving circus clown realness in probably one of the worst entrance looks I've ever seen. But, she makes up for it with her energy, even though she almost broke her foot on the way in.

Then of course, we have the dead bitch, Morgan McMichaels.

And she is slaying in this look! I've seen Morgan on WOWpresents, and I've seen clips of her stellar drag performances, and I am not surprised that the other queens are intimidated by her. She didn't come to play games, and she wants to make sure that every single contestant knows that.

Next is Aja, scooter-ing through in a delightfully skimpy outfit.

And I have to say it, I love her hair, and her make up shows a lot of improvement over the trainwreck that was season nine. She says she has some unfinished business, and I have to say, I was surprised to see her on the cast list. After all, she just finished Season 9 - but hey, I ain't complaining, 'cause this bitch clearly came to play.

Then there's BenDeLaCreme, wearing an atrocious repurposed dress.

Listen, I love BenDeLa, but come on - that dress looks terrible. And why did she have to do the same exact thing she did for her Season 6 entrance. I think Morgan said it well, she feels a little recycled. But, I can't really hate her, because she's too damned sweet!

Next we have one of my favorite entrances, Kennedy Davenport!

She's back, and she's here to show you that she didn't die, SHE CRYSTALLIZED! Sure, it was in a horrible dress, but I don't even care. She's perfect, she beautiful, and even if she looks like she just threw on a bunch of random stuff on a gross yellow dress.

Then we have Miss Shangela Halleloo herself, back in the world for the third time!

She enters in her iconic box, and then reveals into a very Alyssa Edwards-ian dress. I guess the drag daughter doesn't fall far from the tree. I mean, come on, you cannot tell me that you looked at that bow and didn't hear Alyssa's faint tongue-pop in the distance.

And just as the queens speculate about who the tenth queen is going to be, the sirens go off, signifying Rupaul is about to make his entrance. Everyone is confused, and then Ru enters, looking kind of funky in an all red suit, only to reveal that something seems to be wrong - there's someone missing. And after an agonizingly long wait - the mysterious tenth queen is revealed to be...

NONE OTHER THAN SEASON ONE WINNER, BEBE ZAHARA BENET!

Speculations about the mysterious tenth queen have been going on around the internet for ages. But in the end, it seems all signs pointed to Miss Benet's return. And man, what a return it was. I don't know what it is about her, but she exudes this ethereal energy that makes you feel both at ease and incredibly excited. Even though I already kind of knew it was her - I still felt my breath catch when she entered. I mean, look at her.

And the other queens were absolutely gagging - after all, she did win, how are they supposed to compete with someone who already won? We'll just have to see.

Anyway, after the dust settled, we were treated to a rather lackluster reading challenge. I don't know if everyone was just off or what, but they just didn't read very well. Especially poor Thorgy, who just couldn't seem to get a read out without spending twenty or thirty minutes taking me on some weird journey. BenDeLa ended up winning after delivering a surprisingly nasty set. But honestly, I think Kennedy's, "I hate you," towards someone (I think it was Aja) definitely deserved some sort of recognition.

After the reading challenge, Ru revealed that their first Maxi-Challenge would be another Talent Show ala All Stars 2 - and I'm not even mad. I don't know why I love the talent show idea so much - I think it's because we get to see what these queens think they can bring to the table. Ru also informed them that they would be doing the same form of elimination as last season: The winning queen gets to send one of the bottom two home.

Unfortunately, my excitement was short lived. Half of the queens decided they were all going to be doing the same thing, which was a major let down after the surprisingly diverse set the previous season's queens brought. I expected the show to wind up being just boring.

Boy was I wrong. There was a lot of dancing, sure. We had Shangela provide a perfect Alyssa Edwardian dance routine, but with her own twist. Bebe did an amazing Lion King-esque dance/lip-synch that literally transported me out of my body. Kennedy slayed it, as always, but is it really all that impressive if you expect it? Yes. It is. That was a dumb question. And Aja, Jesus Christ, AJA - she did a FLAWLESS performance that ended with a death drop from the top of a huge box to the ground!

BenDeLa slayed with a parody burlesque performance that involved her ripping off bra, after bra, after bra, revealing increasingly ridiculous pasties. It was hilarious, and honestly, I expected nothing less from her. She and Aja were definitely the highlights of the evening.

Thorgy and Trixie both stood out from the crowd, with Trixie doing a beautiful song with an instrument that I cannot identify. And Thorgy blending drag and violin in a fun little performance. They were different, but unfortunately, they both fell a little flat in terms of energy - especially after Aja.

Then we have the lower end of the spectrum. Morgan tried to perform one of her own mixes, but fell flat - it wasn't that it was bad - it was just boring. Chi Chi decided she wanted to look completely busted, and decided to go out with no heels, no pads, and a wig she got from Party City. And then there was Milk, who delivered a weird and dull performance to one his own mixes that basically included him strapping cardboard dresses to himself.

I wasn't surprised to see Aja and Ben take the top, and Morgan and Chi Chi end up on the bottom. The deliberations were definitely different from the last season, with most of the cast (excluding BenDeLa) agreeing that a "group consensus" wasn't going to work.

They each come out and deliver a fun lip synch to Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda," with Aja doing a more poppy-sexy kind of move, and BenDeLa doing a perfectly shtick-y, fun routine. BenDeLa ends up taking the win and (falsely) stating that the group has come to a consensus and that means that she's going to send... Morgan home!

But, much like last season, I doubt this is the last we'll see of Morgan. After all, Rupaul has her back.

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MUSIC

TRIXXIE Premieres “Stuck On You”

A testament to unrequited love.

TRIXXIE

Press Photo

Meet pop/EDM singer-songwriter TRIXXIE, who debuts her new single, "Stuck On You."

According to TRIXXIE, "This song is about being in love with someone who doesn't feel the same. That person being stuck on your mind even though you don't want them to be on your mind. Being so in love that the only thing that would make you happy is that call from that one special person."

Stuck on You

Although "Stuck On You" is only her second single, TRIXXIE's first single, "All of My Life," a collaboration with Cheat Codes, shot through the ceiling and amassed more than 2.5 million streams on Spotify, along with 1.7 million views on YouTube.

Full of shimmering beats, "Stuck On You" is pulsating with dance energy and the dizzying sensation of being in love.

Follow TRIXXIE Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify

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WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 3: B*itchelor

Oh gurl. This is one of the best episodes of the season so far!

Making up for last week, this episode managed to be one of the most fun and drama-filled episodes of the season. With a fun acting and challenging acting challenge and a surprisingly stellar performance from one Kennedy Davenport - I am so glad to see we're finally getting some of the fun Drag Race is known for. Not to mention, we've got an all-out feud that seemed to be cut short pretty quick and a surprisingly somber lip-synch.
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FILM & TV

WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 7: My Best Squirrelfriend's Dragsmaids Wedding Trip

For a long title, this episode managed to be a calm bore compared to the jaw dropping episode 6.

Lawrence Chaney The Vivienne Ru Paul Krystal Versace

Photo by Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock

After the #BenDeLaChrist moment last episode, I was expecting this to feel a tad lukewarm.

After all, how do you come back from a queen who managed to break Rupaul's system and even make the Queen Mother feel guilty? You don't - but even so, this challenge was good, and the runways were gorgeous. However, the workroom did seem to be missing BenDeLa's charm - even though some queens are starting to think she was never all that charming to begin with.

THE POST-CHALLENGE MEET UP

Right away everyone is gagged about BenDeLa leaving - they all lament how they are surprised that she would do that and speculate as to why she would. They are confused, and a lot of them are annoyed. After all, why show up if she didn't like competing? Why waste people's time? Of course, other people recognize that this had been a lot for BenDeLa throughout the season.

The only outlier seems to be Shangela, who is still convinced that BenDeLa was playing some kind of game. I'm not convinced, but who knows? Maybe it was a scheme to maintain her positive status? I wouldn't be surprised at all of the mind games these girls have played up to this point.

The only person who seems to be moving forward is Trixie, who talks about how real the idea of the other queens winning is. After all, BenDeLa was the frontrunner and the expected winner.

Another interesting tidbit is Bebe, who refused to show the other queens who she chose to come back and leave the competition. The other queens think Bebe is being shady, and trying to save her ass, just in case another queen gets angry with her. And I'm inclined to agree with them - everybody has shown their lipsticks up to this point - what makes Bebe so special?

THE ASSIGNMENTS

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The next day, Ru comes in with Nancy Pelosi of all people, and delivers a beautiful speech about Pelosi's love of the gay community and how we need to stick together and keep working hard. The other queens got very excited, and Pelosi told them all that she thought they were amazing. It was a very sweet moment, if not one of the weirdest ones in Drag Race herstory.

Afterward, Ru reveals that the challenge is an acting challenge. The girls will be given "award-winning" roles and star in a raunchy comedy called My Best Squirellfriend's Dragsmaids Wedding Trip! Morgan is allowed to assign each queen their parts. And she assigns them as follows:

Bebe: The Queen

Shangi: Actavia

Trixie: Sharon Frackovich

Herself: Beige Swan

Kennedy: La La

Trixie was not happy with her part and wanted to musical-inspired La La, but in the end, she accepted the part that she had.

THE CHALLENGE

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The small scene that we had for the challenge was not very promising. Both Trixie and Shangela killed it. They were funny, they reacted to people's lines, and they made sure the jokes landed. They were the clear winners of the challenge based on the one or two lines we actually got to hear from them in the end.

Meanwhile, you have Bebe - who played a very stiff, and very boring Queen of Everything. She believed that the character was stuffy and stuff, and that's what she gave. Unfortunately, that meant there were no laughs. Kennedy and Morgan were equally flat - Morgan failed to capture the insanity of Natalie Portman in Black Swan, and Kennedy just kept on kicking the air like it slapped her Mama.

It was sad to see such talented queens fall so hard, but what are you going to do?

THE RUNWAY

RED FOR FILTH

Bebe: 10/10 - She came out in this beautiful red cress and complimenting red mask. She was stunning, brilliant.

Kennedy: 7/10 - She came out in this red, stoned outfit. It was beautiful, but not very creative.

Morgan: 8/10 - A beautiful red costume that flowed beautifully.

Shangela: 6/10 - My brother tells me it's high fashion, but I wasn't a huge fan of the droopy spikes.

Trixie: 10/10 - She came out in this latex ensemble and looked really hot. I loved her so much!

The judges basically felt the same as I did about the performances - both Trixie and Shangela got praises for their outfits and their characters. Meanwhile, the other queens had amazing looks, but most of them fell flat on everything else.

WINNERS: TRIXIE, SHANGELA

BOTTOMS: MORGAN, KENNEDY, BEBE

DELIBERATION

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Nothing stuck out of this deliberation this go around except Bebe's attitude. The other queens tried asking her where she thought fell flat, and Sis believed she didn't do anything wrong. She said that she played the character how it was meant to be played, and that the judges loved her look. It was crazy because it reminded me of so much Milk, and I think that it is because this is the first time that Bebe's confidence has really been shaken this go around.

Morgan also worries, because she knows that queens who get brought back always go home the next episode and she doesn't want it be her.

LIP-SYNCH

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When the queens came out for the lip-synch, Shangela obviously dressed for a fat-suit reveal, and Trixie dressed in the sexiest outfit I've ever seen. They did a RuPaul song - and Shangela turned it out, really taking advantage of her comedic timing by revealing to a fat suit and then a fat-suit-wearing pasties. It was hilarious and I loved every second of it, and while Trixie looked beautiful, she wasn't up to snuff and ended up losing to Shangela.

Shangela sent Morgan home, unfortunately, prolonging the curse of the returning queens. It stinks, because I think Morgan could have been such a fierce competitor.

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FILM & TV

WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 6 destroyed me.

I'm breaking form today, to just talk about what happened this episode and process this whole thing.

Lawrence Chaney The Vivienne Ru Paul Krystal Versace

Photo by Kieron McCarron-ITV (Shutterstock)


Me when all the shit hit the fan.media.giphy.com

I'm taking a step back from the typical Rucap this week, because this episode truly changed the Drag Race game. It will go down as one of the most intense and nerve wracking episodes I've ever watched, and honestly that ending had me floored. I thought I had this whole thing down. Even with Rupaul's twists - it was all derivative of the previous season. Even the odd Handmaid's Tale reference still felt like All Stars 2.

Alas, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm still going to cover the important parts of the episode - but I'm mainly focusing on two things: The Reunion of the Queens and the Deliberation/Lip Synch. The rest of the episode was filled with the same old stuff - a lot of the remaining queens talking about how scary everything is and all that.

THE REUNION OF THE QUEENS

The episode started with RuPaul coming in and explaining that the queens are going to do a Spice Girls-inspired Maxi-challenge. The girls have to create their own personas and write their own lyrics, and then perform in front of Rupaul. But, that's not all, right before Ru releases the girls to get to work - she "remembers" that there was something else she forgot. The eliminated girls have returned, and they are going to be in their own group.

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But, it's not just the queens coming back for a chance to win. The top queen of the episode will not only get to send current queens home but will get to bring back an eliminated queen to take her place.

But honestly, as great as this challenge was, it was the least interesting part of the episode. Mostly because this reunion between the girls was one of the most intense reunions I've ever seen. Even the facecracking, Phi Phi O'Hara/Alyssa Edwards reunion was nothing compared to this.

Why? Because these queens went in! It started with Morgan coming for BenDeLa - but then Thorgy came in and immediately questioned Shangela about why she got eliminated. But, the most annoying part about this is not the Thorgy-Shangela banter, it's the return of the damned letter that Trixie hung up. Thorgy was on the side of Shangela and said that it should not have been hanging anywhere for anyone to see.

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Listen, guys, that letter needs to die. I'm tired of it. Trixie hung that letter in her area, and Shangela got nosey and started reading it. Sure, Trixie should not have hung up that letter, because it was really shady towards Shangela - but the girl didn't mean anything by it. Let. It. Go.

After the letter nonsense, Thorgy and Shangela work it through (kind of) in just enough time for Morgan to call out BenDeLa for being shady in her elimination. Morgan claims she did not have the worst critiques and she didn't deserve it. BenDeLa says that she didn't agree - but Morgan claims that Ben is a hypocrite and says that she didn't think that Morgan was part of the team. And she was correct, Morgan didn't do the worst in her episode and BenDeLa most likely got rid of her because she was worried about Morgan's "the strongest girl goes home" strategy.

BenDeLa tries to defend herself, but ends up shutting down and not owning up to anything that Morgan says. Not that she has to talk for much longer, because Aja chimes in with her frustration towards Bebe. She (fairly) claims that Bebe took credit for the outfit and didn't thank Aja for helping her. Bebe gave a weak argument, saying that it would not have changed anything, but that's not the point. Bebe wouldn't have that amazing garment without Aja - and she should acknowledged that.

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We round it out with Milk and Kennedy arguing, and Milk making it all about her. Kennedy's blunt honesty towards Milk resonated really deeply with me - she told Milk everything that she and everyone else thought. And Milk, in typical Milk fashion, really didn't respond all that well. Instead, she made it about herself and said that she couldn't believe that she came across that way. I'll admit, she seemed very upset, and that's valid. Sometimes people aren't aware of themselves, so maybe I'm being too harsh?

As the queens prepare for the Challenge, again, there's nothing that interesting going on. It's typical Drag Race fair - the eliminated queens did well in their recording with Adam Lambert (who is also guest judging with Baby Spice!), while the Queens that are still officially in the race didn't do super well.

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The challenge ended up being amazing though. The songs were both good, and the queens on both teams performed so well. In the end, the current queens ended up taking the crown - with BenDeLa and Bebe being the top queens AND EVERYONE being up for elimination.

DELIBERATION

Right off the bat, you see Kennedy getting upset because she knows she has the lowest track record compared to the other girls. She has been in the bottom twice, while the other girls have either never been in the bottom - or have only been in once. Meanwhile, BenDeLa feels very disillusioned by the whole process. Originally, I thought this was an act, but you can see the exhaustion on her face. She's genuinely very tired of doing this - she doesn't like sending girls home and now she has to do it again.

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Both Bebe and Ben are looking based on track record, and Bebe is looking for that subjective "fire," that all queens say they're looking for. Both Shangela and Trixie say that they're strong contestants, and they're pretty confident in themselves. However, Bebe has this look in her eye when talking with Trixie that really shook me - cause I just knew that she was going to pick Trixie to go home.

After the Bottom Three pleaded their cases, it was time for the eliminated queens to plead there's. It was all pretty standard, "I still have fight," and "I just really want to be here." The best thing of the night comes from Chi Chi who literally said that bringing her back would be like beating a dead horse and she doesn't want to be the Roxxxie of the season - which is so true, and good for Chi Chi to recognize that she wasn't ready for the competition yet.

After this, we have one of the most important moment in Drag Race herstory.

THE LIP SYNCH

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The lip synch was admittedly pretty dull. There wasn't a lot of movement, and honestly, it felt like they were both not giving it their all. However, I will say that BenDeLa drained the regal energy from Bebe. When she walked out in her all-black ensemble - I was so for it. She looked beautiful, and her face was painted for the gods. In the end, BenDeLa won.

Of course, she brought back Morgan, whom she had felt she wronged by the end of the episode. But, instead of sending one of the other current queens home, BenDeLa pulled out a lipstick and, in white-out, she wrote her own name. In that moment, my whole existence stopped for a second. The camera flashed to Rupaul, and everyone was shook beyond belief. BenDeLa took herself out of the competition - not because her feelings were hurt, but because she couldn't take it anymore.

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She was tired of RuPaul's game - and removed herself from it for her own mental health, and that's crazy. And you can see the pain flash on Rupaul's face. She was gagged - I have never seen Rupaul so surprised. Even when Adore left, she wasn't this caught off guard. After all, BenDeLa was going to win - she had one most of the challenges at this point, and if she stayed on a few more weeks - she was going to be in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

But, in the words of Aja, she was the "drag jesus" who sacrificed herself for the other queens. And like Aja, I too will tear up every time I think about that moment. BenDeLa put the whole All-Stars system on trial - and goddamn, it was beautiful.

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