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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CULTURE

Vulture Dehumanizes Drag Queens with Random Ranking

Unfortunately, New York Magazine overlooked the depth of those underneath the makeup, even dwindling some down to a footnote.

When New York Magazine began releasing photos of international drag sensations, many fans were excited to read profiles on the artistic geniuses.

Unfortunately, Vulture's coverage reminded many that a RuPaul's Drag Race bubble exists and not everyone respects the Queens for the artists they are. Instead of treating the magazine's cover stars like those prior, the publication ranked the performers, classifying them as either Top Tier or Bottom Tier. The reductive representation offered no further insight on the fascinating queens—who they are beyond surface level accomplishments or individual placements on the show. While Drag Race is a launchpad for hundreds of queens, Vulture failed to appreciate the profundity of the new generation of Instagram and reality TV celebrities.

The lives of drag performers tend to be disregarded, with fans favoring the spectacle and on-stage characters. This is a reminder that queens embody a type of expression that both embraces and rejects gender to cultivate a new narrative and understanding of personhood. Drag culture is a celebration of self and the ability we have to truly be ourselves. Unfortunately, Vulture overlooked the depth of those underneath the makeup, even dwindling some down to a dehumanizing footnote.

Queens photographed for the publication reacted swiftly, taking to Twitter to criticize the written content and the photos' lighting.

Although Martin Schoeller is known for his up close, unedited style, the article did not match the quality of the photos. Willam Belli (of Drag Race and television fame) called out the journalistic integrity of Vulture's editors, claiming none of the subjects were informed they would be ranked.

If journalists bothered to look beyond the accessible information on a drag queen's career, each artist's influence on our cultural consciousness would be more recognized. In turn, they could become championed members of our society, surpassing Pride coverage and queer-oriented events (ahem Met Gala). Uplifting their stories year round (outside of the reality show format) would increase the number of pivotal voices allowed to transform our culture. If it wasn't obvious enough, these entertainers have contributed to a shift in Western society and impacted younger generations for good: Gen Y and Z are more inclusive and expressive than past generations, which will inform the future, with or without journalistic appreciation. Vulture should know better.

TV

"The Bachelorette" Episode 2 Recap: A Crossover Event for Millennials

The gag-worthy event struck a cord and a nerve for viewers, reminding us how the show is attempting to rebrand as inclusive and modern.

Bachelor Nation

via Youtube.com

The takeaway from Episode 1 was "be honest." For Episode 2, it's "be bold." Take a shot whenever Hannah says, "Be Bold."

The Group Date: Exciting Takeaways

In the best kept "secret" since Kylie Jenner's pregnancy, Alyssa Edwards and Alaska, the Drag Race sensations, were featured on this past episode. Let's not forget Miss J. Alexander, the runway fanatic and America's Next Top Model phenomenon! All three were guest judges on a panel for the first group date of the season: a pageant. The men on the date endured a thong contest and a talent portion to win the title of Mr. Right!

The challenge was to be yourself and, again, be bold. It was their chance to fight hyper-masculinity and show vulnerability in what Hannah called "showing up!"

As an audience, we got to ogle alongside the fabulous guests and Hannah. The men strutted their stuff, some with singles tucked in their thongs—thank goodness for John Paul (fuck yes) Jones.

Ass-slapping aside, the free-for-all moment felt like a gross callback to the gender-flipping narrative of last season. If Colton had been a woman, would all the jokes have been acceptable? And if Hannah were in the position of these men, strutting down the runway in a bikini, would it seem more like a Magic Mike showdown or a Playboy Bunny drool-fest?

Although the segment was fantastic fun, the guests this week felt reminiscent of Billy Eichner's appearance, following a pattern of gay guests serving as forms of entertainment, sideshows, and commentators.

While watching, it's hard not to remember how heteronormative the show continues to be with 20+ seasons. For a show to consider itself a reflection and evolution of American dating since the early 2000s reaffirmed the question: When will other sexualities receive representation beyond fluff?

Many missteps aside, the talent portion fulfilled the fun quota. Watching John Paul Jones on a unicycle and Mike Johnson walk in heels just to "walk in her shoes" ( swoon) reminded the viewers that this season is about finding a guy that goes all in.

Meanwhile, the narrative arc between Jed and Luke P. was only festering. The heart-throb singer-songwriter from Nashville, Jed, sung his way to what viewers would see as the top until Luke P. "performed." A collective groan was heard nationwide as Luke P. not only did not perform a talent, but annoyingly professed he was in fact already falling in love with Hannah after spending a total of two hours with her!

In the evening, Hannah continued her infatuated mess with Luke P. because, "He's saying everything my heart wants to hear!" The red flag may not be waving in her face yet, but the other men were surely aware of his games. Mike Johnson, the stud, put it best, "You a dog. I don't want her emotions to be rattled." But after a soothing and genuine conversation between Jed and Hannah, Jed won the night and this round.

One-On-One: Snooze

Tyler G., who Hannah described as "Tim Tebow but hotter," got the first one-on-one. They flew in a helicopter and slung some mud (you know, typical date stuff). Tyler G. may seem well-meaning, but nothing was memorable about this date beyond Hannah's strung-out syllables trying to fill the silence. Out of compassion and understanding, Hannah gave him the rose. Next!

Second Group Date: Fine

The season is going to be an active one. The second group date was a roller derby competition between the green team and the orange team. Lots of men fell, but the nose ring guy fell hard and got up to win the whole thing.

Like every season, the injured man gets extra attention. So, Dustin (nose ring guy) had his moment and a smooch with our Bachelorette. It was quite steamy.

Cut-to-Cam (you know, the man whose catchphrase is "ABC: Always Be Cam," but it might as well be what viewers have memed " Anyone But Cam"). The googly-eyed software engineer showed up uninvited, bringing cheap flowers to a shocked and visibly confused Hannah.

The men did not take kindly to this. Not just one, but three men interrupted Cam's talking head to set him straight.

Some of the best lines:

  • Tyler C. to Cam, "I'm gonna go back to my girl."
  • Cam to Garrett, "I respect you coming at me."
  • Kevin to Cam, "I hope it pans out."

The men, Kevin especially, seemed the utmost frustrated by the distraction of Cam's presence. With Hannah giving the rose to Dustin, the evening ended with a mediocre goodnight.

The Rose Ceremony: Justice for Nugs

The evening began with an anti-climatic speech by a tear-shedding Bachelorette. No one knew what was happening. "I'm just so blessed," she said. Okay?

After an odd start, Kevin finally had his one-on-one time—just to be interrupted by Cam. Ugh, Cam. He invited Hannah AND Kevin to a magical little heart shaped blanket where he goes on to expose his surprise (nuggets) and then the bigger surprise (honey mustard)!

Kevin, obviously frustrated, walked away with the leftover nuggets. The men were pressed enough for Kevin to let off steam just as Cam re-enters the scene. How did Kevin handle his frustration? HE THREW THE NUGGETS AT CAM! Not to say Cam didn't deserve it, but why waste perfectly good food on a fool!

Meanwhile, the real contenders were battling it out. Luke P. took Hannah away to show her he's good with his hands ( eek). She loved it so much that she took off his shirt. Insert Jed. Not only were the viewers basically watching soft core porn, but so was poor, sweet Jed.

Hannah, noticeably embarrassed, had no idea what to do. One startled twitter user even confused Hannah's f-bombs for an emergency flood warning.

Hannah then slinked out of the mansion to manage the dilemma. Jed, like the class act he is, may have been in an uncomfortable situation, but took the moment to relate to Hannah. Jed knew jealousy gains nothing.

At the rose ceremony, nothing exciting happened, unless you find excitement in pain-staking close-ups on the faces of men we're supposed to care about as they sweat out the inevitable moment when Cam receives the last rose. Obviously, The Bachelorette needed to keep their lesser villain to rattle the other men.

Afterwards, the real villain snuck upstairs to interrupt Hannah's confessional. Luke P. whisked Hannah into his arms to manipulatively assure her that she can trust him. Their undeniable sexual connection left Hannah's chest booming, but what about her heart?

NEXT EPISODE ON THE BACHELORETTE...

TV News

Bow Down to your Season 4 Queens on "RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars"

This season will go down in Drag Race her-story. Facts are facts.

RuPaul’s Drag Race | All Stars 4 Official Trailer

Dear plebeians, get ready for some "goopery" and ShamWows from your newly-sequined royalty on season four of RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars.

Your favorite queens who sashay'd away are back and ready to "shantay you stay" for a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

The next chapter in the reality competition series will pit former queens from RuPaul's Drag Race's ten seasons against each other. Beginning Friday, December 14th on VH1, these ladies will assemble divine outfits in the Werk Room and battle it out afterwards on the runway. Queen Mother, RuPaul herself, told Entertainment Weekly (EW) that, "The girls on All-Stars 4 are exciting and they have so much more to show."

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FILM & TV

INTERVIEW | Jonny McGovern of Hey Qween TV!

I got a chance to talk to one of the leaders in queer entertainment today.

There's nothing I love more than quality queer content.

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FILM & TV

WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 5: Pop Art Ball

This week's episode was the season's first real design challenge - and I've only got one question: Why can't these queens freaking sew?

I've been waiting weeks for a design challenge! Design challenges are the best parts of this show, because it showcases' these queens' knack for style and their overall artistic vision. And you'd think, with all of these queens having been on this show before, that at least a few of them would have learned how to freaking sew - but that just wasn't the case, I guess? Still, this was a solid episode - if not a little boring compared to the previous episodes.

Honestly, though, it did give me a chance to breathe - cause this season has been crazy.

THE POST-CHALLENGE MEET UP

Not much happened, except for some more speculation and questions about how queens were going to vote each other off. There was a sweet moment where Trixie and Shangela talked about each other and how they respect one another - but other than that - it was pretty tame. Shangela is still trying to turn this show into the Game of Thrones of drag, but at this point, I can't even complain anymore.

ASSIGNMENTS

Right off the bat, Rupaul enters dressed as pop art icon, Andy Warhol, and delivers one of the few mini-challenges of the season. (Side bar: What happened to mini-challenges? Remember when they were on every episode?) The queens have to get into some quick drag and do a photoshoot that will later be turned into some beautiful pop art, Andy Warhol style.

The all looked beautiful - but in the end Aja walked away with a year's supply of Hamburger Mary's hamburgers and $2000 dollars!

After that, Rupaul said that this week's challenge would be an Andy Warhol-inspired Pop Art Ball! The queens would have to design two looks: A Soup-er Model look, where they would have to design their own drag branded soup can and wear it out on the runway; and Studio 54 realness, where they design iconic disco looks inspired by Warhol's favorite spot!

The only problem? Only about half of these queens actually know how to sew - and this comes out as soon as the queens start planning everything. Kennedy, Trixie, and Aja feel very confident because they all know how to sew and they're costumes have been pretty solid since they've been back.

The queens who can't sew, Shangela, Bebe, and BenDeLa, are all doing their best. BenDeLa feels okay, because she's won a design challenge with nothing but hot glue alone. However, both Shangela and Bebe get help from Trixie and Aja on their looks.

As the queens get ready to go out onto the mainstage, Shangela attempts to gauge everyone's elimination tactics - and naturally everyone has a different answer. BenDeLa overthinks it, and annoys everybody, while Kennedy says that it doesn't matter, because people are going to do what they're going to do.

CHALLENGE/RUNWAY

Due to the nature of the challenge, I've got a some more intensive thoughts on the two looks:

SOUP-ER MODEL CANS

AJA - Sugar Tits - doesn't really fit her. She wanted to go for this sugary sweet look, and that's just not Aja. She's always been more spicy and fiery. It was a cute can though, so she gets a 6/10.

SHANGELA - Halleloops - this energy inspired fish soup fits her brand to a T, but the can looked like too much and it sounded really gross. 7/10.

TRIXIE - Pep/Abysmal - She delivered a funny and campy soup, with a sharp Trixie wit and an over-the-top design that could only fit Trixie. 9/10

KENNEDY - Grandma Kennedy's something... - Unfortunately, I didn't get Kennedy's name as she ran through her bit. I know it was definitely old and southern - which doesn't really fit Kennedy? But I liked the way the can looked. 5/10.

BEBE - Zaza Spicy Peanut Soup - The can was red and full of dark colors and very understated. It was also Cameroon-inspired, which totally fits Bebe. I loved it. 10/10.

BENDELA - Cream de la Crème - a beautiful can, that is filled with Ben's terminally delightful charm. It really worked for me, in the end. 8/10

STUDIO 54 DISCO REALNESS

AJA - She looked beautiful, and I thought her look didn't totally fit, but she was gorgeous enough that I didn't care. 7/10.

SHANGELA - Ugly. Horrible. One of the worst looks I've ever seen. Honestly, she had these golden records covering her body and she had no silhouette - it was like Season 3, episode 1 levels bad. 3/10.

TRIXIE - Pretty, disco, tacky trash that really fit Trixie in the best way. She really captured her own shape, and it looked astounding. A huge improvement form last week. 10/10.

KENNEDY - She looked very disco, and I loved her outfit so much more than last week - but she had this damned belt that looked cheap as hell and it ruined the whole outfit for me. 7/10.

BEBE - She looked great and this dress was definitely something - but I felt like it looked a little too bulky? I guess it's just me, though. 7/10.

BENDELA - Basic. Nothing to shake a stick at. Meh. I don't have much to say - it wasn't the best, but it also wasn't the worst. 5/10.

The judges ended up reading Aja a lot, which she honestly deserved, because she didn't do her research. She messed up names, and got the 60s mixed up with the 70s - plus her can was also totally not her. They also read Kennedy for her can too, but they enjoyed her dress a lot.

Shangela got read pretty hard, but she took in stride and said that she put her best foot forward. BenDeLa's disco look was always read pretty harshly - at least for BenDeLa - with the judges basically saying they expected 120, and she only gave them 100.

Bebe and Trixies were received very well - the judges loved both of their looks and said that their cans really shined on the runway.

In the end, these were the results:

SAFE: BenDeLa, Kennedy

BOTTOMS: Aja, Shangela

WINNERS: Bebe, Trixie.

(Side bar: I still think Bebe is a mole - even is she won. I know I haven't talked about this before, but these conspiracy have me thinking all kinds of crazy stuff.)

THE LIP SYNCH

This lip synch was a pretty boring rendition of The Boss by Diana Ross - and I say it's boring because it was the same thing we've seen Bebe do before. She stood there and perfectly channeled Ross in her lip synch. Meanwhile, Trixie moved around a lot and flubbed up on the actual lip synching part, but not enough to be considered terrible. I got pretty bored watching it, to be honest.

In the end, Bebe ended up winning and sending Aja home. Admittedly, I would have been disappointed either way. Aja was such a fierce competitor and she started so strong. She really didn't deserve to go home, but neither did Shangela. It was a hard, hard week. I just hope she gets a chance to come back.

AND THEN. AT THE END.

AFTER THE CREDITS. RUPAUL PULLED THIS CRAZY HANDMAID'S TALE THING AND REVEALED THREE QUEENS; BUT THEY DIDN'T LOOK LIKE THEY WERE ACTUALLY FROM THIS SEASON? I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THINK ABOUT THIS? WHAT IS RU DOING? I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT NEXT WEEK.

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