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News & ArtsFriday, March 5, 2010
TV RuPaul's Drag Race: Where the Best Woman Always Wins
Posted by David Schmader on Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 11:30 AM
Has this week's lack of a new episode left anyone else with RuPaul's Drag Race withdrawals? In the absence of new information, let's review some facts.
1. So far, Season Two has been delightful. However, a withdrawal-based review of Season One has me wondering if the new season will reveal the sort of solid-gold humanity that was in such extravagant supply in Season One. Granted, we didn't come to know the wonderful depths of Bebe Zahara Benet, Nina Flowers, and Ongina until the latter half of the premiere season, so maybe my doubts are premature. (Season Two's clearest candidates for Bebe/Nina/Ongina-levels of star quality mixed with beautiful insides: Pandora Boxx and Jessica Wylde, the latter of whose "coke-eh-dordle-darr!" chicken impersonation haunts my dreams.)
2. No matter the brilliance of the contestants, the true winner of every episode of RuPaul's Drag Race is Ru-fucking-Paul. (See photo above, from the blog of Santino Rice.) Seriously, she's just the best—the prettiest, the wittiest, the fiercest. For a remedial course in RuPaul's eternal brilliance (as well as how far she's come), here's the now-almost-20-years-old video for "Supermodel (You Better Work)." Seeing a drag queen playing basketball on MTV in 1993 almost made me weep.
3
I am coming around to this season, definitely. I've been (slightly) down on it because I've felt that while everyone is really pretty, their personalities are lacking. There's been no glimpse of anything as unique as Nina Flowers or Ongina, just very pretty, if rather generic, drag queens. Pandora Boxx and Jessica Wylde are my favorites too, followed by Tatianna, who was fantastic in the celebrity challenge.
Raven needs to die, though. At least be good at something before you start being an asshole.
Raven needs to die, though. At least be good at something before you start being an asshole.
4
I felt so bad for the blonde kid whose dad is dying of cancer (forgot his/her name). I just wanted to hug him and say, "Hang in there, little buddy!" Yes, I know, drag queens probably don't want to be called "little buddy", but it's the thought that counts.
5
I read this morning that the schoolteachers in LA who were disciplined for using OJ Simpson as a role model for Black History Week also chose RuPaul (and were disciplined for that as well). Obviously a more defensible decision, from my perspective.
7
Have you been watching the "Untucked" behind the scenes show? It's where all the personality comes out, along with the claws.
Agreed with @3 about Raven's unwarranted assholery - looking forward to her day to sashay away.
Agreed with @3 about Raven's unwarranted assholery - looking forward to her day to sashay away.
8
@7: yes! Which makes me hate Raven even more. She's clearly gotten by on her looks, as a boy or girl, her entire life and seems to think that's enough for the show.
9
7: Yes!
Also, isn't it weird how like 80 percent of this season's contestants have sons and can do the splits?
Also, isn't it weird how like 80 percent of this season's contestants have sons and can do the splits?
11
Hey, what about JuJuBee? I put her right up there with Pandora Boxx in personality - they're my faves so far. Jessica, eh, not so much.
If Raven and Tyra would both just sashay away, that would be fine by me. Both of them have attitudes that are off-putting. I can see where either one of them might be kept around to be a foil, but they each come across as too hateful (for lack of a better word, though petty would probably be more on target) to come across as having "it" to be the winner.
The girls with the best chances are those who have a inner light of fun that comes across in what they do. BeBe, Nina, and Ongina all had "it", and Pandora and JuJuBe do too.
Maybe the word for Raven and Tyra is that they are tired. There is no spark or sizzle in what they do, at least nothing that makes their performances engaging.
If Raven and Tyra would both just sashay away, that would be fine by me. Both of them have attitudes that are off-putting. I can see where either one of them might be kept around to be a foil, but they each come across as too hateful (for lack of a better word, though petty would probably be more on target) to come across as having "it" to be the winner.
The girls with the best chances are those who have a inner light of fun that comes across in what they do. BeBe, Nina, and Ongina all had "it", and Pandora and JuJuBe do too.
Maybe the word for Raven and Tyra is that they are tired. There is no spark or sizzle in what they do, at least nothing that makes their performances engaging.
12
I'm so glad to hear that someone else has been haunted by Jessica Wild's chicken imitation! Haunted!
13
I want to like this show, but I feel really unqualified to judge it. I am like "uhhh, they look pretty!" and then the judges tear them apart. I just know so little about drag queens in general that I feel it hinders me from really getting into the show.
I did like the celebrity look-alike episode, and the Brittany girl was AWESOME. Just spot on.
I did like the celebrity look-alike episode, and the Brittany girl was AWESOME. Just spot on.
14
I'm excited also it looks like The Absolut Drag Tour will hit Seattle this year, at the Lobby Bar, from what I can tell from the RuPaul twitters. YAY! Seattle was not on the tour last year.
15
@13, me too. Having once dated a drag queen I still have no idea what's going into the judging on this lovely program. At times it feels like watching ice skating, where I can see how adorable Johnny Weir is but unless the commentators mention it I don't notice he skipped a bunch of jumps or whatnot.
It's so true that every program shows what a great artist RuPaul is, though. One for the ages.
It's so true that every program shows what a great artist RuPaul is, though. One for the ages.
16
TV should be All Ru, All Day. Am I really the only one who was sorta charmed by Jessica's insane-o-pollo? She was SO having fun, and she also made horrible Raven look even more horrible....honestly, it was HER performance that haunted me, but also her chicken-face.
17
16; You are not alone! One key reason Jessica's pollo loco haunts me is because I loved it so much I was required to rewind it 40 times.
18
@ 13, 15 I have been judging them on Ru's requirements: Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent. Which means basically I just root for the individuals I like the most, in this case Jujubee and Tatiana.
19
i'm enjoying the fireworks this season, but none of the contestants stand out as winner material.
pandora boxx and tatianna both have the right attitude but are completely lacking in style. raven and tyra both take themselves waaaaay to seriously, and are both really stupid to boot. the rest are either ugly or boring.
pandora boxx and tatianna both have the right attitude but are completely lacking in style. raven and tyra both take themselves waaaaay to seriously, and are both really stupid to boot. the rest are either ugly or boring.
20
At the very least, Jessica Wilde should win Ms. Congeniality. *paraphrasing* "My performance was inspired by Muppets."
23
@21 and all the other Raven haters:
Her Lipsynch for Her Life has been the funniest, most enjoyable part of this season for me bar none. To me she actually has a fantastic sense of humor- one that seems all the funnier due to her otherwise very serious, bitchy attitude.
And where do ANY of you get off barking about Ravens mean streak when she is no more or less so than nearly ever other person on there (Pandora excluded). They are ALL catty, bitchy, self -absorbed people. That's a major part of what makes it so fun to watch.
I'm rooting for Raven. May she at least get to the top 3 (though I wouldn't mind seeing her lip-synch for her life more)
Her Lipsynch for Her Life has been the funniest, most enjoyable part of this season for me bar none. To me she actually has a fantastic sense of humor- one that seems all the funnier due to her otherwise very serious, bitchy attitude.
And where do ANY of you get off barking about Ravens mean streak when she is no more or less so than nearly ever other person on there (Pandora excluded). They are ALL catty, bitchy, self -absorbed people. That's a major part of what makes it so fun to watch.
I'm rooting for Raven. May she at least get to the top 3 (though I wouldn't mind seeing her lip-synch for her life more)
24
Pandora would be at the top of my list if she were better looking. Serious, she's just not that pretty! Tatiana is GORGEOUS and her Britney was incredible, but she's a little too safe in the fashion department. Raven is tired and bitchy, Tyra has one hell of a chip on her shoulder and I can hardly stand to hear that bitch's gravelly voice.
I'm waiting for Jessica and Sahara davenport to come out of the woodwork and dazzle us. Sahara's Whitney impression was sadly overlooked as it was brilliant, and once Jessica gets over her language shyness I think she'll be a real competitor. I'm on the fence about Jujube. She may be great, she may suck, we just haven't seen enough.
And hello, what about Morgan? bitch is gonna ignite a slap fight one of these days trying to act all sweet. Her pink impression sucked and I feel like she's giving up. Good riddance.
I'm waiting for Jessica and Sahara davenport to come out of the woodwork and dazzle us. Sahara's Whitney impression was sadly overlooked as it was brilliant, and once Jessica gets over her language shyness I think she'll be a real competitor. I'm on the fence about Jujube. She may be great, she may suck, we just haven't seen enough.
And hello, what about Morgan? bitch is gonna ignite a slap fight one of these days trying to act all sweet. Her pink impression sucked and I feel like she's giving up. Good riddance.
25
Pandora would be at the top of my list if she were better looking. Serious, she's just not that pretty! Tatiana is GORGEOUS and her Britney was incredible, but she's a little too safe in the fashion department. Raven is tired and bitchy, Tyra has one hell of a chip on her shoulder and I can hardly stand to hear that bitch's gravelly voice.
I'm waiting for Jessica and Sahara davenport to come out of the woodwork and dazzle us. Sahara's Whitney impression was sadly overlooked as it was brilliant, and once Jessica gets over her language shyness I think she'll be a real competitor. I'm on the fence about Jujube. She may be great, she may suck, we just haven't seen enough.
And hello, what about Morgan? bitch is gonna ignite a slap fight one of these days trying to act all sweet. Her pink impression sucked and I feel like she's giving up. Good riddance.
I'm waiting for Jessica and Sahara davenport to come out of the woodwork and dazzle us. Sahara's Whitney impression was sadly overlooked as it was brilliant, and once Jessica gets over her language shyness I think she'll be a real competitor. I'm on the fence about Jujube. She may be great, she may suck, we just haven't seen enough.
And hello, what about Morgan? bitch is gonna ignite a slap fight one of these days trying to act all sweet. Her pink impression sucked and I feel like she's giving up. Good riddance.
26
@24 totally agreed on Sahara's awesome Whitney - I wish there had been more footage of her and Tatiana's Britney, they were both hilarious.
27
@23: because she's awful. She can't do anything but stand there and look good, and I don't think her fashion sense is worth anything either. She never seems to understand what the challenges are about and thinks performing is beneath her. If she just wants to look pretty then she should be in another career. Her sniping isn't funny, it's boring. She's boring. There's nothing worse than boring. If she was at least doing witty takedowns of her opponents, I'd be more charitable to her, but she hasn't done anything worthwhile on the whole show. To hell with her.
28
I love Ru Paul's Drag Race, but I can't help but think it could use a crazy Jackie Hell or Dina Martina-style character in there.
29
Abby- once again I fail to see how this person is any more or less boring, mean, or terrible than any of the other competitors. Seriously. It's almost as if you harbor some form of personal hatred for Raven? Did he steal your boyfriend or something? Because I saw a lot more fail over the last few episodes from many other contestants as I did with Raven. Fail that wasn't redeemed with any funny lipsynching.
Frankly, catty stupid jabs aside (I don't mean to be rude to you- it's just that your tirade against Raven seemed a little over the top in your passionate hatred of him) the two people I personally dislike the most seem to be what everyone else on here loves- Jessica Wilde and Sahara Davenport. You want to talk about boring? I keep forgetting Sahara even exists until they mention her by name. She's bland, her style is bland, and her Whitney impersonation was as mild as a rice wafer. It was WHITNEY for god sakes- the extra footage didn't show anything particularly cracked out, screechy, divalicious or anything. She was simply incorporating her famous song titles into her answers with a slight stutter- which was about as funny as the Lady Gaga mess.
And Jessica Wilde? Yes she's loud. Yes she's kooky. Sure she "gives it her all"- but to quote Bender from Futurama: her best is an idiot. She is the most manly and least convincing drag queen on the show. And yes- looks DO count for something here. She never actually gets the illusion right. All dolled up she still looks like a guy in a dress. Which isn't that surprising as she is actually kind of cute as a guy. I'm sorry but so far I think she has been given waaaaaaay too much credit "because of the language barrier." Simply put- that is no excuse for a crappy impersonation or unconvincing drag.
In the end I am, at this moment, rooting for Tatiana, Raven, Pandora, and Jujubee. Morgan is certainly striking in the looks department but I have no idea if she has the stage presence to win. Nor do I feel like Tyra can get past her attitude and ego. And I've already described my feelings about Sahara and Jessica.
More...
Frankly, catty stupid jabs aside (I don't mean to be rude to you- it's just that your tirade against Raven seemed a little over the top in your passionate hatred of him) the two people I personally dislike the most seem to be what everyone else on here loves- Jessica Wilde and Sahara Davenport. You want to talk about boring? I keep forgetting Sahara even exists until they mention her by name. She's bland, her style is bland, and her Whitney impersonation was as mild as a rice wafer. It was WHITNEY for god sakes- the extra footage didn't show anything particularly cracked out, screechy, divalicious or anything. She was simply incorporating her famous song titles into her answers with a slight stutter- which was about as funny as the Lady Gaga mess.
And Jessica Wilde? Yes she's loud. Yes she's kooky. Sure she "gives it her all"- but to quote Bender from Futurama: her best is an idiot. She is the most manly and least convincing drag queen on the show. And yes- looks DO count for something here. She never actually gets the illusion right. All dolled up she still looks like a guy in a dress. Which isn't that surprising as she is actually kind of cute as a guy. I'm sorry but so far I think she has been given waaaaaaay too much credit "because of the language barrier." Simply put- that is no excuse for a crappy impersonation or unconvincing drag.
In the end I am, at this moment, rooting for Tatiana, Raven, Pandora, and Jujubee. Morgan is certainly striking in the looks department but I have no idea if she has the stage presence to win. Nor do I feel like Tyra can get past her attitude and ego. And I've already described my feelings about Sahara and Jessica.
30
RuPaul never did anything for me musically, stylistically, or culturally.
Whereas you, Mr. Schmader, nearly went to tears in '93 at the sight of RuPaul playing hoops in heels, I shook my head in summer '92 when her Tommy Boy single first hit the store shelves where I worked then. I didn't get the draw of a drag performer singing a fairly bland-for-the-time dance track when drag performers, even then, were common.
Then again, "Supermodel" spoke to all the men and boys who were finally getting their voice heard beyond bars, bathhouses, and stages (Neil and Chris, fwiw, did a much better job of it, and much sooner: see Behaviour, the subsequent Very Relentless, and the classic Actually).
Each time back then when someone said, "Wow, this song is a breakthrough for drag queens and transsexuals" (and boy, did they ever say that), it made me want to break out the emotional razor blades and start cutting my hope in the future (as a teenaged transsexual girl coming out into a very inhospitable culture). I came out in '91.
That, plus The Crying Game a few months later in late '92 and all the still-fresh talk about Caroline Cossey-as-model "pulling a fast one" on pop culture, and it was impossible to explain to anyone you came out to that your narrative wasn't being represented by any corner of pop culture (even Brandon Teena, someone I understood a lot more to my own life experiences, was still alive and unknown). You just got ignored, lumped in with the guys, or given confused, blank stares. It was a man's, man's world. Some things change too slowly.
There's a place for everything. RuPaul has her place, and she brought camp culture to mainstream. Still, everything must be properly qualified first, or else it will hurt others more than it will help. Not so much for sympathy, but for offering perspective: for you then, Mr. Schmader, it was the gay '90s; for many of my kind today, it's still the mid '60s — where hints of Bilitis and Mattachine still call the day to order.
I can't wait for the '90s of my kind to arrive.
More...
Whereas you, Mr. Schmader, nearly went to tears in '93 at the sight of RuPaul playing hoops in heels, I shook my head in summer '92 when her Tommy Boy single first hit the store shelves where I worked then. I didn't get the draw of a drag performer singing a fairly bland-for-the-time dance track when drag performers, even then, were common.
Then again, "Supermodel" spoke to all the men and boys who were finally getting their voice heard beyond bars, bathhouses, and stages (Neil and Chris, fwiw, did a much better job of it, and much sooner: see Behaviour, the subsequent Very Relentless, and the classic Actually).
Each time back then when someone said, "Wow, this song is a breakthrough for drag queens and transsexuals" (and boy, did they ever say that), it made me want to break out the emotional razor blades and start cutting my hope in the future (as a teenaged transsexual girl coming out into a very inhospitable culture). I came out in '91.
That, plus The Crying Game a few months later in late '92 and all the still-fresh talk about Caroline Cossey-as-model "pulling a fast one" on pop culture, and it was impossible to explain to anyone you came out to that your narrative wasn't being represented by any corner of pop culture (even Brandon Teena, someone I understood a lot more to my own life experiences, was still alive and unknown). You just got ignored, lumped in with the guys, or given confused, blank stares. It was a man's, man's world. Some things change too slowly.
There's a place for everything. RuPaul has her place, and she brought camp culture to mainstream. Still, everything must be properly qualified first, or else it will hurt others more than it will help. Not so much for sympathy, but for offering perspective: for you then, Mr. Schmader, it was the gay '90s; for many of my kind today, it's still the mid '60s — where hints of Bilitis and Mattachine still call the day to order.
I can't wait for the '90s of my kind to arrive.
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