Glaadrial
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Posts posted by Glaadrial
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On 3/16/2018 at 8:33 AM, Couver said:
I wonder what would have happened if they included this in AS2. My guess is Alaska would not have made that final 2. So again it seems like the show pulls some very obvious strings to get their winner.
I'm not convinced that Ru would have been against Shangela winning. Ru has always been very supportive of Shangela, beyond just bringing her back for S3. To me, it seems like she's a particular favorite of the producers. It doesn't make sense to me that this was a conspiracy by the producers to keep her from winning.
Logo is re-running previous seasons and I happened upon the episode in S3 where they had a cake challenge that involved sewing. During the workroom chat with Shangela, Ru specifically asked if any of the other girls were helping her through the challenge and Shangela replied that she understood that this is a competition and she didn't expect to receive help (it was a particularly raw emotional response from Shangela; a very poignant moment). Ru pointed out that Shangela had been helpful to other contestants in previous challenges and she should consider asking for help. This was the nasty Heathers vs. Boogers season and Manilla offered up a dismissive talking head about Shangela's exchange with Ru.
I hadn't watched previous episodes, and I switched channels after the scene, but at that moment, it seemed clear that Shangela may not be respected as anything more than a punchline by anyone outside the House of Edwards. Interestingly, it also seems like Alyssa and LaGanga are also treated as punchlines despite their respective obvious talent.
Shangela getting 1 point when even Bebe was able to manage 2, smells more like cliquish behavior than producer manipulation to me.
For me, based on what I've seen on the show: Bendela>Shangela>Trixie>Bebe>Kennedy. Ben eliminated himself; nobody (except the fans) likes Shangela; Bebe had won before and wasn't particularly friendly; that leaves Kennedy vs Trixie, and in that battle it's a no brainer. I generally liked the show and I really liked Ben, Shangela, and Trixie, so, I'm okay with the outcome.
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6 hours ago, Jynnan tonnix said:
Kiki & Jenna - Again, danced very well, but it was way too much Jenna front and center. I found her annoying in her season, though ultimately had to admit that she was great in everything they threw at her, but she draws the eye to her at all times not through charisma as much as a determination to do it. So she overshadows everyone in a not-so-good way. I like Kiki, and was very glad she picked him over Konkrete, but I barely noticed him here, and the choreography itself didn't wow me either. I don't think they will last long mostly because people don't like Jenna much to start with, and she's not generous enough to highlight her partner when the show itself is (or should be) all about the contestants.
When I was watching Jenna perform, I was reminded of the line in A Chorus Line during the One Rehearsal number where the choreographer (Zach) instructs Cassie to "don't pop the hip" (i.e., dance like everybody else). I happen to like Jenna a lot. Over on DWTS, she does really well with Max and Val, in particular, who have their own power and strength to direct the mountains of energy she brings to all her performances. Kiki, to my eye, was a bit tentative in his lead.
Ballroom is a tricky genre for a female All-Star pairing. IMO, the best dances are designed for the woman to shine. That said, it certainly is possible for a female to back-lead a male partner who is not dancing in his comfort zone. This pairing is not a good example of that, however, because he's dancing in his own genre and should be able to lead her properly. I'm torn, though. On the one hand, Jenna should be willing to be led as Kiki is used to leading or there will be missed connections and such given the amount of time they are given to master the routine; at the same time, it would serve him better for Kiki to aspire to the wild abandon that Jenna brings to the partnership because a neat and precise ballroom routine cannot compete with what can be accomplished in the other flashier genres highlighted on the show.
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My opinion is that the sabotaging on Heather on Disney week was not Maks; it was TPTB assigning that song to be choreographed as a Jazz routine. I'm pretty familiar with the Jazz/Broadway genre and I would be incredibly surprised were there to be anything more than basic choreography for that song and more than one person on stage (and that's assuming it even makes it into the Stage version). It's a solo song describing the character's feelings with no possibility for interaction between actors. Maks' choreography was certainly a more than adequate representation of what could actually end up happening on stage; the one big difference is that the character would actually be singing the song so it wouldn't come off as so basic.
IMO, the only thing that could possibly have been workable given the song choice would have been to assign the appropriate ballroom genre (Foxtrot, maybe?) and have the dancers ignore the lyrics and just use the music as background music. There's a perfectly good song (the next track?) that has plenty of interaction between the Princess and one of the main guy roles.
I never expected her to win, but I'll miss some of the spectacular stuff I could have been watching instead of what I'll be FFing from most of the remaining guys.
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I'm not quoting anything in particular because my intention is not to call anybody out...especially not on a topic so personal as an eating disorder. Everyone's situation is different and I respect and appreciate people sharing their own experience. I do, however, want to address the wanton disregard that the girls on the show displayed toward Eureka's "joke" on the previous episode. We got pretty good closure on this episode, but only "pretty good" because no one seemed to even consider that a bunch of skinny girls talking about how hard it is for them to be so skinny, in the presence of a larger girl, is beyond insensitive and that was not acknowledged.
Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes and Eureka's outburst was perfectly understandable to me. I knew exactly where she was coming from. It really was a missed opportunity for the skinny girls to point out shape shaming comes in all sizes and to invite Eureka to share in the conversation to compare notes on the feedback they all get from their relative perspectives. I put the onus on the skinny girls because, clearly, there were more of them; at least one of them should have recognized the comment as a defense mechanism. What I saw last episode was a huge gang up on Eureka. She was classy in this episode and took an opportunity to apologize and let the skinny girls have their moment (producer intervention?). Still, even then, they never considered that Eureka is also dealing with issues in regards to her size.
As Kim Chi reminded us so vividly last season: "No fats, fems or Asians." has been a common refrain at least since I've been around (and I'm about the same age as Charlie), I can't speak to what came before. I'm assuming it's still around since it was Kim Chi's watch cry and she's pretty young. In any case, we've seen some stellar big girls on RPDR and yet none has won the prize. Violet was/is very accomplished on and off the show, but so was/is Ginger (albeit less so on AS2). I do think that their race, in particular, could have gone to either; it went to the ultra-skinny one. There are never a pack of big girls who make the show in the same season, so, obviously there are few opportunities for the token to make it all the way to the end. This is a race and endurance matters. Perhaps, unintentionally, the show itself makes a contribution to the pressure of needing to be skinny. It's a conversation that I, for one, would have liked to hear.
It's often said that humor masks great pain. Someone, anyone, should recognized it and come to Eureka's defense last episode. It is what it is, though, and in this episode, I think that the big girl came out and slayed the competition as the bigger person, despite also dealing with actual debilitating physical pain. It'll be interesting to see what she brings back to the competition next time around, should she choose to return.
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11 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:
...Maks falters on choreography, or they edit them to look like they're not "having fun," or if everyone decides she "seems cold" or whatever they did to Nastia
I'll take "arrogant" for the win.
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On 3/2/2017 at 9:06 PM, PBGamer89 said:
I just find it funny becauses Maks (and Erin for that matter) never shut up about Nicole being a dancer all season long, when yes she had training and experience, but she was primarily known for being a singer first and foremost, where as Heather started as a dancer and transitioned into acting.
The show has changed a LOT since that season. I'm actually very excited by the prospect of watching a bunch of what have traditionally been called ringers going at it. It's nice seeing the talent spread among many different pros. I'm looking forward to some very good routines from Maks this season, I like him best when he's able to dance full out like he did with Meryl.
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On 3/7/2017 at 2:18 AM, Victura said:
She's never been a very artistic skater though and honestly a bit wooden as far as figure skaters go, so I don't necessarily see her as having a leg up on the other competitors besides being an athlete that knows how to train.
This made me chuckle because her spiral was one of her signature moves.
From Wiki:
QuoteA Kerrigan spiral is a high-leg outside spiral performed with one hand supporting the knee of the free leg. This position is named after Nancy Kerrigan.
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4 hours ago, gohawks said:
Laurie is a sweet seemingly well adjusted kid. she has a strong support system in her family and I will defer to their opinions. I stopped being overly judgmental about how other people parent their kids when I had a kid of my own.
This. I'd only add that Laurie Hernandez is also an Olympic Gold Medalist from the just completed Olympic Games who has obligations associated with that accomplishment that are separate from her obligations to this show. Her family also have to deal with their own grief. I can only imagine that having someone as caring and protective as Val around at this time to help them navigate the maze created by a voracious media, was considered a blessing. Mix in the judgement expressed viciously on Social Media which is different from anything they've ever experienced before when they were enveloped in the protective bubble of the USA Gymnastics machine, and you get to a place where they did a fantastic job protecting their daughter.
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5 hours ago, MissSunshine said:
Because I thought the song choices were way off for Wé, Darby, and Belle amongst others
I was thinking about hopping on board the Wé express when she first started singing. I was delighted to hear the smooth and powerful quality of her lower register. I've found her rehearsal packages to be more annoying than endearing, especially when they cut to her backstage a couple of weeks ago and she spoke normally without affectation, so this fast-paced format worked to her advantage as far as I was concerned. But then...oh, dear...when she went into her higher register with no transition, well, it seemed that even if she'd managed to land in the right key, she'd still just be ordinary. Whoever butchered the arrangement, really did her a disservice. Without the transition that is built into the song, the two parts just don't make sense together.
For me it was the same with the arrangement of Crying, which also has an incredibly well written heart-wrenching build that can't really be conveyed in the time allotted for each performer. Although Billy, at least, managed a credible rendition, though it was no where near as successful as most of his other performances.
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8 hours ago, JakeyJokes said:
I had to explain Alaska's Aviva Drescher reference to the young gays watching with me. I am the Bianca of our group.
I'm fairly certain that I'm older than Bianca, but you'd have to explain it to me also. I refuse to Google it because not knowing that it even happened makes me feel young--if stupid.
I'm can't decide if Alaska was being ironic with her choice of attire or really just not self aware. She was way more Amber than she was Tracy all season, right down to the temper tantrum. Normally, I'd hesitate to question her self-awareness, because she's always excelled in that category, but I just don't see the point of the irony, if, indeed it was irony. Anyway, didn't Roxxy have roaches on her Evita dress? I guess in a who wore it better contest, Alaska would come out on top (it's all about the accessories) but why bother?
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1 hour ago, film noire said:
She did -- and so full of life -- Detox was lucky Alyssa let it go so graciously.
My takeaway from the season: used to love Alaska, hope to never see her contrived, overworked schtick again -- and I would love to watch Tati, Katya and Alyssa doing anything together, anywhere, on any media.
I don't hope to never see Alaska ever again, as I accept her contrived, overworked schtick to be her brand that's served her well for a while, but I agree that it really let her down in the latter stages of the competition; whereas Tatiana, Katya and Alyssa really brought it in the end (now THAT's a final four I could get behind, especially when considering what the final challenge ended up being!).
Those four in the end could have made it a real competition, IMO. Still, it's Ru's show and this is the product he wanted to deliver, so there's not much to quibble about on that front. For me, it seemed that neither Tati nor Alyssa belonged in the bottom (whatever random number Ru has in his head) in their respective final rounds. My guess is that Alyssa landed in the bottom three because Ru couldn't risk Detox sending Alaska home instead of Roxxy (that's assuming he didn't know which lipstick case Detox/Katya chose before the lip-sync)--there's no way, to my mind, that she could have been in the bottom 2 based on the challenge that week. Katya losing all three? of her lip sync battles is also unbelievable, except in the context that Rolaskatox would not have remained intact for the final episode. Is WOW trying to make Rolaskatox happen; l suspect that will go the way of Fetch, because although Roxxy and Detox gained some ground, it wasn't nearly as much as what Alaska lost, imo.
As for Ru in the reunion, it didn't seem like there were multiple endings taped, but if there were, I have to wonder why Ru would ask for input from the fans if he's not going to bother listening to them at all. That's a kind of disrespect of her fans that I don't ever expect to see from her, whom I perceive to be very savvy and shrewd in the way she presents her public persona. Showcasing the Emmy in the way she did, was also a little off-putting because it seemed to say, "Now that I've got tangible respect from the industry, I no longer need the respect from all the little people who are my fans." I think she could have pulled off her Emmy moment had the blatant disregard of the fan vote (which was so overwhelmingly skewed toward a different choice than the one she made) not occurred. I mean, why even ask for input in the first place, it's not necessary for the show--unless there's some kind of monetary reward for getting people to vote on Twitter (I admit, I don't know how those things work)?
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5 hours ago, AntManBee said:
Bullying is mostly about harassment and creating unease, and it sounds like she is almost excusing the online bullying of others because she is currently the Chosen One by the social media populous.
Her point as it was described above, I think, suggests that online "bullying" is self-induced (i.e., you can't be bullied this way unless you choose to read the posts and allow them to affect you). IMO, that's the healthiest attitude to have about social media.
Not so much in this forum, but in other forums on this board, the "ignore" feature has been a godsend. At first, I was tempted to have a look at some of the posts by people whom I'd tagged to ignore, but that doesn't happen anymore because I was consistently reminded why I chose to ignore them in the first place.
But then again, I'm an old fart who learned at an early age that "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me" unless I let them. I imagine that for some, however, the idea of not being able to read their social media is a fate worse than death.
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I wrote in last week's episode thread that if Kati had chosen Roxxy's lipstick case that there could be the possibility of scripting being involved in the choices that were made with regards to who won that lip-sync. Building on that, if ever there was a week where having a bottom two instead of a bottom three really makes sense, then this is that week. Not only did Alyssa challenge for being in the top two, but also, we bore witness to putting the Real into Reality TV. The tears she shed, IMO, were arguably the most sincere ever recorded in DR Herstory! I'm not a fan of tears on reality TV, but Alyssa's grief was heartfelt and very moving. Moreover, her interaction with her sister was also possibly the most real of anything we've ever seen on a Reality TV show. I mean, we all know the girl can't act her way out of paper bag, but this season for Alyssa Edwards, as far as I'm concerned, is worthy of an Emmy (like the one Bette Midler got for being Johnny Carson's last guest).
I can only conclude that RuPaul has another script in mind for the outcome of this race. I outright reject the notion that Ru wanted to "fix" season 5 by having Rolaskatox in the top three and giving the crown to Alaska. I may be proven wrong next week, but there is no way that I can believe that Kati would have sent my beloved Alyssa home this week. This suggests to me that, while she may have legitimately lost her first LSFYL, Katya's subsequent defeats were more likely a function of whom she chose to eliminate. Detox was interesting, but her actual lip-syncing was not tight, Kati's most certainly was. It's a testament to her performance that even with favorable editing for Detox, Katya still came off looking like the winner.
As to the script that Ru may have in mind, I can only hope that the season she does want to fix is S7. This season was put in the can shortly after Ru broke our hearts by calling out Kati when preparing to announce the winner that season. Since Ru is asking for viewer's opinions, I assume that the ending is not in the can. In the past two weeks, Kati's stock has risen exponentially. Having Tati and Alyssa still in the mix would complicate matters greatly, because those two came to play. Alyssa, more so even than Tati, really surprised me with her performances in the challenges, on the runway and even in the workroom. She rammed her way through every single stumbling block from her season. I think she may have a real shot at getting Miss Congeniality, although that's more Tati's thing...perhaps another tie! In any case Alyssa did manage to do better than fifth alternate, so it's all good.
After tonight's show, I'm predicting that if Ru chooses to listen to the fans, then this thing is in the bag for Katya...by a lot!
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On 10/3/2016 at 10:42 PM, bybrandy said:
I fully believe Julianne did not intend to slut shame Amber Rose.
From what I saw on the show, the comment was not made to Amber, it was made behind her back (so to speak) in a moment when Julianne was speaking candidly to Bruno during the dance. The dance was not good, but uncomfortable? Really? This dance, IMO, was no worse than the Salsa that Val and Max came up with for Danika and Meryl (also to an awful JLo song) which was also lackluster. It was no where near as bad as some of the stuff we've seen on the show that's been truly unconformable to watch.
Since the comment was not intended for Amber's ears, Julianne really came off badly to me, much like a mean girl talking smack with a buddy about an unpopular girl. An apology from Julianne would have gone a long way to neutralize or, perhaps, sway some who are not inclined to like her. People who already like her or possibly her brother (since, I think I read a headline where he chimed in on her defense) are gonna be on her side anyway.
In the end, Amber (who I know nothing about) came off of the incident on the plus side for me, while Julianne gave me yet another reason to want her off my TV screen. I doubt she cares. It helped that I really enjoyed Amber's AT.
And speaking of really enjoying something, I really loved Terra's (sp?) Samba! I was pleasantly surprised that she received a 9 because, although I did catch some missteps, I really felt that she embodied the spirit of the dance in a way that I don't remember any other contestant has ever been able to do. Coming off of watching the Rio Olympics and getting to see how everybody in Rio, regardless of size or shape, just seems to throw themselves into the moment, this dance, I think, really captured that feel.
Also, poor Val. He actually thought that he was portraying Michael Jackson, when in fact, that honor went to Laurie and she handled it like a pro! Were there really five people on that stage? I only saw the one.
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23 hours ago, Glade said:
I'm so over Alaska, just like with Chad on all-stars one, once the judges start favoring a queen, it goes to their heads and becomes obnoxious. I don't think Alaska should even have been in the top today, and she didn't win the damn lipsync, with Katya's air-guitars and everything.
5 hours ago, OnceSane said:I knew that stupid clique would fuck things up this season. Thanks for nothing, Alaska! If she'd owned her decision as getting rid of the better competition, I wouldn't be annoyed. Because there is no other reason to keep Roxxxy (if we're judging on performance not friendship).
I've been thinking about the game that Alaska is playing, and I've developed a new appreciation for her nuanced approach to RDR Survivor Edition. It's hard to fly under the radar in a game like this but that's just what she's been doing. The alliance and the "agreement" to eliminate the one who gets the worst critique (the brainchild and legacy of PP2) have been her shield. Her gamesmanship appears not to be noticed in the moment, but there's no way that she could "own" it in talking heads because what plays out over the season will count when it comes to selecting who gets the crown.
In this episode, the LSFYL was practically a gift for Kati, landing smack in her wheelhouse. Her drag persona as a modern day Hedwig is perfect for this song; there's no way she should have lost this round. It's hard to really judge a performance, though, when we're only allowed to see the snippets that the producers want us to see. If we find out that Kati had chosen to eliminate Roxxy then there's reason to suspect manipulation at play; if not, well, it would seem that if both perform adequately, then Alaska gets the nod for being more interesting, so she gets to eliminate another strong competitor.
Tati, in hindsight, sealed her fate last week. Unless, of course, they both got to stay because they both chose to eliminate PP2 (I don't for a moment believe that Ru is not aware of which lipstick case is chosen). Her revenge script called for Roxxy's elimination because a) Roxxy eliminated her the first time, and b) PP2 was a lesser obstacle in her path to the crown. Not following the script left Tati open for the do-over of week two, which I found suspect at the time and for similar reasons. I thought that Alyssa should have been in the top 2 both weeks...Snatch week because I thought she outright owned the Snatch game, and last night because she killed the runway and had a better than average video. Both times I thought that Detox should have been on the bottom with Roxy and last night I was expecting that we'd finally see Alaska having to make Sophie's Choice between Detox and Roxxy; alas, it was not to be. I'm still scratching my head wondering how Tati's stellar runway and okay video didn't beat out Detox's lackluster efforts in both categories (unless it was in the script).
In any case, I'm okay with an Alaska win. I thought she should have wone the first time around and she's not disappointed in her performance; just in her choices of whom to take off my TV screen. I wait with baited breath to see which alternate my beloved Alyssa Edwards gets to be and to find out if Katya can act as spoiler to a Rolaskatox final three.
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6 hours ago, Halo said:
I couldn't resist going back, and it seems like some queens change (Alyssa, Phi Phi) and some haven't (Detox, Alaska, Roxxy). It really changes the dynamic from regular seasons, like when poor Acid Betty had to LSFHL in pregnant Madonna drag.
Kati, I think, was the first when she changed her Latex runway (she really kind of had to). LSFYLegacy changes things up because the winning looks are being rewarded, whereas with the LSFYLife, if you're on the bottom you've got to go with what you have to try to stay in the game.
Also, I think this just sort of happened only because it was possible and once one did it, others followed suit. Alaska changed her look for one of her lip-syncs. I remember because she asked Roxxy to borrow a top during her "deliberation" conversation.
I don't remember any of the Season 8 queens changing for their lip-syncs. Since that was filmed after All Stars, I don't think it made it into the actual rules. Still, it remains to be seen if this will affect upcoming seasons, which I doubt it. This is an All Star season, and that seems to mean more this time around than it did after the joke that was AS1.
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10 hours ago, iMonrey said:
Perhaps Cheryl knows what she's doing after all because the few steps he took looked stiff and awkward. For some reason I expect a swimmer to be more graceful.
(cough) Natalie Coughlin. Unlike gymnasts and figure skaters, I think that the muscles that swimmers develop are very different than those that would make them appear graceful on the dance floor. The bumpers during the Olympics, where various swimmers were trying to samba with the gals in showgirl outfits, showed that they are game but not necessarily adept outside the water.
Similarly, the performances by Monica Seles and Martina Navratilova, were also very stiff. In all these cases, however, it could just be the athletes themselves and not the training in their respective sports that is the hindrance. For all that the partnership was a train wreck, Maks did manage to get some grace out of Hope Solo, but a bunch less from with Misty May Treanor (but that was an abbreviated partnership due to injury, so who knows where that would have lead).
While I agree that it was no contest in the dance-off for Ryan, I was impressed that Cheryl did manage to get him to sell the routine--ironically, with his personality and not with actual content. As for the other couples, the only thing of note that I recall was that I really liked Maureen's Salsa way better than Amber's, if not for some awkwardness towards the end, I'd have picked her as the clear winner. In the end though, I thought their performances left it in the "too close to call" category for me. Choreographically, I preferred what Artem put together much more than what Maks came up with for Amber. It left me wondering if Amber's range of motion is an issue. I had high hopes for Maks sticking around longer after the initial forward pass that they did on the first night before Amber blanked out on the routine; however, it looks like there may be more to it than a simple blackout moment dealing with opening night jitters.
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From the "Shequels" episode, I have a favorite quote that I keep repeating in my head even though it didn't actually happen on the show:
Alaska: "The Camptown ladies sing this song..."
Alyssa: "Doo-lah! Doo-lah!"The part that appears only in my head:
Alaska: (kicks Alyssa who is writhing on the floor) "It's: Doo-DAH (kick), Doo-DAH!" (kick and turn to the camera) "That's why I work alone!"
I can't for the life of me figure out why this didn't happen for real. It seems so obvious an opportunity considering the script they were given. I can only think that it was Michelle being particularly over critical regarding all things Alyssa. I guess it's hard to be spontaneous with all that ill will coming at you.-
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45 minutes ago, Kyrielle said:
And she was definitely drawn that way.
FWIW, literally, yes, but also figuratively (as a moth to a flame). If that's the quote, then Ru delivered a masterful allusion. Definitely kinder than her usual "Sashay away."
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7 hours ago, WhineandCheez said:
As much as I live for Alyssa , Tati did beat her. Alyssa was throwing everything but the kitchen sink into her routine a bit too much even for drag. I don't know why Tati hasn't been on the tour before. She is top notch. Poor Roxxy. I'll think she'll go next. She is so pretty!
I agree that it had me scared because I like Tati, but I did not want Alyssa to leave my TV. On reflection, and in hindsight, I think that the editing is always tricky with these closely matched LSFYL performances. Alyssa rocked the timing of her big dance moves which takes a big scoop of talent and musicality. Seen Live these kinds of punctuated dance moves are awesome; for TV, though (and we've seen this on the competitive dance shows) you really need to really work on the camera blocking to get any kind of an impact from these moves.
Since Tati's Lip-sync was so tight, she was able to benefit from "less is more" on TV. I do give her credit for turning it out, though, there were a couple of spots where I saw what looked like shadow-drag where Alyssa started doing something outrageous (like whipping her hair) and Tati matched her whip for whip. I'm not shading her for doing it because it made for a great performance, I just see it as an example of Alyssa brings out the best in her competition and win or lose, that's her legacy. Thankfully, we got a tie and all is good!
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1 hour ago, Granimal said:
Rolaskatatiyalyssasox
I wish I could pronounce this!
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On 9/20/2016 at 2:50 PM, Zuleikha said:
I think less of Ru for how he's apparently handling queens critiquing him, but I do feel for him on the t-word issue. He made a point in an interview that I found compelling... it's also short for transvestite and was a slur slung at him and other queens of his generation. I don't think it's so clear cut.
The only "Trans" I am is transitional, as in, I'm from the middle generation between what was started at Stonewall and what we've become. It makes my heart hurt that transvestites (to whom we as people, not just LGBTLMNOP, owe so much) have been made to abandon their ownership of words that were once slurs that they now wear with Pride by the loud but ignorant (not in a bad way, just in that they don't know the brutality of what those who came before had to endure) voices of this newest generation. Alas, however, they are the future, and if this is the price we must pay, then, I guess, it's worth it; but, I'm still sad.
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6 hours ago, Zuleikha said:
I thought that was tacky. Ru is in a position of much greater power. Yes, Phi Phi is not behaving in a savvy way. But all the queens trash talk and that's about all Phi Phi's actually done this season. Her main crime seems to be that she's not funny whereas other people are. But the result of her non-funniness is that Phi Phi's career is in jeopardy, and she's receiving a serious online hate. IMHO, it's crappy for Ru to pile onto that instead of trying to dampen the flames.
Ru has said it from day 1: Her show, her rules. From what has been written over the years, I gather that the only interaction that Ru has had with any of the contestants is what we see on TV. They are not friends, and she is not their mentor outside of what happens when the cameras are rolling. She is rightly unapologetic about this, and apparently only comments when she means to state her business.
Now, will somebody please post a link to where RU said what she said that seems to have made some of her fans join Team Phi2, because finding it is beyond the ability of my social media searching skills.
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6 hours ago, rozen said:
Talk about grading on a curve. Sure, maybe Katya needed a minute to get going, but she tore it up in that scene. Phi Phi would have been in the bottom any other season. That was some S7 "I tried, so gimme a prize"-level bullshit.
Roxxy was objectively terrible and should have been gone. She's going to skate through the entire season just based on her drag network, not on her actual ability.
I agree that Roxxy was terrible. When I watched the show and Phi2 started blubbering I hit the FF button and apparently held it too long to catch much of Roxxy's critique beyond Michelle saying that she was over-matched in comparison to Phi2's performance. They said something similar to Alyssa, but Alyssa, at least, matched Alaska's intensity, which was the only option available to her in that script. This was clearly a split decision among the judges because the other judges seemed to appreciate the T in C.U.N.T. that allows Alyssa to shine in just about any situation (even in leaving the stage with grace and dignity).
I found Michelle's comments to be very condescending; people don't give passes to performances willy-nilly, there's usually a good reason behind doing so and it comes from recognizing that succeeding at something in an unexpected way is what keeps things fresh and original. Alaska does this thoughtfully and with intent; Alyssa is more of savant; and Katya, to my eye, is somewhere in the middle. I've never made the connection before, but I think that there's quite a bit of Phi2 in Michelle, and the more I see of it the less appealing she becomes.
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S03.E08: A Jury of Their Queers
in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
It's easier to understand when one considers that this is not a pageant. There are other venues to do well as a pageant queen, namely pageants. Raja's win changed the game, if not forever, then at least since season 3. If Sharon, for example, had shown up at a pageant she would have been read for filth, and that's even if she could have managed to work her way through the pageant system to even get to a national platform. Even PhiPhi managed growth that has extended her relevance post RDR.
A couple of other pageant queen standouts that immediately come to mind are Alyssa Edwards (who's just so quirky that she reads as unique) and, most recently, Trinity Taylor, have managed to claim their stake in the RDR lore. Each has an overwhelming amount of Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent to spare as does Trixie.
Kennedy's talent is undeniable, I especially enjoy what she brings to the stage when she's on because I first encountered drag in a small club in Texas while coming of age in the mid 80's so I get her and what she brings to the stage. She does lack in the other categories, though, and that's a deficit that can't be overcome without work. Moreover, it also appears that she lacks any level of self-awareness. For her to think that getting into the RDRHoF is a free ride to adoration from the fans...well, I think she would have been disappointed had she won. Ironically, judging from the hate that Trixie is getting (I'm assuming it's okay to hate on her because she's half-white, right?), by losing, Kennedy may have actually picked up some care-bear fans to darken her cubicle at future meet and greets. So in that way she really is a winner.