This Interview Might Be the Closest You Get to RuPaul: WATCH
RuPaul is on the cover of Vanity Fair‘s 2019 holiday issue, and in addition to the cover story, the world’s most famous drag queen sat down to answer increasingly personal questions about the thing he’s most afraid of, where he goes in L.A. for peace, the biggest difference between his drag then and now, how his persona came to be, advice he’d give on someone who feels alone, when he feels like an outsider, how he met his husband, his open marriage, his first picnic, abandonment, his mother’s influence, what he’s obsessed with, the Bee Gees, Dolly Parton, and more.
Hong Kong Elects Gay Councilman Jimmy Sham as Several Raging Homophobes Lose Races in Broad Pro-Democracy Win
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says she’ll reflect after a massive pro-Democracy vote in the first elections since the wave of protests against Beijing started, the BBC reports: “Seventeen of the 18 district councils are now controlled by pro-democracy councillors, according to local media. The election, the first since the wave of anti-Beijing protests began, saw an unprecedented turnout of more than 71%.”
Openly gay Jimmy Sham is elected #HongKong district councilman. He campaigned, seen here with me, using a cane after two attacks. Brazenly homophobic incumbents such as Holden Chow, Dominic Lee, Junius Ho & Vincent Cheng all lost their seats. What a day! #HongKongProtestspic.twitter.com/Nmb2w8AVMy
One of those winners was Jimmy Sham, the openly gay leader of the Civil Human Rights Front, an umbrella group of pro-democracy organizations,, who was attacked by a group of men with hammers during the campaign and still walks on crutches.
The NYT reports: “Ray Chan, a pro-democracy lawmaker who is gay, celebrated the victory of Mr. Sham, who is also gay, on a day that several establishment politicians who had opposed same-sex marriage and made homophobic comments had lost their district council races. Mr. Sham said that his own victory in the district race reflected a broader yearning for civic freedoms. ‘We are trying to listen to the demands of the people and to fight for their rights,’ he said.”
SNL Reveals The Wizard of Oz’s Alternate Ending: WATCH
The 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz is a family favorite around the holidays, and it could have ended much differently, as Saturday Night Live revealed over the weekend.
Said Sanders: “I’ve watched this process play out so many times, sat in hundreds of meetings with the president, and the idea that he can only take in one or two bullets is absurd. I’ve watched him consume massive amounts of information, process it quickly and make decisions, and go. He reads more than anybody I know. Every single foreign trip we actually would laugh about the fact he has boxes upon boxes, file boxes where he reads for hours. The rest of us want to take a break, we wanna sleep, the president works the entire time. He will spend hours on the plane reading through notes, reading through newspapers, magazines. He consumes a massive amount of information constantly.”
Mutha (and Sistas) Have Arrived on RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. [RECAP AND RANKINGS]
Although this isn’t the top four I envisioned at the start of RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K.‘s inaugural season, I find myself charmed by our remaining queens. Cheryl is the closest we’ve had to a “villain” and reaches the top four without any badges, but I’m enjoying her energy still.
The final four’s likability elevated the season’s makeover challenge, which featured important women in the queens’ lives. What the penultimate episode lacked in big, gaggy moments, it made up for with breezy, heartwarming fun.
But first, a bit of unresolved business. After a poor performance last week, Baga spent her Untucked time blowing off learning the lip sync. It was a small Nina Bo’nina sort of moment of despair, but now safely in the workroom, Baga tries to rewrite the narrative. She’s claiming now that she did know the song, she was just saying there was maybe a lyrics or two she wasn’t sure of.
OK, sure.
Our mini-challenge this week is the puppet roast. Why? Because e’erybody loves puppets! I gotta be honest, that most of these roasts flew right over my head, and the puppets themselves weren’t particularly brilliant. If anything, I thought the Vivienne did the most interesting bits with her Divina puppet. First she revealed a fiery red bush below the DDC puppet’s gown to match her signature wigs. She also read Divina for her dusty makeup using a mid-scene powder break.
Unfortunately, Ru’s the boss, not me. She picks DDC for the win for her death-dropping Cheryl puppetry. Not like it makes much difference, since there’s really no advantage to this win.
This week, the queens will be making over important women in their lives. Divina and Cheryl will be making over their sisters, while Viv and Baga will turn their mothers into their drag daughters. (Quick aside: Cheryl’s sister’s name is Gina, and I will never forgive them for not making her drag name ‘Gina [rhymes with China] Hole.
Cheryl still claims to have a big advantage. She and her sister are apparently very similar looking. I … don’t see it, personally. The bigger advantage they have is Gina’s can-do attitude. She is so game, she’s got more drive to be here than Baga. She’s even spry enough to pick up some of Cheryl’s signature moves. They hit a snag when a bodysuit pops, so they’re going to have to hit the runway in plan B.
Divina and her sister are also off to a good start. Two of the three youngest children out of their seven siblings, you can tell they are extremely close. They joke and interact with such ease, it’s impossible not to enjoy spending time with them. On top of that, she’s pregnant! That makes Divina’s nibling the youngest contestant to walk the runway.
Viv and her mother also have chemistry. She definitely plays the straight man between them (someone has to), so you can see Viv relish in taking the piss out of her mum.
Baga and her mother don’t have the same sort of rapport. It’s framed as her mother’s “shyness,” but I can’t seem to shake the sense there are other issues at play here. I won’t speculate exactly what it is, but their interactions are uncomfortable. At one point, the camera catches Baga obviously trying to engineer a moment for her mother to overcome her shyness and discover confidence in drag.
To be completely honest, the entire challenge feels a bit simple. They are making over (presumably) cis women, so dragging them is going to require going beyond just “illusion.” They just have to do one runway walk. Not a complex ribbon or baton number. No additional lip sync group performance.
Still, the queens manage to make the most of their time on screen. Cheryl puts her sister through her paces, challenging her with choreography that would be pleasing on an amateur, but a cakewalk for any queen worth their weight in sequins. What’s lacking is the fashion. The judges eviscerate the simplistic bodysuits, and knock Cheryl for the mismatched outfits.
I struggle with discerning Vivienne’s actual age (is she 24? 48? 100?), so there’s something almost jarring about seeing her alongside her mother. On the runway, they look more like sisters than mother and daughter, but they look gorgeous, regardless. They present a regality the judges just eat up.
Divina and her pregnant sister rule the runway in matching white, transparent, bejeweled ensembles. They look amazing, and they are having a ball. Divina wears a fake baby bump, and who doesn’t love a pregnant drag queen? They give tons of energy, and it’s clear they’re mopping the floor with the rest.
Baga had the idea to give her and her mum a Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian motif, but it’s more like a young Liza Minnelli and Morticia Addams. When confronted by the judges, Baga heaves her mother under the bus. Ru tries to blow by it and get Baga’s mother to agree that drag has given her confidence and taught her to love herself, but it’s clearly not the case. Plus, Baga won’t let her get a word in edgewise. It’s rough.
The [Baga] chips fall where one might expect. Divina rightfully takes the win, and Cheryl and Baga are left to lip sync.
They tear it up to Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own.” Cheryl is definitely attempting more complex choreo, but Baga sells the song with face and attitude.
Cheryl gets the boot, and Baga heads to the finale with Viv and Divina, all three with three badges.
Let’s review our rankings below. Leave yours in the comments, but let’s keep it cute and spoiler free for those of us watching on Logo!
Brava, Vivienne. I can’t say for sure she’ll edge out Divina (nor do I think she’s necessarily more worthy), but it’s undeniable that Viv has played this game extremely well. She dominated the challenges, but had the obligatory one-week stumble. She revealed an incredibly powerful story about overcoming addiction. She has been consistently funny, beautiful and surprising. It’s low-key one of the strongest showings in the series ever, period. She is clearly the frontrunner, but everyone loves an underdog …
… Which brings us to Divina. Again, here’s a queen whose talent is indisputable. She can dance, act, sing, crack jokes and, in general, execute a design vision. The makeup note has been consistent, but it does feel a bit put upon to give Divina a chink in her armor. Divina has earned this crown just as much as Viv, and I think the case can be made that either would be a worthy champion.
Yikes, Baga, way to fizzle out at the worst time in the competition. She’s been limping along the last few weeks, and tonight may have been her worst showing yet. No amount of ill-fitting sequins will ever look worse than savaging your own mother in front of RuPaul. Even Michelle thought she was too harsh. When Michelle Visage thinks you’re being savage, it’s time to pull back. I can’t wait for Baga to have a podcast or Logo aftershow or whatever happens next, but it doesn’t feel like Baga has the 360-degree skills of Viv or Divina.
I loved watching Cheryl have a blast with her sister. It was the most likable she’s ever been, then topped it when she reacted to her elimination by saying “the writing was on the wall.” Self-awareness looks great on everyone. She really fought to hold on week after week, and that’s admirable. Like Alyssa Edwards or Trinity “The Tuck” Taylor, it feels like Cheryl is still learning just how much she has to offer. Hopefully this experience will give her the confidence to continue her growth.
Christian University Student Comes Out as Gay During Dramatic Lip-Sync of Taylor Swift’s ‘You Need To Calm Down’ — WATCH
Reid Arthur, a senior theater major at George Fox University, came out as gay this week at his school’s annual lip-sync battle. He had performed once before to a Taylor Swift song, but never like this.
Teen Vogue reports: “In a five-minute performance at the college that has denounced same-sex marriage, Arthur first lip-synchs to Swift’s ‘…Ready for It?,’ then transitions to ‘You Need to Calm Down.’ When the lyrics, ”Cause shade never made anybody less gay’ play, Arthur’s backup dancers rip off his coat to reveal a white T-shirt with rainbow strings hanging from its sleeves, meant to tell his classmates that he’s gay. The crowd gave Arthur a standing ovation and he won first place, which was $500 he says he plans to donate to an LGBTQ organization.”
Arthur’s performance caught the attention of Swift herself, who tweeted, “This just made me SO emotional. @reidoburrito95 I can’t tell you how honored I am that my song has been even a small part in your journey. You did the brave thing and stood up for your truth ”
This woman. My Queen. My Icon. The woman who’s lyrics I have screamed at the top of my lungs. Who’s songs have walked me through the hardest time of my life. TAYLOR ALISON SWIFT. MOTHER OF MEREDITH, OLIVIA, AND BENJAMIN, KNOWS MY NAME. TWEETED ME. I CANNOT CALM DOWN!!!!! t.co/Pg0hgy8pWr
Thank you @taylorswift13, I cannot begin to to tell you how much that meant to me. Your music has been the soundtrack of my life, and has seen me through the highs and lows. Love you much! Can’t wait to watch you at the AMA’s and Lover deserved a AOTY nom.
Billie Eilish, Tesla Cybertruck, Triggered, Blood Ban, Mexican Vogue, Tom Hanks, Trixie Mattel and The Crown: HOT LINKS
BILL BARR. On Jeffrey Epstein’s death: “I can understand people who immediately, whose minds went to sort of the worst-case scenario because it was a perfect storm of screw-ups.”
$572K. Palo Alto settles excessive force lawsuit with gay man: “The city of Palo Alto has agreed to pay a $572,500 settlement to Gustavo Alvarez, a gayman who sued the city’s police department over his February 2018 arrest in which he alleged that officers violated his civil rights.”
LAWSUITS. SNL producer and filmmaker join class action suit against YouTube: “The 12 complainants in total allege that the algorithm YouTube, and its parent company Google, uses to promote, censor and pair advertising with videos is discriminating against LGBT content just because it is made by and for LGBT people.”
BLOOD BAN. American Red Cross urges FDA to ease ban on blood donation by gaymen. “The Red Cross is now recommending a three-month ban, which is the same policy used in Great Britain and Canada.”
COME ON, VOGUE. Mexican and British Vogue to feature third gender model for first time: ‘Muxes (pronounced “moo-she”) have a unique gender identity that mixes gaymale and feminine characteristics and is sometimes referred to as a “third” gender. Both the British and Mexican editions of the magazine will carry the image of Estrella Vazquez, a weaver and designer from Oaxaca, a southern Mexican state that is home to the largest muxe community in the country, although British Vogue will feature [them] inside the magazine.’
CYBERTRUCK. Elon Musk unveils Tesla’s pickup truck. “CEO Elon Musk claimed the car was ‘bulletproof’ against a 9mm handgun. But when he got Tesla’s chief designer to throw a metal ball at one of its armored windows, audible surprise could be heard as the glass smashed — twice.”
GENETIC DISCOVERY OF THE DAY. Tom Hanks is related to Mister Rogers: “Hanks is sixth cousins with Rogers, and they share the same great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Johannes Mefford, a company representative told CBS News. The company utilized its database of over 20 billion online historical records to form Hanks’ family tree, the representative said.”
FEELING OLD OF THE DAY. Billie Eilish has never heard of Van Halen, Run DMC, or Cabbage Patch dolls. Also, why is it so hard to explain “gay” to a five year old, Jimmy?
TRAILER OF THE DAY. A Million Little Pieces.
REACTION VIDEO OF THE DAY. Trixie Mattel and Katya watch The Crown.
A 21-year-old NYC man is in stable condition after an attack early Friday morning in a subway station at East Tremont Avenue and Grand Concourse in the Mount Hope section of the Bronx.
WABC reports: “Police say a 21-year-old man was accosted by a suspect on the platform of a southbound D train. The suspect yelled an anti-gay slur, pulled out a hammer, hit the victim in the armpit, then threw him onto the subway tracks before fleeing. The victim suffered wounds to the face and head.”
The suspect, described as a black male in his 30s with braided hair, approximately 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds, wearing gray sweatpants and a black coat, is still at large. The attack is being investigated as a hate crime.
Sacha Baron Cohen ADL Speech Blasts Mark Zuckerberg in Blistering Rebuke of Hate-Facilitating ‘Propaganda’ Platforms: WATCH
Sacha Baron Cohen ripped Mark Zuckerberg and the “propaganda machine” platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Google for facilitating hate online and allowing it to flourish. Cohen made the remarks in a keynote speech to the Anti-Defamation League. Cohen was receiving the group’s International Leadership Award.
Said Baron Cohen: ‘Think about it. Facebook, YouTube and Google, Twitter and others — they reach billions of people. The algorithms these platforms depend on deliberately amplify the type of content that keeps users engaged — stories that appeal to our baser instincts and that trigger outrage and fear. It’s why YouTube recommended videos by the conspiracist Alex Jones billions of times. It’s why fake news outperforms real news, because studies show that lies spread faster than truth. And it’s no surprise that the greatest propaganda machine in history has spread the oldest conspiracy theory in history- — the lie that Jews are somehow dangerous. As one headline put it, “Just Think What Goebbels Could Have Done with Facebook.” On the internet, everything can appear equally legitimate. Breitbart resembles the BBC. The fictitious Protocols of the Elders of Zion look as valid as an ADL report. And the rantings of a lunatic seem as credible as the findings of a Nobel Prize winner. We have lost, it seems, a shared sense of the basic facts upon which democracy depends.’
Baron Cohen blasted a speech given by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg last month: ‘First, Zuckerberg tried to portray this whole issue as “choices…around free expression.” That is ludicrous. This is not about limiting anyone’s free speech. This is about giving people, including some of the most reprehensible people on earth, the biggest platform in history to reach a third of the planet. Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach. Sadly, there will always be racists, misogynists, anti-Semites and child abusers. But I think we could all agree that we should not be giving bigots and pedophiles a free platform to amplify their views and target their victims. Second, Zuckerberg claimed that new limits on what’s posted on social media would be to “pull back on free expression.” This is utter nonsense. The First Amendment says that “Congress shall make no law” abridging freedom of speech, however, this does not apply to private businesses like Facebook. We’re not asking these companies to determine the boundaries of free speech across society. We just want them to be responsible on their platforms. If a neo-Nazi comes goose-stepping into a restaurant and starts threatening other customers and saying he wants kill Jews, would the owner of the restaurant be required to serve him an elegant eight-course meal? Of course not! The restaurant owner has every legal right and a moral obligation to kick the Nazi out, and so do these internet companies.’
Devin Nunes Gives Randy Rainbow His Note for a Damning ‘Quid Pro Quo’ Impeachment Inquiry Anthem: WATCH
This week was a long one. Hours and hours of testimony from Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, Ambassadors Yovanovitch, Sondland, and Taylor, Fiona Hill, and many more who offered evidence of Donald Trump’s attempt to bribe Ukraine by withholding millions in U.S. military aid until it announced an investigation of his political rival Joe Biden.
Fortunately, Randy Rainbow is here with a new impeachment inquiry anthem to lay out the evidence: “He’s Just a Gurl Who’ll Quid Pro Quo”. He’s taking a cue from the Broadway classic Oklahoma, and Trump is definitely not OK.
