Exclusive Interview - Young London

The cheesy notion of "I get by with a little help from my friends" took on a whole new meaning this past week as a friend of mine gave me a big push in the right direction. After a few emails I had set up an interview with the next big deal in the pop world - Young London. Recently featured as Song of the Week with their hit "Let Me Go", the duo sat down with me for their third interview ever. I got the third scoop! And that one is always the best (because its the strawberry scoop in the Neapolitan ice cream).

Drag U Tue - Mama Mia, I Need Help!

Week after week on Drag U, we see women's lives get changed. We see people connect with others and come out of their shells. That's what it's all about. Despite all the things I post about the show, it's more than just an excuse to see our favorite Drag Racers. Drag U is about regaining confidence and becoming a better you. Now that I've said what I needed to, please allow Pandora to wake up your vagina!

This week's gals are three moms who need a lot of help. Michelle, paired with the fabulous Pandora Boxx, is convinced that to be a good mom, you have to be boring! Alicia, Morgan's student, spends every waking moment with her daughter. Anna, left in the care of Bebe, goes through great lengths to hide her many tattoos from her kids and peers. Needless to say, these full-time moms need help!

I was actually glad to see Morgan back. I really didn't get to know her too well in Drag Race. She was always paired with Raven, which I believe worked to her disadvantage greatly. She didn't have her time to shine. Thanks to Drag U, those of us who can't make it to her shows can see her shine on her own. She did a very amazing job of encouraging her student. She made her yell about her being the queen of Drag U and even gave her a whip to make her feel powerful. The trend of the "ice heart" queens showing their softer side is something I adore. Raven helping his drag mother in season two, Raja giving Stacey her "Heathers" necklace -- Its all so surreal and charming!

Bebe is a character I just don't know how to take. Mind you, I got into Drag Race half way through season one, and I never quite understood Bebe. She always looked fierce, but I didn't connect with her, exactly. It finally hit me in this episode, though, who she really is. She connected with Anna on such a personal level that it is unreal. Anna was upset about her tattoos and scared to show them. She was reassured by Bebe that she is who she is and she is beautiful. Isn't that a recurring theme for drag in general? So many people are put off by drag; they think these men are wusses and just want to be females. Most of the time that isn't the case. They are artists. Anna had no more reason to be ashamed than they did. "What other people think of me is none of my business" is one of the RuPaul quotes I live by.

The Lady Lesson this week was all about making housework sexy. Lady Bunny gave a few tips on how to accomplish this. She said they should do household chores in heels... and make bedazzled aprons? Sometimes the thought process of Bunny scares me. Anyway, they all made their fiercest looking... aprons, and I guess learned a lesson about what's sexy? I dont know.

Pandora's girl gave her a bit of trouble in this relatively drama free episode. Not only could she not walk in heels, but she also ended up twisting her ankle. It was at this point that Pandora stated "I lost quite enough on drag race. I am not loosing this competition!" and I totally agree. I wasn't counting her out just yet, but I felt bad for her. Pandora always does so well but is often overlooked or criticized by the risks she takes. Oh well. I still love you, boo!

Of course, yet again Andre is missing from the dance segments. Jamal was here again this week, and he made them do some pretty funny dance moves. Inspired by their frustrations with their uncooperative children, he made up several unique motions. We had the "Pick Up Your Toys" and the "Clean Your Room", both of which, scarily enough, I've seen used by my mother in fits of anger. Fun, no?

Things wound down at draguation. Alicia's look was ok. I have never been a fan of animal print of any kind, and her hair and earrings were a bit too much for me. That skirt looked amazing and well crafted, though. Anna honestly looked like a second Morgan. Similar makeup was used and the plaid half-suit-half-dress thing going on was something I could easily see her in. My favorite was Michelle. She pulled out all the stops in her dress and dance. She had a bad ankle and she still turned it out.

Michelle ended up winning. I was torn. I thought she looked and did the best, but the show is about transformation, both mentally and physically, and I thought the one who embodied this the most was Anna, but I'm not going to complain too much, because Ms. Boxx FINALLY won! Yay!

The drag tips this week were with resident Asian lady Jujubee. She was giving out tips on where to stash your stuff when you dont have a pocketbook. Put your money and ID in your heel and keep an extra tube of lipstick in your cleavage. Somehow that girl always ends up drinking. At least we can rest assured it was Absolut!

Song of the Week - Arrow Through My Heart

This week's song of the week is from an unlikely source. Kimberly Cole was not really "on my radar" until her latest single. Before hand, she was a bit middle of the road in the pop category. I liked "Smack You" but it wasn't in my top ten. And then, out of the blue, she releases a new single -- and this thing is as far from "middle of the road" as a pop song can get.

By that, I mean that she picked a definite niche that has yet to be fully explored by the pop industry. Pop has now officially gone Dubstep. Some of you (you know who you are, in particular) will be very quick to tell me that other pop stars have dabbled in dubstep before. Britney's hit "Hold It Against Me" had a breakdown that exploited the genre, but no pop song (to my knowledge) has plunged off the deep end like this song.

Like many people, I don't quite know how to describe dubstep. It uses heavy distortion effects on the bass lines of song to create a "wah wah" sound, and uses every sound a keyboard can make. My only problem was the lack of lyrics. Sure, a few people made lyrics to the songs but those were very few. I liked the music, I just needed something to sing along with. Kimberly provided me with this opportunity and thus I commend her. This song is definitely on a different level from what she's done before. I hope she continues this trend in the future.

You can preview and purchase the track on iTunes here. 

Decision 2011: Drag U MVP

I may get hell for saying this, but deciding who to align myself with for the Drag U MVP is hard. I am giving this more thought than I did the presidential election -- Wait. I wasn't old enough to vote then. Anyway, I gave less thought to picking my Drag Race season three Miss Congeniality. I mean, it's easy when there are only three to four amazing queens in a season, but every single queen in Drag U is fierce. The best of the best were selected. How in the hell am I supposed to pick just one?

I know, I know. You can vote as many times as you want, for different people, too, but If I vote for every queen, my vote would just be fluff and do nothing. Thus I am embarking on a quest to pick only one queen -- and believe it or not, Pandora isn't the only lady at the top of my list!

Option One: Mariah

I love this bitch. While she may not be the best at causing drama, she sure as hell knows how to put herself in the middle of it. My main reason for wanting to pick this queen is due to her quick wit. Any time something is said, it doesn't take her a split second to come back with something sarcastic and harsh. For example: She once asked one of her students if she was ok. After a tentative "yes" she immediately told her something to th effect of "Ok, Moving on". A lot of my memories of her were a bit overshadowed in Drag Race. She was very fierce, but with so many queens, it was hard to see her. She wasn't the best during her stint at pushing to the foreground, but Drag U changed this for her. The balance of bitch and sweetheart is what I love about her.

Option Two: Raven

Dear god. My love/hate relationship with Raven over the course of Drag Race season two is a thing of the long gone past. I honestly think she should have won season two, given the final three, and I had a lot of faith in her. When she didn't win and instead went on to Drag U, I was concerned. She is known for being cold hearted; she even said it was her trademark at one point. I just didn't think she could pull off teaching someone how to do drag... but damn she pulled it off. On the reunion special, she vowed to change. This new Raven still has that bitch-fierce attitude, but with a softer side. She has a really good niche for connecting with her students emotionally, and she wins -- a lot. I am a sucker for a good drama queen, and she always starts something, whether it is stealing other queens stuff or calling out some of the busted looks the others come up with, this girl knows how to werk!


Option Three: Manila Luzon

Manila, Manila, Manila. She was my top pick from episode one of Drag Race season three. When she was in the bottom two, I stopped breathing for nearly a minute. When she didn't win, I was devastated. I was afraid I'd never hear from her again, but come time for Drag U, she was prominently featured on the series sneak peek decked out in Cookie Monster gear. I just can't describe what it is I like about her exactly. Manila is self absorbed, caddy... and spectacular.  Her sense of humor is always spot on, and she manages to come off as a bitch without being mean. As confusing as that sounds it is possible. I have become a huge fan of this lady, and Drag U is no exception. It also doesn't hurt that she is always spot on. I can't think of one time that I hated her outfit. She hand draws her designs and is dating Sahara Davenport. What more could you ask for?

Option Four: Pandora Boxx

You knew it was coming. If you've read any of my posts on here (ever) then you know I am a Fandora at heart. She won my heart in Drag Race season two. I thought she would go all the way, and I was extatic to find out she was going to be a professor again. She just has a heart of gold. She never really got into drama, she always looks amazing (dem fishnets, grrl), and she is funny as hell. Pandora's story touched my heart way back during season two of Drag Race, and I connected to her on a mental level. I think that is why I feel so attached to her. I know she isn't the most polished or fierce, but she is real. She is an amazing person and that can outshine any "tacky" outfit one might put on -- and I mean that in the most loving way possible!


See!? It's hard. I mean, we haven't even seen all of the queens on the show yet. Carmen and Tyra haven't even had an episode! How and I supposed to pick just one. I still have a few more weeks to make my decision (and spam the hell out of it with constant voting). Over the next week, I'll do my best to narrow it down. Now, ladies, who loves me the most?

Album Review - Victorious Soundtrack

Don't look at me with those betrayed eyes. I have always loved Victoria Justice. She the only reason I even considered watching Zoey 101, and I loved her one-episode stint on iCarly. Nickelodeon has been producing better and better quality teen shows the past few years. They have realized that kids need something much less generic to identify with. iCarly raised the bar for teen-aged shows everywhere, and Victorious followed suit -- with better music.

Drag u Tue - Nominated By Loved Ones

You know what time it is. No, it's not adventure time. It's Drag U time; Time to take three women and need and make them into glamorous drag-queen-things! I was especially looking forward to this episode because  former MVP (most vivacious professor) and my favorite Drag Racer ever, Pandora Boxx, is finally on the screen for more than fifteen seconds! Commence the obligatory bad screen cap!

The episode stars three women who have been nominated by those who love them to get a make over and become the women they are on the inside. Randi (Vanessa Du Jour) is a dog enthusiast who is left in the care of Drag Race season one winner Bebe.  Liz (Britney Ciccone) is a lesbian with body issues paired with Pandora. Latonya (Tres Jolie) is a not-so-womanly truck driver studying under Mariah. This episode definitely has a lot of promise. The only thing that could make this episode better is if Manila was around to make me laugh. She's in the drag tips section? Looks like we have a winner!

Given who the professors are, the prof on prof drama was kept to a minimum. There was a three second clip where Bebe tried to take a boa that Mariah planned on using, but it really didn't go anywhere. I'm almost certain now that every ounce of drama on this show is perpetuated by Raven. When is she coming back again? The rest of the drama had to do with fighting between the girls and their mentors. Randi was all over the place, having the attention span of a fly. Liz refused to wear pink, but that didn't last long, and after some intense staring from Mariah, Latonya abandoned all hope of a purple dress in place of a silver one.

The Lady Lesson this week was rather unusual -- even for Lady Bunny standards. I guess the theme of the episode was too vague to fit in a lesson so they just made them do yoga... Yoga named after celebrities. They did moves named after Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and even and all-fours position called The Paris Hilton. Lady Bunny is always hilarious and fun to have around, even if some of her jokes fall flat (such as "Fatness Instructor").

My main beef with this episode centrals around Bebe. I'm not really sure how to take her. Sometimes, she is this fierce queen looking amazing and standing strong, and others shes just kind of there. She continues to recycle the phrase "Im from Africa" over and over. We know you are. We can tell from your accent. I'm told you've also lived in both France and the US for extended periods of time, so Africa is not an excuse, nor is it a defense. All griping aside, she did win the first season of Drag Race, and it does show in her appearance. She is always spot on and looks amazing.

The dance class had me disappointed for all of five seconds. No Andre again this week, but damn, this instructor is just as hot (if not more?)! His name is Jamal and everyone has a crush on him. Little do they know that I have my own plot to steal him away in the dark of the night! Ok, that was creepy, even by my standards. I honestly can't remember anything about the dance itself. I was too focused on Jamal...

I have to say that Mariah is one of the more interesting queens on the show. She has a way of being caddy without it hurting her in any way. Sure, Raven does that, but Mariah doesn't have the background of being a complete bitch. On Drag Race, she wasn't the nicest queen, but she definitely wasn't shady in the least. I like her way of being assertive with humor. She says things like a joke, but forcefully enough to make you know you better watch it. This episode also showed her softer side when she talked to her student about carrying on after loosing a loved one.

I was a bit saddened by how little screen time Pandora got. I know it wasn't going to be the Pandora Boxx hour, like I had imagined it in my head, but she was the least featured queen in the episode. I barely got to see her second outfit at all (and it was cute! Couldn't even get a screen cap of that shiz). I was hoping to have some kind of focus on her like Raven and Mariah seem to get so often. Maybe it is because she's so laid back. Even in Drag Race she generally stayed out of drama, and drama is what gets ratings. Oh well. I still love you, Lady Boxx!

Draguation came quick and the girls looked stunningly close to their Dragulator predictions. Latonya looked pretty good. I wish her dress had been shorter, though. I bet she had some killer legs. Randi had the weakest outfit of all. I didn't like the back poof and the shoulders. She was channeling a bit of the Ongina spirit with that cute hat, though. Liz was my favorite. Her makeup was a bit off (my one critique of Pandora every time), but her dress was cute and poofy. He legs looked rockin' and her heels were to die for. In the end, Latonya won. I can't say I was upset about it, but I wanted my Pandora protege to be at the top of the class!

This week's drag tips segment was all about the uses of milk of magnesia. Yeah.... So Shannel told all of the viewers how queens put a bit of it on their face before putting on makeup. It is also good under the arms, on the feet, and anywhere else you might need to use it. I guess Shannel was too classy to demonstrate these uses, so they employed Manila to get the job done. Gotta love that lady's sense of humor!

Song of the Week - Let Me Go

Last week was a mixed bag of music: Some great songs and some flop songs. As I weighed my options, a new band popped up on the radar. Young London. There is almost no info on this band other than they are a reformation of an alternative band, but this isn't an alternative group. This is a pop group!

The song is a very fast paced and peppy song. The remnants of the past band can be heard, much like Black Cards, but this band does a bit better of a job hiding that fact. "Let Me Go" is about two people in love, but don't know how to make it work. I have always been drawn to bands that have two vocalists. Songs with two lead singers make more dynamic songs, as well as stories. Sometimes you can get a story of two people wanting two different things, and sometimes, like this song, we get a song about two people who want the same thing, but haven't found a way to tell each other.

The track itself is very bold and dancey. I purchased the track without knowing anything about the group, and I'm still doing my best to dig up information. Their album comes out early October (which I will review) and the video for this song will be out very soon. As they are on tour, their twitter hasn't been updated much, but I'll work my magic to squeeze some info out of them!