Drag U Tue - Suddenly Single

This week, Drag U brings us three ladies, who, for one reason or another, have found themselves single and without a clue in the world, but before I get into all the juicy details, I think it would be best to start the day off with a picture of one of my favorite professors -- The fabulous Manila Luzon.

Ahem. Moving on. We are presented with three single ladies. First up is Kris, left in Manila's hands. This construction worker is afraid of being viewed as weak, and says since she's attracted to masculine women (!) she should be what she is attracted to. Second, we have Annie. This girl has a tragic story to tell, and when Ongina found out her boyfriend died just a few months prior, she knew that she had to revive that diva inside of her for her own sake, as well as her lost love. Lastly, we have mother of three Marcia. She gave up everything to go to California and start anew. Shannel (uhg, I know) was set up to be her drag professor.

Before I move on, let me address my beef with Shannel. On the first season of Drag Race, she was really self absorbed and quite annoying; this trend carried over into Drag U season one. Perhaps she learned her lesson, or maybe it was the editing of the previous seasons, but this season of Drag U portrays her in a very different light. As I said in the last Drag U Tue, she is starting to change my opinion on her, and the way she helped and comforted Annie -- who wasn't even her drag student -- made me really think that I may have misjudged Shannel. Ok, miss thang, you are starting to win my heart.

The Dragulator assigned names for the girls. Annie as Gogo West, Kris as Caprice Classic, and Marcia as Loni Fellini. The Dragulator looks were pretty good this time around, but not all of the girls agreed. Most notably was Kris, who thought the Twiggy look she was given just didn't work, and when they tried out wigs, Manila agreed. The others seemed quite content with their given looks.

 

This week's lesson with Lady Bunny was how to take a good profile picture. Lighting and angles were the key, of course, and the girls took decent pictures. Honestly, they would have been better if they had been dolled up or in their drag looks, but they had to deal with what they had. Also, I just can't get over how big Lady Bunny's hair is. I mean last season she had some redic looks, but this one takes the cake. Her hair makes her at least a foot and a half taller. Some serious hair, hurr.

The dance lesson didn't go as well as the drag lesson. After blindfolding the girls to get their true dance styles when they feel nobody watching, they were taught a routine to a favorite song of mine, Call Me by Blondie. As usual, the girls just didn't seem to catch on very quickly, but all of that was in the background when I cam to the conclusion that Andre, the Dean of Dance, is undeniably cute. I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize it. 

After their one on one talks with President Ru Paul (and a few dramatic moments, including Manila claiming she is being set up with the worst contestant), the girls debut their looks on the stage. I had a hard time picking my favorite. Kris looked like a fabulous sixties gogo dancer -- and Manila even convinced her to wear pink when she refused to for the whole episode. Annie had sequins in every spot you could imagine (ok, so maybe not there) and had a wrist muff that was to die for... but Marcia failed to impress. Her dress was abysmal and made it look like she was wearing a comically huge tie. In the end, Kris won this week, and I have to say I'm satisfied. I feel like she had the biggest transformation and greatest attitude adjustment. 

The trend of the "Drag Tips" and "A Word With Ru" continue in this episode. This weeks word with our Drag U President was "Escandalo" another Ru Classic. I was a bit more confused with the Drag Tips segment, as it was less comical than last week, but at least Carmen was totally hot -- oh and she Nailed It!

'Til next week!

Song of the Week - TalkTalkTalk

It's been a slow week in the music scene, and last Tuesday was a bit of a disappointment all together. I was beginning to think I was going to have to dig way back for a song. Luckily, a new song came out by an artist I'd almost forgot existed. Here you have it: Savage Garden front man Darren Hayes.

This song isn't what I'm used to in the pop world. His voice is much more strained sounding (which works for him, actually) and the song incorporates instruments almost banished from the pop industry, such as violins. The composition is very bubbly without sounding immature, which is a great thing for jamming in the car.

What really gets me about this song is the lyrics. The song talks about all those things that should have been said can clutter up your head. All he wants in life is to just talk(talktalk) to you. I've been in a very similar situation, being ignored when the relationship was falling apart. I thought one discussion could fix it all. I can relate to the song extremely well, which is why I took to it so quickly. Maybe its that I relate to gay artists more easily? Who knows?

You can preview and buy the song here. Shout out to Deany for showing me this song!

Video of the Week - Not My Daddy

I have no excuse and I'm not going to explain myself or defend myself. I like hot messes, I guess. Ke$ha wrote it. Don't judge me.



The things I do for Ke$ha. This girl definitely has a foot fetish. It... scares me. I want to hate this song but its so catchy and dancey! Uhg. I'm not sure where this girl came from, but she definitely knows how to get attention.

Original V.S. Cover - Running Up That Hill

So a few friends of mine lately have been complaining about my impressive collection of cover songs. I don't really see the bad thing about cover songs; they bring music and emotions to people who may not have heard of the singer/band or may not listen to the style of music it was originally created in. So I decided to do a side by side comparison of my covers with their original versions. For the first go around, I chose a song that, up until a few weeks ago, I didn't know was even a cover.




First up we have the original. Kate Bush released this song waaaay back in 1985. I wasn't even alive then, so I hope it's forgivable that I've never given this song a chance until now. The song was the lead single for her album "Hounds of Love". When I first listened to the song, I hated it. I really wondered how this song peaked at number 3. Was 1985 a bad year for the UK pop scene? Then I listened to it again. And again. And again. The song really grew on me. The song is a song about a girl who desperately wants to switch places with someone so she can live through their hardships for them and spare them the pain.

The song sounds a bit empty. The back track just didn't have that 'umph' that other 80s pop songs had. It feels quite mellow and low maintenance, but in the end it works for the song. I really don't think this is a song I would buy, but I wouldn't change the radio station.

Moving on --



This version is what I feel the song could and should have been. Bentley Jones has a very beautiful voice, and the back track feels fuller with more instruments and a picked up tempo later on in the song. The lyrics remain the same, with a few vocal effects and repeating thrown in every now and then. Bentley released the song on his "Trans//lation 2" album. I feel like he does Kate Bush justice, while still updating the song and making more likeable for the new electronic-music age.

My verdict may disappoint you all. My favorite is actually Bentley Jones's version. I just feel like its more my style of music. 80's experimental stuff bothers me when I listen to it for too long. Well, unless its Dead Or Alive.

What do you guys think?

Drag U Tue - Bringing Sexy Back

Hello and welcome to the first installment of my weekly review on my second favorite television show -- only second to the wonderful Drag Race we've all come to love. Drag U is an uplifting show where previous Drag Race contestants come back to mentor biological women and give them the fierceness of drag queens, boosting their self esteem as well as their sex lives. Without further ado, I present to you, Drag U Tue: Episode One.

In this installment of Drag U, we are shown three women who view themselves as ugly. To correct this injustice, three certified drag professors are sent in. Lisa, an excessively negative housewife, is given to the care of Shannel. Rhonda, a diva turned housewife and mother, was given Manila to guide her. Denise, a woman afraid to look at herself in the mirror, was granted the stunning vixen Raven. Let's just say the three of them had their work cut out for them.

Returning from season one is the "new and improved" Dragulator, giving the girls their own drag names and looks. Lisa was named Rai'zon Darasi; Rhonda as Summer Night; Denise as Cha Cha Mizrahi. The looks weren't as impressive as those seen on season one, but then again I am told I'm too cynical when it comes to fashion. Who knew? I have to say, though, I was delighted to see that the "commence dragulation" bit was left in. RuPaul's fro is FIERCE! I can't help but love it.

The challenge for the episode seemed pretty simple. As the theme of the episode was to bring the sexiness back to their marriages, they were to create sexy voicemails for their husbands. Lisa was up first, sounding like some kind of robot. It was a little freaky. Denise bribed her husband for sex by saying he could play video games later (to which Raven suggested she simply play with his joystick). And then there was Rhonda... Poor, poor Rhonda. She said she wanted to play with her husbands "diesel mangina".

Yeah. Diesel. Mangina. I have no idea what happened there, or what that lady thinks a mangina is, but I'm quite certain she is confusing that with a penis. Anywho, despite her mixup in diction (hah!), she did do the best, keeping her sexy voice up and sharing her, however bizarre, fantasies like Dean of Drag Lady Bunny suggested to them.

The women had heart to heart talks with their professors. Most of it was your general "you know you are hot in there grrl" talk. A big surprise did come when I heard Shannel complimenting someone other than herself. Yeah. I know. Let me give you a second to take that all in. Ms. All About Me Shannel actually showed her kinder side by letting Lisa know she was a really beautiful woman and that her ex husband was wrong for treating her the way she did. It seems my rather negative views on Shannel may change in the future -- that is if this is a more than once in a lifetime thing. Manila's pep talk involved her favorite sex positions ("The Social Network" and "Never Ending Pasta Dinner"), and Raven went all "Mommy Dearest" on Denise. Lets just say these gals are a strange bunch.

My biggest "oh no" moment had little to do with manginas. It was more focused on my lovely Manila. During the dance lesson for the girls, the drag professors decided to take over and show them how it is done, and tragically, Manila fell hard on her butt. I was pretty shocked. From what I've seen, Ms. Luzon knows how to get down. I guess everyone messes up sometimes. I just hope she is OK.

Finally, the down in the dumps housewives get all dolled up and go stroll out for everyone to gawk at them. Their looks really didn't impress me too much. I figured with this being the premier episode they would go full out and make everything a spectacle but I was mistaken. Lisa turned out to look like a Shannel clone, again, no shock there. Rhonda looked like a RuPaul impersonator and Denise looked, well, quite good. She had the whole cha cha diva tutu going on and her ponytail was totally fab. I was thrown back a bit to learn that the grading system had been dropped. Season one was big at giving the girls their Drag Point Average and that was how the winner was chosen. Now, the judges just pick their favorite in a collaboration. Lisa ended up winning, much to my dismay. I wanted Denise to win. I felt like she had the best transformation and the best attitude adjustment. Oh well, I guess.

A new, and rather odd, feature of Drag U are pre-commercial segments. The first one was a segment featuring Jujubee from season one giving you things you can do with old panty hos. Yeah. It was even in the really awkward infomercial style. The second was "A Word With RuPaul" wherein he said a rather strange word that I really couldn't understand well enough to type -- Hah! So all in all this was a really good way to start the Drag U season. And with that I bid farewell. Until next time, my friends. I leave you with this: Jujubee attempting to rob a bank with panty hos.

Song of the Week - Just Can't Let You Go

Even I am not able to escape that feeling of summer. Every now and then a song that spews out pure summer vibes comes out and nobody can deny it. Manika has combined forces with Lil Twist to have that perfect summer tune this time.

The song exudes that feeling of 90's summer, watching MTV exclusively and running around the neighborhood with my friends because there was nothing better to do. The song just makes you want to get up and dance. Her singing may not be perfect, but it's all part of the experience.

I was actually talking to a friend yesterday about when it is appropriate and when it is not appropriate to have a rap tossed into the song. Some songs (and again, I bring up E.T.) were perfect on their own, but some just need that extra boost. This song is actually a lot more full sounding with Lil Twist's verses placed in it, and he gives the second half of the story missing from the version with just Manika. You can get both versions of the song, as well as the music video, here.

Video of the Week - House

I really can't stand it when someone makes a great song and then has a crap video to go along with it. I mean why would you spend so much time on making a song and then go and have a ten dollar budget for your video? Then there are times when there is a song that I wasn't impressed with all that much until I saw the video. Once you get the feel of the video in your head, the song takes form and becomes a lot better. This video is a case of the latter.




It's not that I hated Patrick Wolf or anything, I just wasn't really sure on the song at first. I am more of a get up and dance kind of song-lover. This is more refined and not exactly my taste... but the video. Oh man it is spectacular. The imagery of the woodlands taking over makes the song make much more sense, and we all like it when the odd metaphors in songs are explained to us, right?

Also, I want to take the time to give a shoutout to the person who brought this to my attention: @LadyFagHag. Awesome follower. Dedicated supporter. Thanks a million!