RuPaul's Drag Race / Drag U (Mondays 9PM, Logo)

[raisinthesun]

In all honesty, I do think Tyra's reaction was indeed genuine and she was hyperventilating

I noticed that too! And it seems when Tyra sings it always sounded like she was almost out of breath....like she has asthma or something. But its good the money will help with her son.

Oh and i just read the rest of your post so yeah, i guess Tyra does have asthma...that explains alot. Now i feel kinda bad she won't be on Drag U! I'm sure she could have used the extra cash. But maybe with her win, she'll be too busy

[jadewarlock]

I'm glad someone in the up thread mentioned Jessica Wild. Next to Pandy she was my fav! I loved her in the book competition (even though that was the ep. that got her eliminated) She was soooo funny trying to mention the vodka drink during the satellite interview--i still say she seemed a bit buzzed

I think she was a little bit drunk too, and that it was part of her act - she did like to play parts a bit ditzy or parodied. My favorite of hers was her RuPaul impersonation in "Snatch Game" having a little bit of Charo in there as well as in one bit falling asleep during the game (though I don't know if RuPaul would do that or not - it was funny).

Come to think of it - I do wish she had tried to imitate Charo - I think she could've done it and been even funnier. Charo is a little tough to understand, does the "Choochie, Coochie, Coochie" bit (what I felt we saw in the first part of her introduction in "Snatch Game" and she could've either tried to sing or shimmy a bit. She was funny in her own way, and I think that and having some decent to good fashion sense was why she got a respectable sixth in the competition.

Meh the more i think about it the more I'm ok with Tyra winning. I still would have liked Juju to win but Tyra is ok i guess. Yeah her deep voice is a bit distracting but I don't know that much about drag queens so i wonder if thats just part of their "act" is to simply have a male voice....

Not really - most drag queens I've watched on TV have a higher voice, though most are natural, such as Paul's and a lot of the contestants this season, such as Tatianna, Pandora, and even Jessica's.

There are also many natural biological women who have deep voices - it's called a smokey voice. Wheezy on "The Jeffersons," Barbara Hale of "Perry Mason" fame, Julie London of "Emergency!" fame, quite a few jazz singers, etc. Their voices are a bit deeper than what most people assume is a feminine voice.

That said... I do think Tyra's may be a little too deep and she needs to lilt it just a bit (i.e. when RuPaul had her do a take on Marilyn Monroe's "Happy Birthday Mr. President" in a judging.) I do think she's gotten a little bit better since the show, but it still has room for improvement.

Oh and speaking of Tyra, i didnt watch the entire season so i missed the part where it was mentioned that he had a son. Is it an adopted son? Or his biologically? How old is he? He seems to be a bit young, thats why i was asking...

This was already answered, so I won't repeat the comment.

But, I do think her win is why she's not on "Drag U," because I think one of the prizes is headlining a tour plus of course the ad campaign and spokesperson for another project. Apparently, the winner of the first season also is not going to be on said "Drag U" show. It's win-win for Tyra anyway, so I think she's happy.

(BTW, I don't know if Tyra has asthma or not, but I was trying to give an explanation as to why she would possibly take off her wig. You can hyperventilate for many reasons - and being shocked and excited is one of them as well. )

[Gala62]

those are all very good arguments for Tyra's reactions so congrats to her. I will give her this - in her milieu of rich bitch / trophy wife - dayum, she does look spectacular. And it does appear that she has overcome a lot of negativity in her life to get to this point so kudos for that well-deserved accomplishment. My heart still belongs to Jujube though

I THINK it was mentioned that Tyra's son was born while she was still in high school. The other contestant with a son was Sahara Davenport, don't remember any other details about hers.

Oh wow, I LOVED Jessica's book interview, she had to have been half smashed! what a hoot! I love her free spirit and sense of fun

[raisinthesun]

Oh wow, I LOVED Jessica's book interview, she had to have been half smashed! what a hoot! I love her free spirit and sense of fun

I couldn't have said it better myself! Does anyone know if Jessica is gonna be on Drag U? I know Pandy is but it would be great if she was there as well. You know, the more i think about it the more i like miss Wild. Pandy seemed to be everybody's fav. but Jessica seemed to have a fun quality and didnt really get involved in all the gossip and cattiness of the show (form what i remember).

[jadewarlock]

those are all very good arguments for Tyra's reactions so congrats to her. I will give her this - in her milieu of rich bitch / trophy wife - dayum, she does look spectacular. And it does appear that she has overcome a lot of negativity in her life to get to this point so kudos for that well-deserved accomplishment. My heart still belongs to Jujube though

I THINK it was mentioned that Tyra's son was born while she was still in high school. The other contestant with a son was Sahara Davenport, don't remember any other details about hers.

Oh wow, I LOVED Jessica's book interview, she had to have been half smashed! what a hoot! I love her free spirit and sense of fun

I really think - and if I knew how to send her an e-mail or if she had a facebook, message - that Tyra should really look at trying to be one of those sophisticated "Dynasty" type bitches/trophy wives instead of doing the Beyonce idea. I forgot exactly the full name of Dihann Carroll's character on the show (Davenport), but that's a good start (well... save singing - Tyra if I recall correctly can't sing well ). She really could do well if she was more along the lines of the Davenport or Alexis roles.

And yes... Jessica's book interview was quite fun. I really think she was just trying to ham it up for the show - as drag is supposed to be a bit fun instead of just being a female impersonator. I don't know if she really was half smashed, but if she was, then they probably shouldn't have really used the liquor in the interviews (even if they said they were promoting it. ).

[jadewarlock]

I couldn't have said it better myself! Does anyone know if Jessica is gonna be on Drag U? I know Pandy is but it would be great if she was there as well. You know, the more i think about it the more i like miss Wild. Pandy seemed to be everybody's fav. but Jessica seemed to have a fun quality and didnt really get involved in all the gossip and cattiness of the show (form what i remember).

I don't know if she will be on it, but I do think Jessica should take them up on it if she was asked. She is like Pandy because they both bring the humor aspect that I do think was missing in a lot of the queens this season (not all - I also include JuJu in this trio).

And - anyone who can have fun at Ru's expense and get away with it as well as fun with an interview (i.e. Robin Williams, Steve Irwin (RIP) ), is doing quite well in my books.

Personally, I think you're right on her not getting into the drama, though it would have to be tempered with the fact she doesn't (or didn't) understand English very well during the season. It does show smarts though to not get into a fight or comment when you don't know what it's totally about.

Pandora admittedly was the Susan Lucci of the season - well almost literally given all the runner up spots then the last show of the season she wins an award.

This is where I think she's a favorite of a lot of people. From my best memory - Pandy represents what most mainstream people see as drag - a lot of humor, but sass as well... well that and the more subtle but outrageous outfits such as her one in the reunion. I really do think she got caught in a few quandries during the season with her attire, and had she had more time like PR or something, she might've done better outfit wise.

[MFWalkoff]

I THINK it was mentioned that Tyra's son was born while she was still in high school. The other contestant with a son was Sahara Davenport, don't remember any other details about hers.

I double-checked, and it's actually Nicole Paige Brooks who has a son, Gavin Kivinen, according to her Facebook page. But she was gone so quick it's easy to forget her details...

Does anyone know if Jessica is gonna be on Drag U? I know Pandy is but it would be great if she was there as well. You know, the more i think about it the more i like miss Wild. Pandy seemed to be everybody's fav. but Jessica seemed to have a fun quality and didn't really get involved in all the gossip and cattiness of the show (form what i remember).

Jessica was a total sweetheart. But the way Ru structures the competition, only certain kinds of drag queens seem to be able to go all the way on this show. Tom & Lorenzo wrote a brilliant analysis of Ru and the show on their site after the finale aired, everyone should check it out.

I found a promo video on Logo's site for Drag U: Meet the Faculty. It includes JujuB, Pandora, Raven, Morgan, Nina Flowers, Ongina, Shennel, and (for some reason) Tammy Brown. The plot summary: "RuPaul's Drag U" is a series where everyday women compete in a series of challenges to unleash their inner diva." So it's sort of like a 'Drag Eye for the Straight Girl'.

As for season 2, although I got to know more about Tyra in the finale, I still don't see her as the best of the season. She knew how to perform when it counted, but at the end of the day, all she can do is look good. She has no act, and she's not personable, or a good representative of the community. Either Raven or (my fave) JujuB would have made a better winner, but as soon as I saw the final lip-sync (which I thought was unnecessary), I could tell that Tyra had it in the bag. Raven wasn't feeling it, and I don't blame her: she jumped through all those hoops to make it to the final 2, but suddenly Ru needs a lip sync to decide who wins? It doesn't make sense.

Still, I love this show like crazy, and I'm glad it's been picked up for a third season. I don't know if Drag U will be as successful, but at least it will be something new to watch during the summer...

[buttahfly]

i'm not sure i know what you are referring to as fa as her not doing well. i don't know how much of a drag superstar the last winner has become, but i am pretty familiar w the underground ball scene - and i'm pretty sure that's the scene tyra comes from - and her winning this challenge def ups the ante for her and whatever house she is a part of. there is plenty of money to be made on the ball scene.

That said... I do think with others that she needs to go beyond just the trophy wife bitch queen or something or she will not do well. I think why I in particular liked Jessica Wild and Pandora was that they did take risks - maybe not so much for Ru's liking, but they were more of risk takers than Tyra ("Snatch Game" is a good case in point).

[MFWalkoff]

i'm not sure i know what you are referring to as fa as her not doing well. i don't know how much of a drag superstar the last winner has become, but i am pretty familiar w the underground ball scene - and i'm pretty sure that's the scene tyra comes from - and her winning this challenge def ups the ante for her and whatever house she is a part of. there is plenty of money to be made on the ball scene.

Yes, but one doesn't have to win Drag Race in order to win money at underground balls. I think RuPaul's idea is to crown a winner who will step outside the underground scene and carve out a career in the entertainment industry, like she has, and help bring more recognition to drag in mainstream media. In that sense, I think Tyra is the worst possible choice.

[buttahfly]

i know that, but winning drag race will increase her popularity and winnings in the ball scene.

i just have my doubts abt how much of a superstar anyone would become bc of this show . . . . . sorta like america's next top model.

Yes, but one doesn't have to win Drag Race in order to win money at underground balls. I think RuPaul's idea is to crown a winner who will step outside the underground scene and carve out a career in the entertainment industry, like she has, and help bring more recognition to drag in mainstream media. In that sense, I think Tyra is the worst possible choice.