RPDR: Thou Shalt Not Take The Name of Thy Tilda in Vain
Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 2:00PM 
Katya, an actual original!Did you catch the premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race S7? Underwhelming! It's that time in competitions before you've had any time yourself during which to fall in love / hate / conspiracy / indifference / lust with any players.
I eagerly await the moments each episode when the names of showbiz divas or pop culture properties are dropped but that usually comes from either the smartest or most seasoned queens or the judges who tend to have a better grasp of showbiz history than the competing queens each year whose pop awareness often seems disappointingly limited to Beyoncé waking up flawless. RuPaul dropped "Mitzi Gaynor" while commenting on a queen (I forget who). I'll bet you ten dolla and 33 cent that that queen will be googling it, like, "What's a Mitzi Gaynor?"...
Max, a gray haired young queen claims to be devoted to Old Hollywood glamour. I love her in theory but not in actually from the very limited evidence (where's the wit?). On the runway, RuPaul said:
Very Tilda Swinton"
And when she said this the camera went abruptly out of focus (see picture above) which was the only proper thing for it to do, because that's the only way to see it. And because: NO.
Tilda Swinton is not weird. She is otherworldly. Tilda is not strenuously affected but organically alien and affecting. Thou Shalt Not Take The Name of Thy Tilda In Vain.
When Ru said this I was like...
Excusez moi?
The challenge was three runway looks: spring, fall, and "nude illusion" which resulted in lots of flesh contouring on nude leotards. It was so much less fun than the challenge seemed on paper.
Instant Favorite: Katya. Mostly for her originality and sense of humor:
Most Likely To Veer Wildly Into Love or Hate Territory: Pearl, Trixie, Miss Fame, and Violet Chachki "a one of a kind collectible"
Most Likely To Be Unwatchable Despite Seeming Very Nice: Jasmine Masters. Calm the f*** down, lady.
Indifferent Thus Far Towards: Everyone Else
Sashayed Away: Tempest Du Jour, the oldest queen they've ever had at 46.
Shoulda Sashayed Away: Sasha Belle (zzz) or Kandy Ho (that beard. yikes)
Reader Comments (13)
Katya is a friend and I'm so happy for her.
Seconding Hayden. I don't know Katya personally, but I've been to many of her performances here in Boston and she's a crude delight. I always thought if she could finally get on the show, she'd steal-and now I feel sure she will!
I don't know. I might be a bit biased since rum and coke happened to be present while I watched but I was kind of liking the premiere and the girls. No one really seems like filler to me.
I miss Santino.
(lol, hell no.)
Plus, i'm totally feeling the new stripped down version of Untucked. I mean, they still stupidly censor the cursing on YouTube but it seems more real and relaxed rather than contrived like previous seasons. Little moments like Sasha and Tempest going over the lyrics to the lipsync or Kandy actually ADDING more makeup to her already beard were quite interesting. It was also kind of sad (but refreshing) to follow the eliminated contestant as they go through all the motions of leaving the show.
So far, team Pearl/Miss Fame.
I have high hopes for Katya, Miss Fame and Pearl though I wonder if Ru's (and more pointedly Michelle's) bias against "character queens" will end up in them eliciting a lot of the "I want to see the REAL you" which is just a laughable yet tiredly familiar mantra of the show DESPITE the fact that drag is precisely about highlighting artifice rather than ACTUAL "realness."
Agree with Derreck about Untucked. It was sort of a depressing affair watching DuJour walk away with her giant suitcases though I do hope the format is a decisive choice against fostering and profiting off needless "DRAMA!" between the queens (sponsored by Absolut Vodka!).
If you watch Untucked, Ginger (who I like) calls Max the Madonna of drag - fake mole and face English accent.
I enjoyed the first two episodes but yeah, compared to previous seasons these girls are pretty boring. I like Ginger, Katya, Trixie for the laughs and Pearl and Violet and Miss Fame for the looks, though they pale in personality. Pearl is beyond hot out of drag though. Violet turns out to be a bit of an idiot with a comment she makes. The rest of the girls are all filler.
I think it's interesting that people love Miss Fame, Pearl, Violet. They're pretty but just kind of bitchy and dull so far.
I thought the premiere episode was really bad ;( Granted, I was a bit wine drunk. But that was the least interested in a drag race episode I've ever been! It was just fashion fashion fashion, which can be fun, but it was like overkill. That's all that happened. And there were no queens that immediately jumped out at me as potential favorites.
I do think the right queen went home, though. The first moment Kandy Ho walked into the room, I said "first to go," but luckily for her the old queen couldn't move around to save her life during the lipsync.
I laughed so hard at that Tilda picture, Nathaniel. Absolutely on point. Tilda is one of those names thrown around (up there with Judy, Barbra, Grace Jones, etc.) when they mean a basic idea of "weirdness" without actually considering what that individual is / was like.
This season, more than ones of the past, has a very thick line between queens with looks I like (Violet, Max, Fame, Pearl) and queens with actual enjoyable personalities. The only one who bridges the look/humor gap for me is Katya. She's my fave thus far.
Also, with this show you can tell (more so in early episodes) who's going home based on how much screen time they get, almost in a charity sort of way. That unfortunately leaves less time to get to know queens, which I guess is where Untucked comes in. I especially enjoyed the bonus scene showing them sequestered in their hotel, and the fact that Katya brought gay sex books.
I think Max is to "old Hollywood" what the movie "Sin City" is to film noir: she heard about it, once, somewhere, but wasn't really paying attention.
I had the same reaction to Ru when he mentioned Tilda. Girl, no. The first episode indeed was sort of "meh" and I end up enjoying the Untucked way more.
I'm living for Ginger, Trixie and Katya. Those three have instantly won my affection with their charisma and humour. Disappointment: Miss Fame—I thought there would be more to him than just a pretty face but it seems the talent is limited. Violet Chachki impressed me with her fashion and I think her win was deserved but I can't stand her "i'm better than all" attitude and she comes off as mean. Another mean but talentless is Kandy Ho, who I would've given the boot. Or Sasha, who I wonder how did she get into the race at all. I would've liked to see more of Tempest, a queen that had no chance of winning but that could've brought more wisdom and heart to the show.
Yes! Katya is my favorite so far. Was disappointed by the episode overall. The nude illusions were a letdown and took all the emphasis away from the diy fashion part of the challenge (seriously who paid attention to the finished resort wear?) I love Max's look but he's so young and so surface I'm already worried he's all affectation and no depth. We shall see!