Drag Race RuCap: "Two Queens, One Joke"

NICK TAYLOR: Welcome back, Cláudio! And welcome back, 90-minute Drag Race episodes! The return of a longer runtime definitely gives the show more room to breathe - it really is so nice to hear Ru say “Bring back my gurls!” again - and allows us to really spend more time with the queens. This is clearly a talented cast, but “Two Queens, One Joke” feels like the best chance we’ve really gotten to know this top seven. Do I agree with the judging 100%? No, but as an episode of television, this felt satisfying in a way that season 15 has too rarely achieved. 

CLÁUDIO ALVES: I love the return of 90-minute episodes (really 60 minutes), even if this week’s judging infuriated me. Moreover, the outcome of all those shenanigans was downright heartbreaking…

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Which one of this season's Oscar nominees will return soonest?

by Nathaniel R

We just recorded the Oscar post-mortem podcast and we ended by asking the participants which of the 20 acting nominees from the 95th Academy Awards would be back shortly. Everyone picked someone different. This Oscar season was record-breaking in terms of first-time nominees for acting -- 16 of 20 is insane (and wonderful)! We can't expect it will happen again at the 96th Oscars since it's so unusual. So which one of the nominees Hollywood just celebrated will be back next season... or the season after that if none of them repeat in a year's time. Who comes back first? Would love to hear your theories on this in the comments!

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Were there even any upsets on Oscar night?

by Danny Cox

Part of the fun of the Oscars are when the winner of the award is not the odds on favorite that  had been predicted. Olivia Colman winning over Glenn Close, Parasite taking Picture and  Director from 1917, and Anthony Hopkins over Chadwick Boseman all added a sense of surprise  and shock to each of their ceremonies. With the uprise of precursor award shows, internet communities dedicated to predicting the awards, and even gambling sites taking odds and  providing bets the outcome of the awards tend to be more predictable. Last night’s awards were  no exception, with Everything Everywhere All at Once winning 7 of its 11 nominations as pretty much predicted from the outset even though sweeps hadn't yet happened in the Best Picture era. But was everything as predictable as it seems? Were there any  moments of surprise and shock? The answer is tricky. 

While some of the categories seemed set in stone (Supporting Actor, Animated Film, Visual  Effects) there were others with uncertain outcomes...

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Don't go anywhere...

We've got a few more Oscar wrap-up pieces coming but please stick around even if you're sick of Oscar talk ("Never!," some of you shout while others roll their eyes). We want to have a beautiful 2024 against the odds. We can't promise 5 articles a day as in the salad years or to keep up with the news like the trades do with their big budgets / full time staffs (though we foolishly tried for years)  but hopefully what we lack in quantity we can make up for in quality. Here's a small sampling of things we're working on behind the scenes...

• SXSW reviews
• A Fatal Attraction appreciation (Reader Request)
• 50th anniversary look back at the 45th Academy Awards (Godfather vs Cabaret)
• Coverage of the upcoming Tony / Emmy seasons
• New Reviews Soon... and Cannes too (Elisa will cover again) to start the new film year
• April Foolish Oscar Predictions

And we're hoping to do more reader requests, too, as we miss the sense of community that brings when we're all watching the same things. Also plz follow on Facebook, Substack, Letterboxd, Instagram, and Twitter. (I am also on TikTok but still terrified to use it. Will follow back for moral support if you feel similarly)

xo, Nathaniel

All hail the glorious Ruth E. Carter!

by Cláudio Alves

With her latest victory, costume designer Ruth E. Carter became the first Black woman to win multiple Academy Awards. Breaking barriers and setting Oscar records isn't new to Carter, mind you. In 1992, she became the first African-American nominated in the category, and later was its first Black winner, thanks to 2018's Black Panther. Having won again for the sequel, Wakanda Forever, she's also the only person to earn multiple Costume Design Oscars for the same franchise. Considering she's dedicated so much of her career to the representation of Black history on screen, it feels correct that Carter's name should forever have a place in the history books… 

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