Drag Race RuCap: “Ross Matthews vs The Ducks”

Jewels wasn't the only one yawning through this acting challenge.

CLÁUDIO ALVES: After last week’s shitshow of an episode, the follow-up would necessarily feel like something of a disappointment. Don’t get me wrong - it’s a fine hour of reality TV, but not especially exciting in terms of drama, nor spectacular as far as the queen’s performances are concerned. It culminated in some dubious judging and a tragic elimination, fair as it might have been. Oh well, not every episode can be a winner. Overall, I’m still liking this season, in no small part, because of the contestants. It’s been a while since we had such dynamic characters on Drag Race, messy and rough around the edges, not untalented but generally unpolished. Well, most of them. If you call Samantha Star unpolished, she might just kill you.

NICK TAYLOR: It’s a genuinely great cast, and you can tell because they bring real personal stakes to such a mediocre acting challenge. And the elimination order is still surprising enough I don’t feel totally comfortable predicting a top four. We haven’t had a shocker of a frontrunner going home like Plasma last year, but neither has anyone been as generously over-protected despite some patent limitations as Q was. No one feels like they’ve snuck through the competition to make it this far, and give or take some bold judging, the track records for our seven queens (now six) feel fair to me...

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Yes No Maybe So: Boys in the Band (2020)

by new contributor Gabriel Mayora

This week Netflix released the trailer for the Ryan Murphy-branded second film adaptation of Matt Crowley’s iconic and controversial 1968 play The Boys in the Band. Crowley’s play is often seen as a landmark in mainstream gay representation though at the same time as it has developed a reputation as “dated.” This new adaptation is based on the hit 50th anniversary Broadway revival produced by Murphy and helmed by acclaimed Tony-winning director Joe Mantello (who also directs the new film), with the entire cast from the revival—all of whom are openly gay actors—reprising their roles. Here’s the official IMDB synopsis:

A group of gay men gather for a birthday party in 1968 New York City, only to find the drinks and laughs interrupted when a visitor from the host’s past turns the evening upside down.

Will the remake provide audiences with a fresh new perspective on a classic gay play? Netflix is releasing the film on September 30, so we don’t have to wait too long to find out. In the meantime, let’s give the trailer the Yes, No, Maybe So treatment...

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Ryan Murphy's "Hollywood" Finale

by Cláudio Alves

Sometimes artists dig their own graves by badly promoting or describing their works. Ryan Murphy's Hollywood is, to me, a good example of that. First off, the title is too vague, promising a portrait of Hollywood history instead of the fantasy the series presents. "Dreamland" would be an infinitely better name, both as a descriptor of the content and a tie-in to the narrative's details.

Titles aside, another big problem surrounding Hollywood is how many have been calling it revisionist history. It's no such thing…

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Ryan Murphy's "Hollywood" Episodes 3 and 4

by Eric Blume

I think we're getting ahead of ourselves, it's just a screen test.

We’ll wrap up our coverage of Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood very soon.  Before I turn it over to Claudio for a wrap on the last three episodes, let’s do our Good/Bad/Ugly look at Episodes 3 and "Outlaws" and four "(Screen) Tests" after the jump...

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Hollywood: "Hooray for Hollywood Part 2" and... nope, I can't do this.

by Nathaniel R

Holland Taylor is always a joy to watch. She's a studio exec with a special gift for spotting future stars.

ICYMI the kick off Eric Blume started our look at Ryan Murphy's Netflix limited series "Hollywood" breaking down the first episode by the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly... because plot has never been a Murphy strength but surfaces are obviously the primary concern in la la Land... or, excuse me, "Dreamland" a secret word to unlock (literal) pleasure in this particular show. 

After the jump quick notes on Episode 2 in which the principal cast members serendipitously meets...

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