#rupaul's culture vulture race

[romansrace]

Problems with Drag Race UK 3’s edit - Part 2

The general sense I had watching this season was that RuPaul actively didn't want to either a) be there, or b) to have to watch and judge UK drag. That is, drag that follows historically British style, culture, personas, and popular references and meta. So the challenges didn't lean towards it, the UK celebrity choices in Snatch Game were changed by Ru ‘correcting’ the queens’ original picks, hardly any of the challenges leaned toward specifically UK references, and in the ones that did, the queens that interpreted things in a particularly UK way were punished.

In terms of UK-style drag, Kitty's roast really laid bare how Krystal didn't offer much in that regard, due to her struggles with comedy, hosting, acting, singing, sewing, and basically anything besides lipsyncing, makeup, modelling and acrobatic dance routines. That, for whatever reason, was what RuPaul wanted in a winner, as well as a sense that the person had some kind of unresolved drama that perhaps RuPaul the producer thought would make more compelling tv. Unfortunately, none of that really resonates with a British audience. So this season largely felt like a huge mismatch between what production/Ru valued, what they thought the audience would positively respond to, and what the British audience actually responded positively to.

I think the season would have benefited from a bit of flexibility within the challenges. They've done lipsyncing and makeup-oriented challenges before as main challenges. At least picking one of those in place of some of the challenges they went for would have elevated Krystal as a worthy competitor. Or, letting her lipsync in the bottom 2 would have cemented her place as somebody fighting to stay in. Giving her two wins at the start and then letting her coast until it was Vanity's 4th lipsync is probably the worst possible way they could have sold the least-British drag queen to a British audience.

The ironic thing about RPDR UK is that three seasons in we have zero evidence that Ru actually likes British drag. It seems that he finds British people and certain accents inherently funny (Lawrence, Scarlett, Baga), and otherwise awards the most polished pageant-style queen out of the cast every single season.

Meanwhile, the fans tend to root for the people that exemplify the local culture best. There’s rarely the crossover needed for a satisfying conclusion to the season.

[ma12s]

Phases/Interests the Arcana characters would have had if they were Gen  Z

Asra:

Naturally, when he was young he’d have a phase for Harry Potter, only the books though, and as he got older he’d re-read them and laugh at the magical inconsistencies.

TAZ. He probably simped at some point for Taako. Perhaps just dnd in general, and he either played a Magick user of some kind or a bard depending on his level of intoxication.

*inhales* PERCY JACKSON. that's it that's the point. He even got the unfulfilling Best Years Of Your Life Depression(tm) from reading exciting, romanticised accounts of teenagehood, only for it to not live up because how could it? its chill though, he finds his own little ways to be adventurous like making pasta in the late dead of night/early void hours of the morning, and eating on the floor. Faust helps him. 

Listens to sleeping at last just to feel again and Saturn is his favourite and he will dance sensually and soulfully to it, somehow.

He watches Midnight gospel because he just loves the concept of podcasts but can sometimes struggle listening when its just audio bc he will vibe himself into a mediative state and have no idea what half the episode was about, so the visuals ironically keep him pretty grounded while he watches it. (He does meditate afterwards, though)

Julian: 

This man DID have a fnaf phase and he IS the MAN behind THE SLAUGHTER. (He also gets a kick outta die in a fire (obviously) but it sends him absolutely, irrevocably feral)

He 100% had an emo phase too, but in a gay way that slowly transitioned into a weird taste for aspects of cottage core but like a Seaside cottage, and jams it to bear ghost now. 

I bet he also got into true crime and has many pieces of paraphernalia with the slogan “Be GAY Do CRIME”. He also knows waaaay too much about how to dispose of bodies from that one reddit thread and worries everyone by bringing it up just a little bit too often. Also! out of morbid curiosity, he's the kinda bitch that would watch autopsy videos at 3:27am and is subscribed to ask a mortician and definitely participates in vulture culture.

Ngl he probably also got roped into a SuperWhoLock phase by Asra and it just added to his trust issues and permanently damaged his Gaydar.

Probably haunted by April 13...

He can't tell whether he wants to BE hozier or if he wants to FUCK him but tbh he's not fussy. He sings his heart out to From Eden, and bops hard to cheer wine (his favourite is the live version) and you better bet he listens to the 8d audios of Hozier but its.... and his YT history is full of them.

Nadia:

She's a bad bitch, but probably didn't get into anything too obscure. She probably has liked something and tried desperately to hide it from her elder sisters, only for them to get into it too. she’d be alright about it at first, but when Nasmira starts getting way more likes on her fandom content, Nadia starts feeling a bit put down and quits the fandom. 

She’s is or has been at some point been knee deep in showtunes. She liked Hamilton but isn't quite trash for it, but will wipe the floor with your ass if Dead Girl Walking comes on.

Probably had a ‘not like other girls phase’ but instead of giving her a weird, kinda toxic relationship with womanhood, she got over it and accepts her femininity and will defend within an inch of her life women's rights and choices. 

She's a proud Barb and would absolutely let Doja cat step on her. She hypes up girls on their OnlyFans and will actively murder people who tries to disrespect sex workers, as she too, respects the grind. 

Also likes Greek and Egytian mythology, and stans Medusa as a victim of Men aint being shit. She also can't decide whether she stans Persephone or Aphrodite more and it is a constant ongoing debate in her head. She probably supports Lore Olympus on patreon.

Lucio:

MLP but he wouldn't ever admit it, and protects Fluttershy from creeps with his liFE. he also actually felt pretty bad for Discord, and kinda related to him. (Legend has it that on cursed, cursed nights of solitude, you can hear the sounds of DiSCOrddd iM hOWLin’ aT ThE MooN~~ drift in the air, accompanied by an actually really good rendition of the lyrics).

Lucio also liked heathers and he and Nadia bond over belting it out together, but his favourite is candy store (but will occasionally bop it to Big Fun).

His experience of Gay Culture was just binge watching drag race while he was still trying to accept his mlm-ness, and gatekeeped it until he learnt eventually how its supposed to be a place of tolerance and support and will now actively encourage All drag monarchs to work it. (He realises belatedly why it felt kinda wrong when RuPaul/the show did the queens dirty and the lack of diverse identites etc). He’s a little off with some things but with a little guidance from a very hesitant Asra, he's slowly getting Woke. (Neither will admit that they bond over these little lessons by the end of it, but everyone knows it and wish they’d just chill abt it)

Liked Voltron, stanned Lotor and his redemption arc and just... does Not want to talk about it.

Felt *weird*~~ when he watched that [one] scene with Levi from attack one titan and it took him a while but Now He Knows...

Muriel:

Got into Buzzfeed Unsolved and is mildly ashamed of himself but he finds Shane and Ryans dynamic really funny so he keeps watching it anyways. For some ~~mysterious~~ reason, he has had mad respect for Shane after the Goatman’s bridge episode, and immediately went to send it to everyone else, but got scared. 

He likes to watch documentaries on cryptids (sometimes with Asra, or with Julian depending on how creepy the cryptid is)

His life was changed on the fateful day of 11/11/11. He has the highest logged hours on steam out of everyone ever and ProtectOrcs2020 could basically be his tagline at this point. He always adopts the kids and makes them the Best House with the hearthfire DLC. He always goes with the stormcloaks and probably simps for at least 5 of the companions.

He got into the Witcher through the Netflix series and started out being a Geralt stan, but jaskier slowly snook his way into his heart and he highkey ships them and Siri IS their child. (he would convince Nadia to cosplay as Yennefer, if he had more confidence). 

Portia:

She liked dan and Phil but wasn't creepy abt it. She swore she could never pick a side but she secretly enjoyed Phil’s content more bc existentialism gives her anxiety. She did ship them but has since learnt quick that irl people ships aren't cute. She probably stays Thomas Sanders too

IF you're looking for a bitch with the nicest island on animal crossing, portia is 100% your bitch. She has Lillies of the valley for days and absolutely died when the special edition AC switch sold out before she could buy one, and compensates by copious amounts of Isabelle and the able sister stickers. Her favourite villagers are Fauna, Goldie, and Nate. 

Portia is also a queen of Stardew and often passes out before she can get to bed because she just wants to get ON with her beautiful FarM dammit! She can never make her mind up what villager she wants to romance and switches faves like every week.

Listens to girl in red to drown her sorrows after 🎨🎻👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏻🔥.

[makistar2018]

Taylor and Miley Tell Two Tales of Love and Loss on ‘Lover’ and ‘Slide Away’

By Craig Jenkins August 17, 2019

Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus are Nashville prodigies who walked away from the flock in search of a larger platform, and although their destinations have differed greatly, their paths are not without parallels. Both stars sought freedom of expression in hip-hop, and both succeeded at the cost of arousing the suspicion of the community. Cyrus’s Bangerz scored hits but raised hackles for the speed at which it coopted and later dramatically abandoned southern strip-club culture. Swift’s Reputation took up hip-hop values like a sword and shield in the wake of a storm of negative press; she recently told Vogue that the album was an act of embodying the character she felt the public had foisted on her during a tiff with Kanye West, and has since eased off the cheerful depravity of “Look What You Made Me Do” and “I Did Something Bad.” The previews of Swift’s forthcoming Lover are all positive vibes. Cyrus has walked back some criticism of hip-hop’s political and lyrical content while gearing up to return to pop on this year’s She Is Miley Cyrus. Cyrus and Swift both released new songs today that filter their country lineage through the prism of their growth in the years since.

Swift’s “Lover” is the turn in a string of singles geared toward making the listening audience feel better about itself. “Me!” and “You Need to Calm Down” are empowerment anthems of a sort, the former in its proud affirmations and the latter in its tired dismissal of people who spend too much time trying to bring others down. “Calm Down” was Swift’s power play as a queer ally; the video was a Who’s Who of LGBTQ luminaries from Olympian Adam Rippon to pop’s “Lesbian Jesus” Hayley Kiyoko to actress Laverne Cox to the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race. (The single was well-received, though reservations about the singer contributing to the commercialization of Pride linger.) “Lover” is the ideological inverse, a song about shutting out the world and shacking up with a significant other one assumes to be her boyfriend of three years, Joe Alwyn, presumably for the long run. It’s the quietest music to come out of her collaboration with pop producer Jack Antonoff since Reputation’s closing piano ballad “New Year’s Day.” The smoky low end is reminiscent of ’90s country and country-adjacent gems like the Cowboy Junkies cover of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane,” or Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You,” but in burying pretty piano and guitar notes under a hokey walking bass line in the interest of effecting a slow build, “Lover” doesn’t take flight until the last chorus.

Cyrus’s “Slide Away” manages to feel quiet and intimate without any flatness. Producers Mike WiLL Made-It and Andrew Wyatt mix hip-hop drums, warm guitars, sweeping strings, and layered samples as Cyrus eulogizes her marriage to actor Liam Hemsworth, a split made public mere days ago as rumors swirl that the singer is seeing reality star and blogger Kaitlynn Carter (after her split from The Hills’ Brody Jenner). “Slide Away” isn’t vindictive or tabloid-y. It’s just about knowing when to cut your losses and move on. The music suits Cyrus’s voice, pushing her without overwhelming her. The mix doesn’t sound like anything else from this decade; this is the kind of record the gifted British singer-songwriters landed on at the end of the ’90s, when everyone started jet-setting around genres and playing with samples. It’s much more like Blur’s “Tender” or the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” than anything on Bangerz, Dead Petz, or Younger Now. A fitting end to a ten-year period of wild swings and big changes would be for Cyrus to find sturdy middle ground between her jibing interests and make a record that sounds like all of her all at once. Time will tell.

“Lover” and “Slide Away” play like opposite sides of the same coin. Taylor Swift shot out of Nashville to become pop music’s picture of chipper Americana, and after a bit of turbulence, she seems to want nothing more than a quiet place to retreat to when the rigors of life in public get her down. Miley Cyrus ping-ponged between running from the normie life and leaning way into it, partying with rappers and psych-rock bands and then disappearing into married life. She seems to want a life less ordinary … but not too out of the ordinary. If there’s anything to be gleaned from these singers’ divergent walks, and the ease in their voices as their music briefly revisits the factory default setting, it’s that there’s no stress-proof way to live in the public eye, but when you do get tired, you can always come back home.

Vulture

[lunapaper]

...And so the stans rejoiced. Peace returned to the digital plains. The scalding tea suddenly turned to ice cold lemonade and all the snakes went back into their snaky holes...

That’s right, guys. KATY PERRY AND TAYLOR SWIFT HAVE BURIED THE HATCHET!!! OH HAPPY DAY!!! And Taylor was kind enough to capture the whole thing in her new video for ‘You Need To Calm Down.’

Also featured is a veritable who's-who of LGBT+ superstars, including actress Laverne Cox, singer/actor Chester Lockhart, figure skater Adam Rippon, singer Hayley Kiyoko, Todrick Hall, Pose’s Billy Porter, the cast of Queer Eye, Ellen getting herself getting a tattoo, Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson tying the knot with real-life husband Justin Mikita and RuPaul judging a pageant of Drag Race stars, all living together in colourful harmony in a trailer park. Needless to say, Tay-Tay has gone all out (pun intended) for Pride Month...

Of course, the conspiracy theories have begun as to what this all means (Seriously, Vulture: you need to calm down...) That and I still have some mixed feelings about Taylor’s approach, as I mentioned in my audio review of ‘You Need To Calm Down.’ 

It’s still a strategic move on Taylor’s part, aligning herself with the LGBT+ community just in time for Pride and at a time when LGBT+ issues have gained major traction. Her years-long petty feud with Katy Perry also threatens to overshadow the message. It’s all about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

On the other hand, she gives other LGBT+ stars a platform and it’s great that we’ve come to a point in pop culture where an artist can make such a statement without it being career-ending. The release of ‘You Need To Calm Down’ has also led to a spike in donations to GLAAD. 

However you may feel, the most important thing is for all of us - straight, gay or otherwise - to come together and support LGBT+ issues. If you’re an American, follow Taylor’s advice and urge the US Senate to pass the Equality Act, which amends the Civil Rights Act to outlaw discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. 

For the audio review of ‘You Need To Calm Down,’ click here. Taylor Swift’s upcoming album Lover is out August 23. You can also read about that time I defended Taylor Swift here.

- Bianca B.

[vlad-thee-inhaler]

Katy Perry: The Culture Vulture.

For years, I’ve been aware of the unseasoned fuckery that is Katy Perry’s career. But, being the passionate person that I am, I’ve decided to let my frustrations out once and for all. 

In other words, I’ve had it. Officially.

As of yesterday, I was made aware of Katy Perry and Migos’ nasty dispositions towards the drag queens that were to perform on Saturday Night Live alongside them:

http://www.stereogum.com/1942674/migos-refused-to-appear-with-drag-queens-for-katy-perrys-snl-performance/news/

Furthermore, I’ve read the incensed tweets of Violet Chachki, a renowned drag queen (and the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7) in response to the situation:

The infuriated tweets of Violet Chachki are, of course, justified. Because over the years I have seen too many non-marginalised people – typically white, heterosexual, and cisgendered – regard marginalised people and their cultures as nothing more than disposable playthings that could be easily tossed to the side like the rinds of fruit. 

Drag is a beautiful art form that has been essential to the LGBT+ community for so long. It complicates and questions the idea of gender heteronormativity (as it is an outlet for many transgendered people). Likewise, it also allows artists to use their utmost creativity and imagination. The possibilities and benefits are endless. Drag performers are beautiful people doing beautiful work, and they deserve respect. 

The SNL situation ain’t surprising, though. For Katy Perry has a lengthy history of disrespecting others’ cultures.

This woman has LONG BEEN a user! And here are some receipts: 

(1) 

On her 2013 album, Prism, she had a song called “This is How We Do.” The music video is pretty much an unrealistic – and just downright offensive –caricature of black culture, replete with remnants of contemporary stereotypes placed on blackness (i.e., corn rows, “baby hair,” and “sassy black woman” gestures). The title of the song just reeks with Perry’s failed attempts to achieve her own interpretation of AAVE. 

(Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RMQksXpQSk)

(As a black person, this irritated me to no end.)

(2)

“I Kissed a Girl.” Clear appropriation of lesbianism, which is driven by the priority to arouse heterosexual men. 

Need I say more? 

(sips tea)

(3)

“Dark Horse.” (See: Picture #1) She’s dressed in braids and “grills” (shiny teeth). This is obviously a white-washed approximation of what she thinks blackness is: gangsta-licious grills! 

Girl, please.

Conclusion: 

This is more than a trend. This is history. And Katy Perry is the embodiment of those that have benefited from the misuse and plundering of non-white and LGBT+ cultures.

She is part of a genealogy. And a dangerous one. She, like Miley Cyrus (and others), use marginalized people and culture as long as it benefits them. 

When it is no longer profitable – or when they’ve lost their precious white/straight/cis fan base – they magically become “all-American” and “pure” again …

… and shit on the non-white and/or LGBT+ people that supported them in the process.

In the words of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 Winner Queen Shea Coulee: “Why y’all actin’ brand new?”

I have warned people about this opportunistic leech for years. Miley Virus, too. And others.

… (coughs) Justin Bieber…

And please, y’all. Let us stop supporting these people that clearly don’t care about us.

[lovedust-podcast]

#Repost @vulture (@get_repost) ・・・ On the cover of @nymag: how drag became America's new national pastime 👑 "Oh, hennnnnny: America loves its drag queens. Moms do, kids do, your local gay bars do. Even McDonald’s does. From the cast of the blockbuster remake of A Star Is Born to the pink carpet at the Met Gala — not to mention the millions around the world who’ve tuned in to RuPaul’s Drag Race for the last decade — what was once a glittery subculture on the edge of gay culture has become one of our global pop preoccupations with its own hierarchy of stars and story lines for the fans to get behind, marketing deals and Billboard chart-toppers. It’s become a very big business with its own star-power machinery attached. It’s become almost unavoidable. Their job is to make sure of it." Link in bio. Photographer: Martin Schoeller / @martinschoeller Special thanks to RuPaul’s DragCon Los Angeles https://www.instagram.com/p/Byh5-Fohm1b/?igshid=1c6hpe74mm0vh

[queermediastudies]

Media Example

My media example is about RuPaul’s Drag Race and it’s skyrocketing fame that landed it into the mainstream. RuPaul’s Drag Race sashayed onto television screens in 2009 to a mainly queer audience. Now, ten years later, the show has featured over one hundred queens, won multiple Emmys, and catapulted drag into the mainstream. Merchandise for various queens can be found at retail stores such as Hot Topic and Dragcon, the convention for drag, has become an event for the whole family. The show also moved from “gay-for-gay network Logo, where it premiered in 2009, to its bigger channel, VH1, in 2017.” (Jung, 2019). This way, Drag Race could reach a bigger audience. RuPaul’s Drag Race is a reality television show where drag queens compete against one another to become the next drag superstar. The host, judge, and mentor is RuPaul who is a famous drag queen. Though this show has become quite popular in the last decade, it falls into what Suzanna Walters describes as the tolerance trap. According to Walters, the tolerance trap is the “wisdom that asserts tolerance as the path to gay rights.” (Walters, 2015, pg. 2). The success of RuPaul’s Drag Race makes it appear as though homophobia is a thing of the past because it is queer visibility in the eyes of mainstream television. Viewers of RuPaul’s Drag Race may “tolerate” the show because of the impressive artistry of drag or because the queens provide a lot of drama, “After all, the impulse to devour cool for profit is just capitalism.” (Jung, 2019). I think it’s important to note that, “We Americans tend to look at the road ahead and see not where it continues to branch off and divide but rather where it ends, where it comes to a full stop.” (Walters, 2015, pg. 9). Queer media such as Drag Race may have made it to mainstream but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t fall into the tolerance trap nor does that mean a cultural victory was won.

References: 

Walters, S. (2015). That’s So Gay! (Or Is It?) The Tolerance Trap. NYU Press. 

Jung, E., A. (11 June 2019) Drag Race Inc.: What’s Lost When a Subculture Goes Pop? Vulture. Retrieved from: https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/drag-race-inc-whats-lost-when-a-subculture-goes-pop.html

[ainosalms]

12/07/2017: Reading about RuPaul’s Drag Race and writing about inclusivity age-wise

Date and time: 12/07/2017, 2 hours

Activity: I read some articles on RuPaul’s Drag Race and wrote about the things they made me think. The articles I read were Vulture’s “Behind the Rise of RuPaul’s Drag Race”, The Atlantic’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Art of Self-Love”, JSTOR Daily’s “Is That A “Read”? The Contentious Politics Of Drag Performance” , The Guardian’s “RuPaul's Drag Race: from camp curio to the very best reality show there is” and Vox’s “How RuPaul’s Drag Race went from cult favorite to inspirational teenage dream”.

Language focus: Reading comprehension, writing based on another text.

Reflection: It was a little hard thinking of a topic to write about since most of the articles operated on a very general level and didn’t have that much new information for someone who’s already very familiar with drag culture. Vox’s article that focused on the new, very young drag fanbase was however very interesting, and I wrote about the thoughts I have about age-inclusivity in drag performances.

Is drag for everyone?

I read some magazine articles on the hit reality tv show RuPaul’s Drag Race that has brought drag in all its glory to the mainstream. Most of the articles were pretty general and didn’t include a lot of new information for the show’s fan like myself, but I really enjoyed Vox’s article “RuPaul’s Drag Race went from cult favorite to inspirational teenage dream”. The focus was on how the show’s fans get younger and younger every season, a trend we’ve all noticed for sure.

The article got me thinking; is drag for everyone? It’s a beautiful idea, that it’s an inclusive culture in which you can proudly be who you are. But it seems that most of the new drag fans don’t know who they are yet and come for their drag idols for advice and support. Don’t get me wrong, I think that’s just wonderful and in some ways I can relate to these teens and tweens. I’m not that old and there are still some childish insecurities in me. And yes, I feel like the drag community is very empowering, that I can truly be myself at the shows.

Yes, the shows. They usually happen in clubs, so younger fans don’t have access to them. Which must really suck for them. I’m so grateful I became interested in drag when I was already 20 years old. That being said, I’m not very into the idea of all-ages shows. I don’t want the queens to have to censor their performances because there are minors in the audience. I don’t want the kids’ dads staring at me and wondering if I’m a man or a woman. It’s a bit harsh, but the way I see it, drag queens and queer people have fought hard to create a culture of their own, and now some fans expect them to conform to the dominant culture once again, to be kid-friendly and tame.

I think popular drag queens can and they should also do all-ages shows and appear in conventions (like so many of them do), but they shouldn’t feel obliged to. Like my ultimate favorite, Trixie Mattel puts it: “Wanna know why I started drag? Not to fucking fraternize with kids.“

[samanthasroberts]

RuPaul Is Ready for His Legacy

With a new game show, Gay For Play, and more than 100 episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Mama Ru pauses for a moment of reflection: ‘I get to do whatever the f*** I want.’

“>

You dont question the motherfucking queen, bitch.

RuPaul Charles, at this point on a first-name basis with the world much like his fellow Unapologetic Bitch, Madonna, is nothing if not direct. 

The host of RuPauls Drag Racenot to mention drag icon, activist, actor, recording artist, spiritual leader to a horde of fabulous worshippers, and, thanks to a recent, provocative as it was profound real talk interview with Vulture, the newest dream candidate for presidentis on the phone the week after a rare and shocking elimination on his cult hit reality show. 

Asked to explain the atypical twist, RuPaul concluded his answer bluntly. Because the shows called RuPauls Motherfucking Drag Race, bitch. I get to do whatever the fuck I want.

Its an intimidating-bordering-on-terrifying reaction to a question, to be sure, were it not for the warm cackle he immediately delivers to diffuse any heart attacks. After all, the pulsing heart of nurturing compassion underwriting RuPauls unabashed realness is the driving force of his nickname, Mama Ru.

Besides, this is the RuPaul who, since the 1992 release of Supermodel (You Better Work) has become the face of drag, launched a long-running talk show, and became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics 20 freaking years ago, at a time when any conversation about drag going mainstream would have gotten you murdered with shade. 

To that end, RuPaul just celebrated the 100th episode of RuPauls Drag Race, now in the prime of its eighth popular-as-ever season, in an age when talent competitions are wheezing their last breaths. (So long, American Idol.)

So yes, to be fair, RuPaul can do whatever the fuck he wants.

(As Ru says on the show, You dont have to be gay to play. But it shore do help.)

More than that, as becomes increasingly clear over the course of our conversation, what RuPaul motherfucking wants is to make an impact, to leave a little something behind should he ever sashay away to the catwalk in the sky.

Hes passionate about it, too, as soberly earnest as he was playfully intimidating at the start of our talk. The fame, the money, all the stuff: after a whileIve been doing this 34 yearsits about the legacy work, he says.

Referencing the Drag Race contestants, he continues, The legacy lives through these girls. And the kids who love the show and who have learned so much about themselves and about the history of the bohemian through our show.

Make no mistake, Gay For Play is a very silly showloud and giggly and naughty and campy and, because of all those things, a whole lot of fun. But its also part of that legacy. Watch an episode and listen to the language, the proud way the celebrity contestants talk so very, well, gay.

Weve seen this language being tapped into by mainstream culture everywhere, RuPaul says.

He remembers when he first heard everyday people on the street saying, You go girl! and Hey, girlfriend! which has been taken straight from gay vernacular. It used to take about 10 years, he says, for the phrases to get to Betty and Joe Beer Can, the masses, but now because of social media the turnover is exponentially faster. 

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And so you have celebrities like Amber Rose and Ross Matthews being quizzed about Meryl Streep and Shonda Rhimes shows, with innuendos and entendres abound. There are hot, mostly naked male dancers everywhere. Michelle Visage, as always, reigns queen.

In many ways, RuPaul expects the appeal of Gay For Play to mirror what has become one of the more powerful hooks of RuPauls Drag Race. Again, its that vernacular. Its that language.

We encrypt Drag Race with the secret language that kept gay people linked for many years before the 80s, he says. Gay people had to be secretive. There was a certain way, a certain vernacular, a certain approach to pop culture that we maintained. We lost that in recent years, but we encrypt our shows with that secret language of our gay brothers and sisters past.

And for all of the shade, reads, and spilled tea that defines any stellar season of RuPauls Drag Race, the show and Gay For Play share another crucial elementagain, one that sets it apart from other talent competitions and game shows that populate TV.

Theres a palpable sense of fun that radiates from it. These people are enjoying themselves. In some ways, they feel free. The word that Ru uses: Joy.

Whats happening is that these kids are outsiders, and theyre coming together with other outsiders on this show, he says, speaking specifically about Drag Race.

Earlier in our conversation, he talks about the show being, at its core, about the tenacity of the human spirit, which is something that connects not just the contestants, but the fans who obsessively watch it as well. Especially those who feel disenfranchised from society, he says. Like, wow, here is my tribe.

He again brings up the secret code, the shared vernacular and shared spirit. Its why Judy Garland and Joan Crawford speak to us so much, he says. Theres a certain desperate, dark, painful element to these people that we can relate to. And in spite of that, they have overcome it and become glamorous, joyous, beautiful fun-loving people.

He pauses again, breaking a rule of his not to think about the past and reflect. Always think forward is a rule of his, as is not to have any expectations, a lesson learned the hard way in three decades of show business.

And certainly, theres no way he could have expected to launch the careers of 100 drag queens, or a fanbase that debates every lip sync, drag look, and challenge performance with rabid sinceritysome becoming encyclopedic scholars of the shows history. (Not to mention who worship the show even if theyre given a disappointing Snatch Game episode.) 

Its the tribe, RuPaul says, that theyre all connecting to, whether they realize that or not.

These are boys who were ostracized from everyone in the community and against all odds they were like, Fuck it Im going to do this anyway, he says. They made all the way to RuPauls Fucking Drag Race and here they are. Its so fucking awesome, I love it.

On Monday night, the night that Gay For Play premieres, RuPaul will host the 107th episode of RuPauls Drag Race. And, for the 107th time, at least on Logo, he will preach his famous affirmation to end the episode: If you cant love yourself how the hell are you going to love somebody else? Can I get an amen?

RuPaul has been saying that at every performance, not just on Drag Race, for 30 years, along with two other phrases he refers to as his doctrine: Everybody say, Love! and You were born naked and the rest is drag.

What is it like after all this time34 years and 107 episodesto say those words? Does he still feel them? Does the message change?

The truth is that I say that every single time not for the audience, he says. I say it to remind myself.

Again, he reflects. This time, back to when he was 14, maybe 15.

I was going through such a hard time thinking, Im becoming a young adult, how am I going to manage this fucking mediocre hypocritical world? Well, Ru, the only way I can do this is to make a pact to never drink the Kool-Aid, to never join the matrix.

Then RuPaul starts invoking the film InceptionI know, I was surprised, too.

Specifically, he references the totems that the characters in the film set to remind themselves that theyre in a dream. Ru has his totems, too. Theyre those three phrases. His doctrine.

Youre born naked and the rest is drag: Dont believe the hype, dont believe what it tells you on your drivers license. You are an extension of the power that created this whole universe. Dont forget it, and dont take any of this bullshit too seriously, because its hypocritical and mediocre at best.

The love yourself mantra, he says, is to remind you that it comes from the inside out.

The meaning behind Everybody say, Love! after our conversation, becomes more essential.

This is RuPaul, who began our interview with suchhow should I sayverve. Whose interview with Vulture clapped back at (and for good reason): Ellen Degeneres, David Letterman, the mainstream, the Emmys, Lip Sync Battle, the relationship between the drag and trans communities, educating youths, political correctness, and the wigs in The Danish Girl.

Everybody say love, indeed.

Its a neutralizing mantra to say to everybody, I come in peace, he says. I come in peace. Thats why its important.

Can I get an amen?

Source: http://allofbeer.com/2017/10/11/rupaul-is-ready-for-his-legacy/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2017/10/11/rupaul-is-ready-for-his-legacy/

[adambstingus]

RuPaul Is Ready for His Legacy

With a new game show, Gay For Play, and more than 100 episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Mama Ru pauses for a moment of reflection: ‘I get to do whatever the f*** I want.’

“>

You dont question the motherfucking queen, bitch.

RuPaul Charles, at this point on a first-name basis with the world much like his fellow Unapologetic Bitch, Madonna, is nothing if not direct. 

The host of RuPauls Drag Racenot to mention drag icon, activist, actor, recording artist, spiritual leader to a horde of fabulous worshippers, and, thanks to a recent, provocative as it was profound real talk interview with Vulture, the newest dream candidate for presidentis on the phone the week after a rare and shocking elimination on his cult hit reality show. 

Asked to explain the atypical twist, RuPaul concluded his answer bluntly. Because the shows called RuPauls Motherfucking Drag Race, bitch. I get to do whatever the fuck I want.

Its an intimidating-bordering-on-terrifying reaction to a question, to be sure, were it not for the warm cackle he immediately delivers to diffuse any heart attacks. After all, the pulsing heart of nurturing compassion underwriting RuPauls unabashed realness is the driving force of his nickname, Mama Ru.

Besides, this is the RuPaul who, since the 1992 release of Supermodel (You Better Work) has become the face of drag, launched a long-running talk show, and became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics 20 freaking years ago, at a time when any conversation about drag going mainstream would have gotten you murdered with shade. 

To that end, RuPaul just celebrated the 100th episode of RuPauls Drag Race, now in the prime of its eighth popular-as-ever season, in an age when talent competitions are wheezing their last breaths. (So long, American Idol.)

So yes, to be fair, RuPaul can do whatever the fuck he wants.

(As Ru says on the show, You dont have to be gay to play. But it shore do help.)

More than that, as becomes increasingly clear over the course of our conversation, what RuPaul motherfucking wants is to make an impact, to leave a little something behind should he ever sashay away to the catwalk in the sky.

Hes passionate about it, too, as soberly earnest as he was playfully intimidating at the start of our talk. The fame, the money, all the stuff: after a whileIve been doing this 34 yearsits about the legacy work, he says.

Referencing the Drag Race contestants, he continues, The legacy lives through these girls. And the kids who love the show and who have learned so much about themselves and about the history of the bohemian through our show.

Make no mistake, Gay For Play is a very silly showloud and giggly and naughty and campy and, because of all those things, a whole lot of fun. But its also part of that legacy. Watch an episode and listen to the language, the proud way the celebrity contestants talk so very, well, gay.

Weve seen this language being tapped into by mainstream culture everywhere, RuPaul says.

He remembers when he first heard everyday people on the street saying, You go girl! and Hey, girlfriend! which has been taken straight from gay vernacular. It used to take about 10 years, he says, for the phrases to get to Betty and Joe Beer Can, the masses, but now because of social media the turnover is exponentially faster. 

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By clicking “Subscribe,” you agree to have read the TermsofUse and PrivacyPolicy

Subscribe

Thank You!

You are now subscribed to the Daily Digest and Cheat Sheet. We will not share your email with anyone for any reason

And so you have celebrities like Amber Rose and Ross Matthews being quizzed about Meryl Streep and Shonda Rhimes shows, with innuendos and entendres abound. There are hot, mostly naked male dancers everywhere. Michelle Visage, as always, reigns queen.

In many ways, RuPaul expects the appeal of Gay For Play to mirror what has become one of the more powerful hooks of RuPauls Drag Race. Again, its that vernacular. Its that language.

We encrypt Drag Race with the secret language that kept gay people linked for many years before the 80s, he says. Gay people had to be secretive. There was a certain way, a certain vernacular, a certain approach to pop culture that we maintained. We lost that in recent years, but we encrypt our shows with that secret language of our gay brothers and sisters past.

And for all of the shade, reads, and spilled tea that defines any stellar season of RuPauls Drag Race, the show and Gay For Play share another crucial elementagain, one that sets it apart from other talent competitions and game shows that populate TV.

Theres a palpable sense of fun that radiates from it. These people are enjoying themselves. In some ways, they feel free. The word that Ru uses: Joy.

Whats happening is that these kids are outsiders, and theyre coming together with other outsiders on this show, he says, speaking specifically about Drag Race.

Earlier in our conversation, he talks about the show being, at its core, about the tenacity of the human spirit, which is something that connects not just the contestants, but the fans who obsessively watch it as well. Especially those who feel disenfranchised from society, he says. Like, wow, here is my tribe.

He again brings up the secret code, the shared vernacular and shared spirit. Its why Judy Garland and Joan Crawford speak to us so much, he says. Theres a certain desperate, dark, painful element to these people that we can relate to. And in spite of that, they have overcome it and become glamorous, joyous, beautiful fun-loving people.

He pauses again, breaking a rule of his not to think about the past and reflect. Always think forward is a rule of his, as is not to have any expectations, a lesson learned the hard way in three decades of show business.

And certainly, theres no way he could have expected to launch the careers of 100 drag queens, or a fanbase that debates every lip sync, drag look, and challenge performance with rabid sinceritysome becoming encyclopedic scholars of the shows history. (Not to mention who worship the show even if theyre given a disappointing Snatch Game episode.) 

Its the tribe, RuPaul says, that theyre all connecting to, whether they realize that or not.

These are boys who were ostracized from everyone in the community and against all odds they were like, Fuck it Im going to do this anyway, he says. They made all the way to RuPauls Fucking Drag Race and here they are. Its so fucking awesome, I love it.

On Monday night, the night that Gay For Play premieres, RuPaul will host the 107th episode of RuPauls Drag Race. And, for the 107th time, at least on Logo, he will preach his famous affirmation to end the episode: If you cant love yourself how the hell are you going to love somebody else? Can I get an amen?

RuPaul has been saying that at every performance, not just on Drag Race, for 30 years, along with two other phrases he refers to as his doctrine: Everybody say, Love! and You were born naked and the rest is drag.

What is it like after all this time34 years and 107 episodesto say those words? Does he still feel them? Does the message change?

The truth is that I say that every single time not for the audience, he says. I say it to remind myself.

Again, he reflects. This time, back to when he was 14, maybe 15.

I was going through such a hard time thinking, Im becoming a young adult, how am I going to manage this fucking mediocre hypocritical world? Well, Ru, the only way I can do this is to make a pact to never drink the Kool-Aid, to never join the matrix.

Then RuPaul starts invoking the film InceptionI know, I was surprised, too.

Specifically, he references the totems that the characters in the film set to remind themselves that theyre in a dream. Ru has his totems, too. Theyre those three phrases. His doctrine.

Youre born naked and the rest is drag: Dont believe the hype, dont believe what it tells you on your drivers license. You are an extension of the power that created this whole universe. Dont forget it, and dont take any of this bullshit too seriously, because its hypocritical and mediocre at best.

The love yourself mantra, he says, is to remind you that it comes from the inside out.

The meaning behind Everybody say, Love! after our conversation, becomes more essential.

This is RuPaul, who began our interview with suchhow should I sayverve. Whose interview with Vulture clapped back at (and for good reason): Ellen Degeneres, David Letterman, the mainstream, the Emmys, Lip Sync Battle, the relationship between the drag and trans communities, educating youths, political correctness, and the wigs in The Danish Girl.

Everybody say love, indeed.

Its a neutralizing mantra to say to everybody, I come in peace, he says. I come in peace. Thats why its important.

Can I get an amen?

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/10/11/rupaul-is-ready-for-his-legacy/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/166276448887

[allofbeercom]

RuPaul Is Ready for His Legacy

With a new game show, Gay For Play, and more than 100 episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Mama Ru pauses for a moment of reflection: ‘I get to do whatever the f*** I want.’

“>

You dont question the motherfucking queen, bitch.

RuPaul Charles, at this point on a first-name basis with the world much like his fellow Unapologetic Bitch, Madonna, is nothing if not direct. 

The host of RuPauls Drag Racenot to mention drag icon, activist, actor, recording artist, spiritual leader to a horde of fabulous worshippers, and, thanks to a recent, provocative as it was profound real talk interview with Vulture, the newest dream candidate for presidentis on the phone the week after a rare and shocking elimination on his cult hit reality show. 

Asked to explain the atypical twist, RuPaul concluded his answer bluntly. Because the shows called RuPauls Motherfucking Drag Race, bitch. I get to do whatever the fuck I want.

Its an intimidating-bordering-on-terrifying reaction to a question, to be sure, were it not for the warm cackle he immediately delivers to diffuse any heart attacks. After all, the pulsing heart of nurturing compassion underwriting RuPauls unabashed realness is the driving force of his nickname, Mama Ru.

Besides, this is the RuPaul who, since the 1992 release of Supermodel (You Better Work) has become the face of drag, launched a long-running talk show, and became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics 20 freaking years ago, at a time when any conversation about drag going mainstream would have gotten you murdered with shade. 

To that end, RuPaul just celebrated the 100th episode of RuPauls Drag Race, now in the prime of its eighth popular-as-ever season, in an age when talent competitions are wheezing their last breaths. (So long, American Idol.)

So yes, to be fair, RuPaul can do whatever the fuck he wants.

(As Ru says on the show, You dont have to be gay to play. But it shore do help.)

More than that, as becomes increasingly clear over the course of our conversation, what RuPaul motherfucking wants is to make an impact, to leave a little something behind should he ever sashay away to the catwalk in the sky.

Hes passionate about it, too, as soberly earnest as he was playfully intimidating at the start of our talk. The fame, the money, all the stuff: after a whileIve been doing this 34 yearsits about the legacy work, he says.

Referencing the Drag Race contestants, he continues, The legacy lives through these girls. And the kids who love the show and who have learned so much about themselves and about the history of the bohemian through our show.

Make no mistake, Gay For Play is a very silly showloud and giggly and naughty and campy and, because of all those things, a whole lot of fun. But its also part of that legacy. Watch an episode and listen to the language, the proud way the celebrity contestants talk so very, well, gay.

Weve seen this language being tapped into by mainstream culture everywhere, RuPaul says.

He remembers when he first heard everyday people on the street saying, You go girl! and Hey, girlfriend! which has been taken straight from gay vernacular. It used to take about 10 years, he says, for the phrases to get to Betty and Joe Beer Can, the masses, but now because of social media the turnover is exponentially faster. 

Cheat SheetA speedy, smart summary of news and must-reads from The Daily Beast and across the Web

By clicking "Subscribe," you agree to have read the TermsofUse and PrivacyPolicy

Subscribe

Thank You!

You are now subscribed to the Daily Digest and Cheat Sheet. We will not share your email with anyone for any reason

And so you have celebrities like Amber Rose and Ross Matthews being quizzed about Meryl Streep and Shonda Rhimes shows, with innuendos and entendres abound. There are hot, mostly naked male dancers everywhere. Michelle Visage, as always, reigns queen.

In many ways, RuPaul expects the appeal of Gay For Play to mirror what has become one of the more powerful hooks of RuPauls Drag Race. Again, its that vernacular. Its that language.

We encrypt Drag Race with the secret language that kept gay people linked for many years before the 80s, he says. Gay people had to be secretive. There was a certain way, a certain vernacular, a certain approach to pop culture that we maintained. We lost that in recent years, but we encrypt our shows with that secret language of our gay brothers and sisters past.

And for all of the shade, reads, and spilled tea that defines any stellar season of RuPauls Drag Race, the show and Gay For Play share another crucial elementagain, one that sets it apart from other talent competitions and game shows that populate TV.

Theres a palpable sense of fun that radiates from it. These people are enjoying themselves. In some ways, they feel free. The word that Ru uses: Joy.

Whats happening is that these kids are outsiders, and theyre coming together with other outsiders on this show, he says, speaking specifically about Drag Race.

Earlier in our conversation, he talks about the show being, at its core, about the tenacity of the human spirit, which is something that connects not just the contestants, but the fans who obsessively watch it as well. Especially those who feel disenfranchised from society, he says. Like, wow, here is my tribe.

He again brings up the secret code, the shared vernacular and shared spirit. Its why Judy Garland and Joan Crawford speak to us so much, he says. Theres a certain desperate, dark, painful element to these people that we can relate to. And in spite of that, they have overcome it and become glamorous, joyous, beautiful fun-loving people.

He pauses again, breaking a rule of his not to think about the past and reflect. Always think forward is a rule of his, as is not to have any expectations, a lesson learned the hard way in three decades of show business.

And certainly, theres no way he could have expected to launch the careers of 100 drag queens, or a fanbase that debates every lip sync, drag look, and challenge performance with rabid sinceritysome becoming encyclopedic scholars of the shows history. (Not to mention who worship the show even if theyre given a disappointing Snatch Game episode.) 

Its the tribe, RuPaul says, that theyre all connecting to, whether they realize that or not.

These are boys who were ostracized from everyone in the community and against all odds they were like, Fuck it Im going to do this anyway, he says. They made all the way to RuPauls Fucking Drag Race and here they are. Its so fucking awesome, I love it.

On Monday night, the night that Gay For Play premieres, RuPaul will host the 107th episode of RuPauls Drag Race. And, for the 107th time, at least on Logo, he will preach his famous affirmation to end the episode: If you cant love yourself how the hell are you going to love somebody else? Can I get an amen?

RuPaul has been saying that at every performance, not just on Drag Race, for 30 years, along with two other phrases he refers to as his doctrine: Everybody say, Love! and You were born naked and the rest is drag.

What is it like after all this time34 years and 107 episodesto say those words? Does he still feel them? Does the message change?

The truth is that I say that every single time not for the audience, he says. I say it to remind myself.

Again, he reflects. This time, back to when he was 14, maybe 15.

I was going through such a hard time thinking, Im becoming a young adult, how am I going to manage this fucking mediocre hypocritical world? Well, Ru, the only way I can do this is to make a pact to never drink the Kool-Aid, to never join the matrix.

Then RuPaul starts invoking the film InceptionI know, I was surprised, too.

Specifically, he references the totems that the characters in the film set to remind themselves that theyre in a dream. Ru has his totems, too. Theyre those three phrases. His doctrine.

Youre born naked and the rest is drag: Dont believe the hype, dont believe what it tells you on your drivers license. You are an extension of the power that created this whole universe. Dont forget it, and dont take any of this bullshit too seriously, because its hypocritical and mediocre at best.

The love yourself mantra, he says, is to remind you that it comes from the inside out.

The meaning behind Everybody say, Love! after our conversation, becomes more essential.

This is RuPaul, who began our interview with suchhow should I sayverve. Whose interview with Vulture clapped back at (and for good reason): Ellen Degeneres, David Letterman, the mainstream, the Emmys, Lip Sync Battle, the relationship between the drag and trans communities, educating youths, political correctness, and the wigs in The Danish Girl.

Everybody say love, indeed.

Its a neutralizing mantra to say to everybody, I come in peace, he says. I come in peace. Thats why its important.

Can I get an amen?

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/10/11/rupaul-is-ready-for-his-legacy/

[joronomo]

Viacom Scores 18 Emmy Nominations for a Diverse Roster of Programming – Viacom Corporate

New Post has been published on https://joronomo.com/viacom-scores-18-emmy-nominations-for-a-diverse-roster-of-programming-viacom-corporate/

Viacom Scores 18 Emmy Nominations for a Diverse Roster of Programming – Viacom Corporate

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July 21, 2017 @ 12:37 PM

Sketch comedy, potluck, political satire, lip syncing, drag queens, kid-friendly rock and roll and animated, nostalgic purple grapes: these are a few of our fans’ favorite things. And it turns out that the esteemed voting committee for the 69th Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards likes them quite a bit too.

Between VH1, Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon, and our Paramount Television production studio, Viacom brands scored 18 nominations.

Take a look at Viacom’s diverse roster of brands and the eclectic shows that impacted TV’s most prestigious award celebration:

Created by Viacom Catalyst

VH1 – 8 Nominations 

In April, VH1 announced its new tagline: “Where pop culture comes to party.”

Two of the network’s most buzzworthy shows—RuPaul’s Drag Race and Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party—truly exemplify this sentiment and embody VH1’s brand. They’re also up for Emmy awards.

Following its most-watched and highest-rated season to date, RuPaul’s Drag Race garnered the most Emmy nominations out of all Viacom shows, snagging eight bids for its groundbreaking series.

.@RuPaul‘s #DragRace strut into the Emmys with significant nominations #ConDRAGulations t.co/X1ACIxyQvi pic.twitter.com/sqF5oyZ2bv

— Variety (@Variety) July 14, 2017

Drag Race strutted over to VH1 from Logo earlier this year after host RuPaul Charles’ won an award for best reality show host at the 2016 Emmy Awards.

“The Emmy win really cemented the show in mainstream pop culture, and VH1 is more broadly available in homes across the U.S.,” said Pamela Post, VH1’s original programming senior vice president in an interview with IndieWire. “[The network switch] was an opportunity to broaden the show’s viewership even further.”

Thank you Television Academy for honoring the cast & crew of #DragRace w/ 8 nominations. It takes a village, people! @VH1 @WorldOfWonder pic.twitter.com/zvAz2VQ2yI

— RuPaul (@RuPaul) July 13, 2017

VH1’s Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party also earned a nomination for outstanding host for a reality or reality-competition program. The VH1 show premiered last fall, and viewers were clamoring for a taste of the unlikely duo’s hospitality. The hosts delivered one of the most lit parties in unscripted TV, bringing along a bevy of celebrity guests, chill vibes and smokin’ side dishes—which proved to be a recipe for stellar ratings.

“The show’s premiere episode debuted to three million viewers,” wrote Business Insider, “Winning its time slot and becoming 2016’s highest-rated new unscripted show on cable for 2016.”

And while the D-O-G-G has yet to win a Grammy, VH1’s cult show offers the hip-hop legend a chance to win his first Emmy.

  Check out the full list of VH1 nominations:

Outstanding Costumes For Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Programming • RuPaul’s Drag Race • “Oh My Gaga!”

Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special • RuPaul’s Drag Race • “Oh My Gaga!”

Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic) • RuPaul’s Drag Race • “Oh My Gaga!”

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program • RuPaul’s Drag Race

Outstanding Picture Editing For A Structured Or Competition Reality Program • RuPaul’s Drag Race

Outstanding Casting For A Reality Program • RuPaul’s Drag Race

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program • RuPaul’s Drag Race • RuPaul Charles

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program • Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party • Martha Stewart & Snoop Dogg

COMEDY CENTRAL – 7 Nominations

Comedy Central, an enduring favorite among the Emmy voters, brought in seven nominations this year, including one for South Park’s iconic Member Berries episode—in which animated grapes accommodated the fictional town’s nostalgia for the past.

At first, the sour grapes incessantly dropped pop culture references from yesteryear, but quickly evolved to giving sentient reminders about racist ideologies from the “good ol’ days.”

Drunk History, The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and Broad City all earned nominations for episodes and themes that are, for the most part, politically provocative, with progressive themes, diversity and topical conversation.

Watch Drunk History‘s Emmy-nominated episode:

Watch Broad City‘s Emmy-nominated internet short:

Check out the full list of Comedy Central’s nominations:

Outstanding Variety Series • Drunk History

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series • Drunk History • “Hamilton”

Outstanding Production Design For A Variety, Nonfiction, Reality Or Reality-Competition Series • Drunk History • “Hamilton”

Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming • Drunk History • “Bar Fights”

Outstanding Animated Program • South Park • “Member Berries”

Outstanding Short Form Variety Series • The Daily Show  • “Between The Scenes” (thedailyshow.com)

Outstanding Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series • Broad City • Hack Into Broad City (ComedyCentral.com)

NICKELODEON – 1 Nomination

 Outstanding Children’s Program • School of Rock

Nickelodeon’s dazzling slate of live-action and animated shows have earned Emmy attention in the past, and this year is no exception. The no. 1 brand in kids’ entertainment was recognized for its Paramount Television-produced musical sitcom School of Rock.

The show is lauded by both critics and parents for teaching kids the merits of teamwork, self-confidence and loyalty through the school of hard rock—aka a fictional prep school.

Its combination of charming gags and original, head-banging beats (along with guest stars like Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz) has made diehard fans out of the show’s target demographic—kids ages 6 to 15. School of Rock was adapted from Paramount’s wildly successful feature film of the same name, and is now in its third season.

SPIKE – 1 Nomination

Outstanding Structured Reality Program • Lip Sync Battle

Spike’s Lip Sync Battle earns an Emmy nomination for the second consecutive year.

In recent years, Spike has attracted a broad set of viewers with a focus on powerful storytelling and universally beloved shows, like Lip Sync Battle. This fall, the network will officially rebrand as the premium Paramount Network.

Think of Lip Sync Battle as a stripped-down version of fellow Emmy favorite RuPaul’s Drag Race, hosted by LL Cool J. Unlike Drag Race, where the contestants compete for a cash prize and the coveted title of “Next Drag Superstar,” Lip Sync Battle features known stars vying for a kitschy Lip Sync Battle Championship Belt. The winner is determined by a rousing round of applause, rather than a panel of judges.

Zoe Saldana’s winning moment. (Courtesy of SpikeTV)

But Lip Sync Battle has earned a massive, diverse audience with its low-key pageantry. Spike TV brings together a menagerie of oddball celebs like Anne Hathaway, John Legend and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to bust out bizarre dance moves and sing karaoke. The network actively eschewed creating a “brand” for Lip Sync Battle, opting instead to make the show as all-encompassing as possible. Executive producer Casey Patterson told Vulture in 2014 that this tactic reflects the broad spectrum of lip-sync fans.

“Lip-syncing is for everyone,” said Patterson. “If you go online, it’s dads and daughters, it’s moms, it’s women at work, it’s ageless, it’s genderless.”

This approach is what made Lip Sync Battle Spike’s highest-rated program, and its one reason the show will stick with the network when it changes names early next year.

PARAMOUNT TV – 2 Nominations (1 shared with Nickelodeon)

Outstanding Children’s Program (in association with Nickelodeon) •  School of Rock

Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score) • A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix)

Viacom’s production and distribution unit works behind-the-scenes to create our own content and hit shows on other networks, including Netflix’s recent mini-series 13 Reasons Why and Fox’s Grease Live, which won four Emmys at the 2016 ceremony.

This year, Paramount TV earned an Emmy nod for its work on Nickelodeon’s fellow Emmy hopeful, School of Rock. It also was nominated for creating the ethereal, haunting score for Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Mark your calendar for the Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 17 at 8 p.m. on CBS, hosted by Comedy Central alum Stephen Colbert.

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