ALL this talk about a new Ariel, Grammy-nominated Halle Bailey, in a live-action remake of the classic animated film The Little Mermaid (1989) is setting the Internet ablaze with discourses on racism and appropriation. I so wanted Ginger Minj or Latrice Royale to be Ursula but Melissa McCarthy has been reportedly cast. I hope now that Idris Elba will be King Triton.
I understand that Disney is making a killing with the recent live-action remakes of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. But it’s making me nostalgic for cartoons (Super Friends, Thundercats, Voltes V) that everytime I see my pop-culture idols being animated, I live.
‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE HALL OF FAME’
THE “Hunger Games of Drag” remains the most exciting competition on TV while its precursors and inspirations—American Idol, America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway—have gone stale. Throughout its 11 regular seasons, it has produced a diverse group of winners: Black Girl Magic (Season 1’s BeBe Zahara Benet, Season 2’s Tyra Sanchez, Season 8’s Bob the Drag Queen), Supermodels (Season 3’s Raja Gemini, Season 7’s Violet Chachki, Season 10’s Aquaria), Freaks (Season 4’s Sharon Needles, Season 11’s Yvie Oddly), Jewish MILF (Season 5’s Jinkx Monsoon), Art Intellectual (Season 9’s Sasha Velour) and Comedy Genius/Clown (Season 6’s Bianca del Rio).
The All-Stars editions, meanwhile, have white and blonde winners, such as Chad Michaels (Season 1), Alaska Thunderfuck (Season 2) and Trixie Mattel (Season 3). In Season 4, another blonde and white queen, Trinity Taylor, won but she tied with the black queen Monet X Change, presumably so All Stars won’t be read to filth for its perceived racism.
Should there be an all-winners championship, Bianca del Rio will win, wigs down.
Quite interestingly, some of the drag superstars have also previously competed in Idol, such as Season 6’s Adore Delano in American Idol and Season 6’s Courtney Act in Australian Idol 1; Season 3’s Manila Luzon, Season 7’s Katya and Season 9’s Valentina in America’s Next Top Model (ANTM); and Raja used to work in the show as a makeup artist; and Project Runway’s Mondo Guerra, Christopher Palu and Garo Sparo have all made outfits for drag queens. What’s more, Alaska and Season 5’s Alyssa Edwards appeared with ANTM’s Miss J in the latest The Bachelorette, which features Miss Alabama USA 2018’s Hannah Brown, who was also a guest at Mama Ru’s new talk show, RuPaul.
Talk about queens converging to spread charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent.
MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES
WHEN current Miss Universe Philippines Gazini Ganados of Talisay, Cebu, cracks the Top 10 at Miss Universe 2019, it will be the 10th consecutive time that the Philippines will do so. The USA (1982-1998), Venezuela (1984-2003) and India (1992-2002) have more than accomplished such feat, and we aim to be part of this exclusive clique.
Gazini has a gargantuan task ahead of her, a fact that hardly fazes the half-Palestinian stunner, having to achieve a back-to-back victory as our Catriona Gray (Oas, Albay) is the reigning Miss Universe. Only Venezuela in 2008 (Dayana Mendoza) and 2009 (Stefania Fernandez) did the almost impossible.
Venus Raj (Bato, Camarines Sur) ended the Dark Ages, the drought from 2000 to 2009. Venus, 2011’s Shamcey Supsup (General Santos), 2012’s Janine Marie Tugonon (Bataan), 2013’s Ariella Arida (Laguna) and 2014’s Mary Jean Lastimosa (North Cotabato) wore gowns made in Colombia during their competitions, particularly hurting the chances of MJ to achieve a fifth consecutive runner-up finish for us.
In this column in 2013, “Bring Back Pinoy Pizzazz to Global Pageants,” I been advocated for Filipino fashion designers to dress up our Binibinis. It was eventually used (plagiarized) for a Change.org petition. Something good came out of that, fortunately. Pia Wurtzbach (Cagayan de Oro) wore Albert Andrada on her way to her memorable win in 2015, Maxine Medina (Quezon City) donned Rhett Eala in 2016, Rachel Peters (Canaman, Camarines Sur) was clad in Val Taguba in 2017, and Catriona was crowned in a Mak Tumang.
In her sixth month as Miss Universe, Catriona has reached 6 million Instagram followers, hot on the heels of Pia’s 8.6 million. Miss Universe 2012 and influencer Olivia Culpo has 4.2 million. The most followed Miss Universe alumna, however, is Miss Universe Israel 2004 and Wonder Woman Gal Gadot at 30.2 million. In contrast, our Megan Young, Miss World 2013, has 2.4 million. Miss World 1994 Aishwarya Rai has 7.3 million, while the most followed beauty queen of all is Miss World 2000 Priyanka Chopra with 42.8 million, both from India.
INCREDIBLE INDYA
I HAVE yet to watch the 1968 documentary The Queen, about the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Contest and drag legend Crystal LaBeija, the founder of the House of Labeija. I always go back to Paris Is Burning, the 1990 documentary about the New York ball scene incessantly referenced in RuPaul’s Drag Race.
My current obsession is Pose, the dramatization of the real lives depicted in Paris Is Burning. Now on its second season, the series is diving deep into the rich, colorful lives of Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey and the Houses of Xtravaganza, Mizrahi, Ninja and Saint Laurent, among many ball habitues. They are brought to life by Elektra Abundance now Anna Wintour (Dominique Jackson), Blanca Evangelista (MJ Rodriguez), Pray Tell (Billy Porter) and Angel Evangelista (Indya Moore).
Blanca founded her house based on supermodel Linda Evangelista, while Elektra is establishing a new one based on Vogue Editor Anna Wintour. Angel, by her sex worker-turned-model trajectory, is loosely based on the murdered Venus Xtravaganza.
Indya, unlike Venus, is living the high, fashionable life. They’ve done covers with W Korea, Out and US Elle, and is one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2019. They went to the fete in an Iris van Herpen “wild, decolonized, unlady, unclassy, 100 percent commando, non-binary, Vagina” look. They have also signed up with IMG Models/William Morris Endeavor (WME), Pia’s and Catriona’s agency, and they are the first signed trans actor/model.
And yes, “#MYTRUTH is also that my pronouns are they/them and I DO NOT go by she, her, him, he, female, male, man or woman” is the mantra Indya posted for their Calvin Klein underwear campaign: “This is one of the greatest feats my community has ever seen and accommodates so much work [that] black trans women and people have done to normalize this kind of visibility. This is such a highlight in my career and I’m so excited to see casting trans people of color continue in multiples and a multitude of all the shapes and sizes our bodies come in.”
ZENDAYA THE TEEN QUEEN
ON a rare night, some of the pretty young press (more young-ish) gathered to watch an exclusive screening of Spider-Man: Far From Home at the swank Century City Mall Cinema. That’s a perk when two of your former colleagues (shoutout to Terrie Fucanan-Yu and Joba Aguilos) have gone over to PR.
The movie is a continuation of Avengers: Endgame, so you must watch that before this one. The British Tom Holland as the lead is a delight, as are his classmates played by a very diverse cast. Peter Parker’s best friend Ned is played by Jacob Batalon, a Fil-Am; his rival Brad by English/Malaysian/Australian Remi Hii (from Crazy Rich Asians); video-savvy Flash by Guatemalan Tony Revolori (Grand Budapest Hotel); Ned’s girlfriend Betty by Australian Angourie Rice.
As the love interest, Zendaya (her name means “to give thanks” in the Shona language of Zimbabwe) wasn’t a damsel in distress but a badass counterpoint to Peter. It helps that the singer-actress (soon in Dune) has a compelling screen presence.
That larger-than-life persona has enabled Zendaya, 22, to be a double Vogue cover girl, a Met Gala regular, have a design collaboration with Hilfiger (Tommy x Zendaya), and be Lancôme’s youngest global ambassador. And she stars in the shockingly controversial Euphoria at HBO, “a group of high-school students as they navigate drugs, sex, identity, trauma, social media, love and friendship.”
Not even the teen queens of the 1980s Molly Ringwald, 1990’s Alicia Silverstone and the 2000’s Lindsay Lohan enjoyed such power at a young age.