Beyoncé is magic.
My best friend Keelay Gipson wrote a new play entitled Ni****/Fa**** and it’s premiering this Friday at HERE in New York City. Time Out New York says
Presented as part of the Downtown Urban Theater Festival, Keelay Gipson’s play tackles racial and sexual politics in our post-Obama society. Sean Bell and Stephen Conrad Moore are the featured performers. For more information, go to facebook.com/nslashf.
Go support new theater and new playwrights.
COCO MONTRESE IS GETTING ON MY DAMN NERVES by Donell James Foreman
I’ve been thinking a lot about Coco Montrese from the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. I do not know Coco personally.
Coco is a successful drag queen in Las Vegas who performs (I think she said) six times a week. She has a ferocity that cannot be denied, but this competition is beating her. She’s not performing to her full potential. (I know the competition is over and done with and we’re watching the episodes at a much later time, but I am following all of this as if it’s happening in the moment).
Coco Montrese is getting in her own way. As a performer I can see when someone is letting their nerves get the best of them. I’m really in tune with how inner emotions manifest themselves on the outside, especially when it comes to performers because I’m around them all the time, and I am one myself. I can also tell when someone’s battling their nerves and ego at the same time. Nerves and ego together are a deadly combination. Coco is a fierce performer but her nerves get the best of her and she allows herself to get overwhelmed and frazzled. She also doesn’t seem like someone who strays away from being the victim. It’s easy for her to be the victim because she’s been performing so poorly – and she can just blame it on the other girls or the workroom atmosphere. She blatantly shat all over two challenges (the kids’ TV show and the charity song) and that’s not okay.
I am tired of her complaining about Alyssa being a contestant. She’s here and you need to get used to it. Also, I don’t understand why Coco made such a big deal about being paired for her during the “Can I Get An Amen?” challenge, when they had already worked together on the dance challenge – and did really well. So why all the huffing and puffing, Coco? I think she was actually really nervous for the singing challenge and her nerves shut her down and she began acting childish and petty. There are some people who get this laser focus under pressure, and some get a widescreen overwhelmed-ness about them - you know what I mean? This is a competition. Don’t be surprised when you’re paired with someone you’ve openly discussed not liking - of course they’re gonna do that to you. You gotta knock folks out anyway you can. Detox shouldn’t have lied about doing it on purpose – because really, we all know you did and you said you did – but Coco also shouldn’t be flabbergasted when it happens. This ain’t RuPaul’s Best Friend Race.
Also - I don’t understand why Coco keeps saying that Alyssa stole her moment, in regards to the Miss Gay USA pageant. Alyssa won. Coco was crowned because Alyssa wasn’t fulfilling her duties (I gather). That doesn’t mean that Coco is the rightful winner. Alyssa won fair and square (I assume) and you stepped in as second place. I don’t understand how Alyssa “stole Coco’s moment”, when Coco didn’t actually win. I can’t with these girls.
What it really comes down to is: Coco doesn’t understand that she has the power to really shake up the competition and change the fate of the other girls. She’s an incredible performer and I don’t think there’s one girl on that stage that could out lip-sync her. When the show started I placed Coco in my Top 6 girls, but she’s been so disappointing lately. After she cried on the runway and said she hadn’t been showing the judges who she truly is, I expected to see a change. That has not happened. If she keeps being in the bottom two she’s not changing anything up for the other girls and she won’t be making anyone nervous – if she lasts that long. She’s just sending home the lesser girls right now - which would happen anyway. BUT. If she wanted to get the top girls out, she needs to step up her game. If she was in the top perhaps two members of RoLaskaTox would have to lip-sync against each other? Are you following what I mean?
When the competition started, RoLaskaTox were the top girls, not necessarily because they were the best, but because there were so many girls that needed to go home immediately. Now, they’re just coasting along – holding on to being “the best” because that’s what they were, by default. If Coco won a challenge it might not necessarily be the two worst queens in the bottom - get what I’m saying? That would change the whole dynamic and outcome of the show. But if she keeps sleeping, she’ll just send home the bad queens and eventually get tired and probably give up.
If I was running things: contestants would automatically be eliminated if they appeared in the bottom two, three times. Automatic disqualification on your third time in the bottom. Goodbye.
We’ll see what happens tonight. Don’t let me down, Coco.
“Warning to Gay Boys”
