#CANADA'S DRAG RACE CAST REVEAL DAY

[pathetiic-fallacy]

Big day for annoying people (me)

[blackkudos]

Todrick Hall

Todrick Hall (born April 4, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, director, choreographer and YouTuber. He first gained national attention on the 9th season of the reality singing competition American Idol, where he made it to the semi-finals. Following this, he amassed a following on YouTube with multiple viral videos including original songs, parodies, and skits. A documentary series about his video-making process titled Todrick aired on MTV in 2015.

Starting with season 8, Hall became a resident choreographer on RuPaul's Drag Race, and occasional judge. From 2016 to 2017, Hall starred as Lola in Kinky Boots on Broadway. Later in 2017, he began appearances as Billy Flynn in Chicago on Broadway and the West End.

As a singer-songwriter he has released three studio albums, including the visual albums Straight Outta Oz (2016) and Forbidden (2018).

Early life

Todrick Hall was born in Plainview, Texas, on April 4, 1985. His family consists of his mother, father, one brother, and a stepfather. He knew he was different, he liked playing with dolls, and worried if they would still accept him if he turned out to be one of those gay people they made fun of on television. Hall began studying ballet at nine-years-old, and later worked with Fantasia in The Color Purple. He came out as gay to his family when he was fifteen; it took them a few years to accept. He also appeared in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and performed with Royal Caribbean, Holland America Line, and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Career

2009–2010: American Idol

On August 24, 2009, Hall auditioned to the ninth season of American Idol in Dallas, Texas. He sang a self-composed song mentioning the judges – Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and guest judge Joe Jonas – to plead his case for inclusion in the program. All four judges approved of his participation; he went into Hollywood week and eventually the semi-finals. In the Top 24, he sang Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" and in the Top 20, he performed Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It". He was eliminated in the Top 16 on 11 March 2010 after his rendition of Queen's "Somebody to Love;" he was one of four contestants eliminated in that round, and thus ranked between 13th and 16th overall.

2011–2013: Career growth and YouTube fame

Hall joined YouTube on May 27, 2006, and posted his first video to the site, a performance of "It's Hard to Say Goodbye", in 2008. In following years, his audience has grown considerably: as of June, 2019, Hall currently has 3.1 million subscribers on YouTube, and as of March 2018, his videos have been viewed 531.9 million times. Hall's videos include several of his own original songs and music videos, choreographed flash mobs for Ariana Grande and Beyoncé performed in an actual Target store, (the latter of which Beyoncé personally recognized Hall for), musical collaborations with Pentatonix, and personal updates.

In May 2011, he released a video audition for the third season of Glee titled "I Wanna Be on Glee", for possible inclusion in the show. Though the video was popular, Hall was not cast in the program.In November 2013, Virgin America produced a pop-music safety video directed by Jon M. Chu with music by Jean-Yves Decornet. Hall wrote the song and lyrics and starred in the video.

In December 2013, Hall released a Christmas album entitled Dear Santa, with covers of "This Christmas" and "Sleigh Bells", produced by wiidope as well as original songs "So Cold" and "SplitsOnXmasTrees".

2014–2015: Pop Star High and Todrick docuseries

From April 1 to May 13, 2014, Hall released an eight episode web series on his YouTube channel called Pop Star High. The series takes place in a world where all of the most famous Pop Stars of our day all went to high school together. The series portrays and parodies pop stars like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Ne-Yo, Kanye West, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Tyga, and draws on the tropes of high school comedy movies. The soundtrack for the series was released on April 1, 2014.

On October 22, 2014, MTV announced Todrick, a docuseries following Hall, would premiere in 2015. On 20 December 2014, Hall produced and appeared in a commercial for the series and featured other celebrities' holiday wishes. Eight episodes of the docuseries were ordered and aired throughout 2015. The soundtrack for the show was released on October 13, 2015.

In October 2015, he was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month and was featured on NBC's Today show hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb and broadcast nationally where he performed live his single "Wind It Up".

2016–2017: Straight Outta Oz, Broadway, and RuPaul's Drag Race

Hall appeared as a guest judge on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race; the episode, which featured a Wizard of Oz-inspired challenge, first aired on April 11, 2016. Hall reappeared as a full-time judge for RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars 2 later in 2016 and again for the ninth season aired throughout 2017.

Along with Drag Race, Hall frequently appeared on Logo TV's game show Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul alongside other celebrities. A second Season of Gay for Play is expected.

On June 23, 2016, Todrick self-released his second album, Straight Outta Oz. Straight Outta Oz is a visual concept album that uses the imagery of The Wizard of Oz to explore Todrick's own life and rise to fame. The project's first video was posted to YouTube on June 23, 2016 as well. Shortly thereafter, Hall announced the Straight Outta Oz Tour to promote the album. The tour originally ran between July 7, and August 12, 2016 in the United States and Canada.

The Straight Outta Oz Tour was interrupted by Hall's casting in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. Hall starred as Lola, a drag queen cabaret performer. Hall's performance was well received by critics. He performed as Lola from November 1, 2016, to March 1, 2017.

The Straight Outta Oz Tour was revived in 2017 and ran between March 30, and June 5, in various North American, European, and Australian locations. It was accompanied by an expanded deluxe edition that included songs that were featured on the tour but not on the original version of the album. Additionally, the album included an extended version and new video for "Wrong Bitch" featuring Bob the Drag Queen, and a rerecorded version of Todrick's previous single "Low" featuring RuPaul.

In August 2017, he had a cameo as a back-up dancer in the music video for Taylor Swift's song, "Look What You Made Me Do".

From November 30, 2017, to January 14, 2018, played Billy Flynn in a limited engagement role in Chicago. During his tenure, the show had its best-grossing week in its 21-year Broadway history.

In December he released the documentary film Behind the Curtain about the production behind Straight Outta Oz. It was screened in select theatres and later released on home video. Later that month he had a guest appearance in the Bob's Burgers Season 8 episode "The Bleakening" as drag queen Miss Triple-Xmas (or Cleavage to Beaver) performing the song "Twinkly Lights". He also released a medley of covers of songs from the Pitch Perfect film series that was featured on the Pitch Perfect 3 Special Edition soundtrack.

2018–present: Forbidden, Haus Party & The Greatest Dancer

In March 2018 he announced his new visual album follow-up to Straight Outta Oz called Forbidden. It was released on March 27, 2018. To promote the album, Hall embarked on Forbidden: The Tour across the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

On May 15, 2019, Hall revealed that he will be releasing a trilogy of extended plays to be released across the next six months. The first EP, Haus Party, Pt. 1, was released on May 23, 2019. The first single "Glitter" was released with the album pre-order on May 16, 2019. It also featured Hall's first big hit "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels." The EPs will be supported by the Haus Party World Tour. While it was originally announced that Part Two would be released in July followed by Party Three in September 2019, the release of Haus Party, Pt. 2 was delayed to September 19, 2019.. It was supported by the singles "Wig", "Fag", and "Dripeesha" (featuring Tiffany Haddish). Part Three was originally announced to be released on October 30, 2019, then November 27. It was put up for pre-order on January 10, 2020 with two singles available, "Blue" and "Pink Dreams", and an announced release date of February 14, 2020. However, this was later pushed back to May 1, 2020.

On June 17, 2019, Hall appeared in the music video for singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's song "You Need to Calm Down"; he co-executive produced the video with Swift. On June 19, 2019, Hall announced that he will be returning to Broadway to play Ogie Anhorn in the musical Waitress opposite friend Colleen Ballinger, who will be making her Broadway debut as Dawn Williams from August 20 until September 15.

In August 2019 he joined the panel of Dance Captains for the second series of The Greatest Dancer alongside the other Dance Captains Cheryl, Oti Mabuse and Matthew Morrison. The series aired on BBC One in January 2020.

Artistry

Hall is a baritenor with a soulful, expressive voice, including falsetto; in addition to a singer, Hall is also a rapper. The genre of his works include R&B, pop, hip hop, neo-soul, funk, and musical theatre. Many of his lyrics include elements of social commentary, such as gun violence in and against black communities in "Water Guns" (featuring Jordin Sparks), acceptance of interracial relationships in "Color" (featuring Jay Armstrong Johnson) and queer culture; Hall writes and produces much of his own music with Jeeve Ducornet and wiidope. Hall also posts musical tributes to his favorite musical artists such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift. These tributes feature elaborately-produced mashups of the artists' songs sung by Hall.

Hall's music videos often feature extravagant production value not typically associated with artists outside major labels. Hall's videos often include bespoke costumes and urban fashion, elaborate sets, and extensive choreography, much of which is designed or created by Hall himself. He frequently directs his own videos as well. As part of his style, many of Hall's music videos include drag as a central component, either featuring Hall in drag himself or famous drag queens including RuPaul, Bob the Drag Queen, Willam Belli, and Alaska Thunderfuck, among others.

Personal life

He came out as gay at the age of fifteen.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

17th March >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada) for

Solemnity of Saint Patrick, Bishop, Missionary (Ireland, England & Scotland)

 Or Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada). Solemnity of Saint Patrick, Bishop, Missionary (Ireland, England & Scotland)

(Liturgical Colour: White) Either First Reading Jeremiah 1:4-9 Go and say whatever I command you and do not fear The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.’ I said, ‘Ah, Lord; look, I do not know how to speak: I am a child!’ But the Lord replied, ‘Do not say, “I am a child.” Go now to those to whom I send you and, say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you – it is the Lord who speaks!’ Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me: ‘There! I am putting my words into your mouth.’ The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God.  Or Alternative First Reading Ecclesiasticus 39:6-10 The wise man will be remembered for generations If it is the will of the great Lord,    he will be filled with the spirit of understanding, he will shower forth words of wisdom,    and in prayer give thanks to the Lord. He will grow upright in purpose and learning,    he will ponder the Lord’s hidden mysteries. He will display the instruction he has received,    taking his pride in the Law of the Lord’s covenant. Many will praise his understanding,    and it will never be forgotten. His memory will not disappear,    generation after generation his name will live. Nations will proclaim his wisdom,    the assembly will celebrate his praises. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Either Responsorial Psalm Psalm 116(117) R/ Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News. O praise the Lord, all you nations,    acclaim him all you peoples! R/ Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News. Strong is his love for us;    he is faithful for ever. R/ Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News.   Or Alternative Responsorial Psalm Psalm 115(116):12-19 R/ A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord. or R/ Alleluia! How can I repay the Lord    for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise;    I will call on the Lord’s name. R/ A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord. or R/ Alleluia! My vows to the Lord I will fulfil    before all his people. O precious in the eyes of the Lord    is the death of his faithful. R/ A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord. or R/ Alleluia! Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;    you have loosened my bonds. A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;    I will call on the Lord’s name. R/ A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord. or R/ Alleluia! My vows to the Lord I will fulfil    before all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord,    in your midst, O Jerusalem. R/ A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord. or R/ Alleluia! Either Second Reading Romans 10:9-18 Faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.    But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound. Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we proclaimed? So faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ. Let me put the question: is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed they did; in the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God.  Or Alternative Second Reading 2 Timothy 4:1-8 I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; it is time for me to be gone Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I put this duty to you, in the name of his Appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience – but do all with patience and with the intention of teaching. The time is sure to come when, far from being content with sound teaching, people will be avid for the latest novelty and collect themselves a whole series of teachers according to their own tastes; and then, instead of listening to the truth, they will turn to myths. Be careful always to choose the right course; be brave under trials; make the preaching of the Good News your life’s work, in thoroughgoing service.    As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Gospel Acclamation Luke 4:17 Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives. Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! Either Gospel Mark 16:15-20 Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them:    ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’    And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it. The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.  Or Alternative Gospel Matthew 13:24-32 Let them both grow till the harvest Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” ��Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’    He put another parable before them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’ The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. ———————-

Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent (optional commemoration of Saint Patrick, Bishop, Missionary)

(Liturgical Colour: Violet) First Reading Jeremiah 11:18-20 'Let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name may be quickly forgotten' The Lord revealed it to me; I was warned. O Lord, that was when you opened my eyes to their scheming. I for my part was like a trustful lamb being led to the slaughter-house, not knowing the schemes they were plotting against me, ‘Let us destroy the tree in its strength, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name may be quickly forgotten!’ But you, the Lord of Hosts, who pronounce a just sentence, who probe the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you. The Word of The Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 7:2-3,9-12 R/ Lord God, I take refuge in you. Lord God, I take refuge in you.    From my pursuer save me and rescue me, lest he tear me to pieces like a lion    and drag me off with no one to rescue me. R/ Lord God, I take refuge in you. Give judgement for me, Lord; I am just    and innocent of heart. Put an end to the evil of the wicked! Make the just stand firm,    you who test mind and heart,    O just God! R/ Lord God, I take refuge in you. God is the shield that protects me,    who saves the upright of heart. God is a just judge    slow to anger;    but he threatens the wicked every day. R/ Lord God, I take refuge in you. Gospel Acclamation Ezekiel k33:11 Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man – it is the Lord who speaks – but in the turning back of a wicked man who changes his ways to win life. Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! Or cf. Luke 8:15 Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! Blessed are those who, with a noble and generous heart, take the word of God to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance. Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! Gospel John 7:40-52 The Law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without hearing him Several people who had been listening to Jesus said, ‘Surely he must be the prophet’, and some said, ‘He is the Christ’, but others said, ‘Would the Christ be from Galilee? Does not scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from the town of Bethlehem?’ So the people could not agree about him. Some would have liked to arrest him, but no one actually laid hands on him.    The police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees who said to them, ‘Why haven’t you brought him?’ The police replied, ‘There has never been anybody who has spoken like him.’ ‘So’ the Pharisees answered ‘you have been led astray as well? Have any of the authorities believed in him? Any of the Pharisees? This rabble knows nothing about the Law – they are damned.’ One of them, Nicodemus – the same man who had come to Jesus earlier – said to them, ‘But surely the Law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without giving him a hearing and discovering what he is about?’ To this they answered, ‘Are you a Galilean too? Go into the matter, and see for yourself: prophets do not come out of Galilee.’ The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

[jessicakehoe]

11 Virtual Pride 2020 Events Taking Place Across Canada

We may not be allowed to celebrate together in the streets, but Pride 2020 is far from cancelled. Here’s your guide to all the virtual Pride events taking place online through the month of June in Canada.

Drag Ball Presented by Crave Pride Toronto and streaming platform Crave are teaming up for a Drag Ball featuring performances by the 12 queens competing to become the country’s first drag superstar on Canada’s Drag Race. The special event kicks off at 8pm EST on Saturday, June 27 on the Pride Toronto Twitch channel (worldwide) and the Drag Race on Crave YouTube channel (in Canada). Following the initial presentation, the virtual Drag Ball will be available to view on Twitch for 24 hours and on YouTube for one week.

In celebration of Pride Month, Crave and Pride Toronto bring the cast of #CanadasDragRace together for Drag Ball presented by Crave, on Sunday, June 27. Head to @thelede_ca to learn more: https://t.co/igcPbdDdUC pic.twitter.com/9xO3hWMFYA

— Crave_PR (@Crave_PR) June 18, 2020

Pride Toronto Pride Toronto has a month-long schedule of virtual events taking place throughout June, culminating in the Virtual Pride Festival Weekend from June 26-28. Highlights from this year’s virtual lineup include digital bingo night on June 11 hosted by drag queen Devine Darlin; an afternoon dance party with Toronto musician Charlotte Day Wilson on June 21; weekly trivia nights hosted by The Arquives; an Afrobeat, soca and dancehall party with DJs Soulsis and Razaqeltoro.Onkoya on June 18; and a “Feature Fridays” screening series of queer and trans movies and documentaries. Check out the full schedule here.

Queens premiere event with Pride Toronto To celebrate the launch of Queens, a new television series following an eclectic group of Toronto drag queens caught in the middle of a whodunit, the cast of the show is taking part in a Q&A panel to discuss the making of the show and all things Pride. Part of Pride Toronto’s Pride Month “Feature Fridays” series, the show will be streaming live on CBC Gem on Friday, June 19 at 9pm ET, with an intro panel at 8.30pm EST and a post-show Q&A session at 10pm EST via PrideToronto.com.

Saskatoon Pride Parade Saskatoon’s annual Pride parade is going online this year from June 14th to 20th with a showcase of film, dance, spoken word, inclusive discussions, drag and musical performances, youth events, and more. The theme of this year’s celebrations is resilience and honouring one’s true identity.

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Saskatoon’s 2020 Virtual Pride Festival 🏳️‍🌈⁣ Swipe for Details ➡️

A post shared by Saskatoon Pride 🏳️‍🌈 (@saskatoonpride) on May 11, 2020 at 10:41am PDT

Guelph Pride From June 1 to 7, Guelph Pride is celebrating Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ communities with a series of online events. This weekend’s online schedule includes tarot card readings on Zoom, a dance party live on Twitch hosted by DJs M’Damn D and OrangaDang, a Pride Pop-up Poetry Slam on Zoom, and a workshop on supporting each other through tough times. See the full lineup of virtual Pride 2020 events here.

The Victoria Pride Society’s Vicarious Show Every Saturday until July 11, Shelita Cox and Henrietta Dubet are hosting an online drag show on the Victoria Pride Society’s YouTube channel. As an organization, VPS is committed to supporting the inclusiveness, accessibility, and diversity of Pride Week events. Catch the show every Saturday at 8pm.

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Victoria Pride's weekly live streamed show featuring local queer artists. Hosted by Henrietta Dubet and Shelita Cox, episode 2 features extra special guests Lola Maneata and Nikolai Hardbasskovitch.

A post shared by Victoria Pride Society (@victoriapridesociety) on May 10, 2020 at 12:47pm PDT

Fruit Loop Pride at Home The Fruit Loop Society of Alberta, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting and promoting non-profit groups within the LGBTQ2S+ community, is taking its annual Pride celebrations online this year. On Saturday, June 13 from 8pm to 9.30pm, they will livestream an incredible cast of performers direct from The Starlite Room in downtown Edmonton.

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As part of the annual Pride season, Fruit Loop has traditionally hosted an in-person celebration featuring a dynamic group of performers, outstanding community partners and an amazing audience. This year as we adapt to a new landscape, we’ve had to find new ways to celebrate and highlight our diverse and resilient LGBTQ2S+ community. Join us on Saturday June 13 from 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm as we live stream an incredible cast of performers direct from The Starlite Room in downtown Edmonton! Sponsored by our friends at TD Bank, and in support of our community partner E2S – Edmonton 2 Spirit Society Performers will be announced as we get closer to the event – so stay tuned! This event will be free to watch. Follow us for the link! Safety is our highest priority – comprehensive health and safety protocols will be strictly followed with our production team and performers. Everyone's health and wellness are front of mind in creating this event. Major thanks to TD bank for their ongoing support of Fruit Loop’s events over the years. In particular, we would like to thank them for their confidence as Fruit Loop pilots this new format. Fruit Loop would also like to give a huge shout out to our partners at Sea Change Brewing Co. for their continued community support.

A post shared by Fruit Loop Edmonton (@fruitloopyeg) on May 4, 2020 at 2:13pm PDT

We’re Funny That Way: The Virtual Pride Special The 19th annual We’re Funny That Way Festival, the world’s first queer performance festival, is going virtual this year. Hosted by Maggie Cassella, the one-hour event celebrating the LGBTQ2+ community includes a lineup of comedy and music from Martha Chaves, Gavin Crawford, Lea DeLaria, Andrea Martin, Deb McGrath, Colin Mochrie, Katie Rigg, Carolyn Taylor, Shawnee, Karen Williams and more. The show will be streaming live on CBC Gem on Friday, June 26 at 8pm EST.

Queer Pride Inside: A Buddies in Bad Times Cabaret Hosted live by comedian Elvira Kurt, this special Pride cabaret event from Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre will feature performances by Teiya Kasahara, Alexis O’Hara, Ivan Coyote, Les Femmes Fatales and more. The show will be streaming live on CBC Gem on Saturday, June 20 at 9pm EST.

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ANNOUNCING QUEER PRIDE 2020 • #QueerPride is radical love and defiant self-expression. When coming together to celebrate Pride, or to protest violence, how can our queer communities safely embody allyship? • Our Queer Pride showcases our community’s unstoppable spirit ✨ We welcome all of you who crave adventures beyond the expected, artists who refuse to conform, and communities who will not allow themselves to be silenced • Over 100 artists participate in this year’s Queer Pride Festival 2020. All events are free. Some are online and some may be in your neighborhood. Visit buddiesinbadtimes.com/pride • Design by Lucinda Wallace

A post shared by Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (@buddiesto) on Jun 1, 2020 at 12:39pm PDT

SodaStream’s Virtual Drag Brunch SodaStream is hosting a Virtual Drag Brunch fundraiser with Toronto Drag Queens Miss Fiercalicious and Sofonda Cox to celebrate both Pride month and the upcoming launch of their “For The Love Of Tomorrow” Pride Kits. The kits include SodaStream’s newest 0.5L reusable bottle, a reusable bag and a reusable straw in bright Pride colours and are available exclusively on Sodastream.ca. All profits from the sale of these kits will go to Pflag Canada, Canada’s only national organization offering peer-to-peer support on issues of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The brunch kicks off at 11am on Sunday, June 14th, on @SodaStreamCanada’s IG Live.

Global Pride This year’s largest online event is undoubtedly Global Pride, a 24-hour stream of speeches and performances from Pride events around the world. Over 300 million viewers are expected to tune in over the course of the day, with artists and speakers like Canadian singer/actress/record producer Deborah Cox, the Dixie Chicks, and Olivia Newton-John expected to participate. Watch the global show on 27 June here.

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We are thrilled to announce that Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer @deborahcox will be joining the virtual stage for Global Pride 2020! Deborah has been recognized for her longstanding commitment to the LGBTI+ community! 🏳️‍🌈 Stay tuned as we reveal more artists and speakers for Global Pride and don't forget to tune in on June 27. Global Pride will be streamed live on our website and via YouTube, with more streaming partners to be announced soon. #GlobalPride #ExistPersistResist

A post shared by Global Pride 2020 (@globalpride2020) on Jun 5, 2020 at 8:53am PDT

Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal Pride events will take place in August 2020. Watch this space for more details.

The post 11 Virtual Pride 2020 Events Taking Place Across Canada appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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[gossipnetwork-blog]

25 TV Events to Get Excited About in 2018

New Post has been published on http://gossip.network/25-tv-events-to-get-excited-about-in-2018/

25 TV Events to Get Excited About in 2018

New year, new TV to look forward to.

Now that it’s finally 2018, it’s time to cut your losses with the fall shows you’ve already grown tired and make some room on your DVRs for everything the new year has to offer because there’s a lot to get excited about.

Kicking things off on New Year’s Day with the return of Arie Luyendyk Jr. as ABC’s latest Bachleor, we’ve narrowed down the 25 TV events worth getting excited about over the next 12 months from a surprisingly deep pool of worthy candidates. Seriously, there’s a lot of promising stuff coming our way. Read on and start programming your DVR!

ABC/Craig Sjodin

Bachelor‘s Big Winter

Kudos to the Bachelor franchise for trying something new in 2018. First, they went back a few years to the pre-Instagram days to find their newest leading man, Arie Luyendyk Jr., and we’re also being treated to what appears to be an international hot tub party known as Winter Games. It all sounds like exactly the fresh Bachelor air we need, and we can’t wait to see how it all goes down, starting January 1.

Freeform

Freeform Gets Grown-ish

It’s time for Zoey Johnson to fly the coop and strike out on her own…-ish. In this Freeform spinoff of Black-ish, debuting January 3, Yara Shahidi takes center stage as the eldest Johnson child embarks on her freshman year at California University with a diverse group of friends helping her navigate her first taste of adult life. Look out for guest appearances from parents Dre and Bow as Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross are set to make occasional guest appearances in the comedy, which hails from the mothership’s creator Kenya Barris. 

CBS

Star Trek: Discovery‘s Return

The spore drive is done for and the U.S.S. Discovery is…missing. The finale ended with Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and his team including Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) evading death and destruction at the hands of the Klingons, only to find themselves some place very unfamiliar. Could our heroes be in the Mirror Universe? Whatever happens, beam us up for more adventures on January 7.

VH1

Tyra Returns on Top

Sorry Rita Ora, but Tyra Banks is reclaiming her America’s Next Top Model throne. Banks is returning on January 9 to host the revived series on VH1 after only serving as executive producer on Cycle 23. This year, expect new terms from Tyra and new competitors: there’s no longer an age limit.

Showtime

Showtime’s Trip to The Chi

If creator Lena Waithe‘s Emmy-winning episode of Master of None, “Thanksgiving,” is any indication, her new Showtime drama is, hands down, one of 2018’s can’t-miss debuts. The Chi, premiering January 7, is billed as a timely coming-of-age story that will explore the humanity behind the headlines sensationalizing the South Side of Chicago. Expect this to be an early Emmys frontrunner.

The CW

A New Superhero

Luke Cage may have come before him, but Black Lightning feels like the first superhero series to finally truly speak to the Black Lives Matter movement. The CW’s latest DC Comics adaptation, starring Cress Williams as the titular hero and premiering Jan. 16, feels timely in a way that few of the network’s other comic book offerings have. If nothing else, it’s just refreshing to have a CW superhero who feels like a damn adult.

FX

American Crime Story Goes Glam

People v. O.J. was great, but The Assassination of Gianni Versace brings a new level of glamour and intrigue to one of last year’s most talked about new series with one of the biggest crimes fashion has ever suffered. Darren Criss plays the serial killer we never before knew we needed him to play, and Penélope Cruz is straight-up iconic as Donatella Versace. We are so there come January 17.  

VH1

Mama Ru Gathers More All-Stars

While some of the queens returning for another chance at the crown barely fit in the label of “star,” let alone “All-Star”—Aja, anyone?—our excitement at finally having RuPaul and her glorious queens back is off the charts. RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars 3 returns to its new network (VH1) on January 25 to see who will join the ranks of legendary All-Stars and All-Stars 2 winners Chad Michaels and Alaska, respectively. Who are we rooting for? We’ll never tell. (OK, we’ll tell. That crown belongs to Trixie Mattel. Don’t @ us.)

Mindy Tucker/HBO

2 Dope Queens Come to HBO

What’s better than listening to your favorite podcast? Watching it come to life in a series of HBO specials, that’s what! Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson bring their acclaimed podcast 2 Dope Queens to the cable network beginning February 2 for four hour-long specials taped before a live audience, tackling topics like “Black Nerds aka Blerds” and “Hot Peen” alongside guests including Jon Stewart and Tituss Burgess. 

Netflix

Netflix Explores Altered Carbon

Netflix is going big with this original series, an adaptation the classic cyberpunk noir novel by Richard K. Morgan. Set more than 300 years in a future where society has been transformed by new technology, consciousness can be digitized, human bodies are interchangeable, and death is no longer permanent, the sci-fi series stars Joel Kinnaman as Takeshi Kovacs, the lone surviving soldier in a group of elite interstellar warriors who were defeated in an uprising against the new world order. Altered Carbon, dropping on the streaming site on February 2, looks expensive and confusing as hell. Count us in.

CBS

Big Brother Turns Celebrity

Already a staple in the U.K., Celebrity Big Brother is finally making its way across the pond for a special edition on CBS beginning February 7. Which of our D-list celebs will sign up to duke it out in the Big Brother house with Julie Chen narrating their every move? We haven’t the slightest idea and we can’t wait to find out.

Lifetime

UnREAL Flips the Script

Did you know that it’s been nearly 18 months since UnREAL signed off for season two? After that creative debacle, you may have pushed the provocative Lifetime series, a fictional account of the inner-workings of a Bachelor-esque reality series, out of your mind. But queens Constance Zimmer and Shiri Appleby deserve better, and it looks like the time off may have helped deliver a third series worthy of their estimable talents. After tackling their first African-American suitor in S2, they’re going the Bachelorette route this time around with Masters of Sex alum Caitlin FitzGerald assuming the role of Everlasting’s (the show within the show) new feminist “suitress.” Could Quinn and Rachel have finally met their match? Tune in on February 26 to find out. 

Good Girls Go Bad

What do you get when you take a Parks and Recreation fave (Retta), a Parenthood breakout (Mae Whitman), and a Mad Men diva (Christina Hendricks), cast them as three suburban moms tired of their lives, and have them rob a local supermarket. Why, the recipe for our most anticipated show of 2018, that’s what. Is it February 26 yet?

Netflix

A Queer Comeback

All things just keep getting better thanks to Netflix’s upcoming revival of the seminal reality series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Does the new Fab Five (from left to right, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness and Tan France) have what it takes to make us forget about Carson Kressley, Ted Allen and the rest of the OGs? Come February, we’ll find out.

CBS

Round Two of The Good Fight

It’s been a long few months without Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) dropping an eff-bomb on our screens. The first season The Good Fight was politically charged and intriguing and the real world hasn’t gotten any less crazy, so Robert and Michelle King have a lot of fodder for new episodes, beginning March 4. Plus Audra McDonald will be a series regular this year, so our hopes of a musical episode just got all the more higher.

ABC

American Idol Returns From the Dead

Did we really want a revival of American Idol so soon after its 2016 (supposed) series finale? Not even slightly. Are we planning to tune in on March 11 to see if Katy Perry was really worth her rumored $25 million salary? You betcha. 

NBC

A New TV Musical Rises

Glee meets Friday Night Lights this spring on NBC, with Moana (Auli’i Cravalho), Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) and Rosie Perez (Rosie Perez) in the starring roles of this Jason Katims-produced high school drama set (where else) in a working class town. This one could either be one of the year’s biggest successes or biggest flame-outs. Tune in on March 13 and judge for yourself.

ABC

Roseanne‘s Return

Revival fatigue is very real, but we for sure will not be able to look away from the return of Roseanne Barr‘s iconic comedy Roseanne, premiering March 27, for two big reasons: 1. Curiosity about how the show explains away the series finale that had Roseanne Conner revealing Dan (John Goodman) was dead and she made the entire series up as a writer and 2. Laurie Metcalf. Metcalf is one of the best actors working today. Any chance to get weekly doses of her we will take.

Hulu

Handmaid’s Trip to the Colonies

Where do you go after being the most-buzzed about new series and winning a slew of awards? That’s what we want to know, The Handmaid’s Tale! Season two, debuting sometime in April, is already well underway and details are being kept under wraps. We do know there will be more Alexis Bledel—sorry, that’s Emmy winner Alexis Bledel to you—and previously unseen parts of Gilead. “What I can tell you, and I’m not joking one bit, is it’s knocking me out where this story is going,” Ann Dowd told E! News. “I literally read the scripts and I think, ‘Oh my god.’ The ideas are genius and so unpredictable and harrowing,” she said. “Plus you see the worlds that you weren’t exposed to before: the Colonies, what that whole world is; those who make it to Canada, what happens there; the pregnancy, how that is coming along. It’s a phenomenally well-written show.”

Bravo

RHONY‘s Extra Dose of Real-World Drama

Arguably the best Real Housewives series on Bravo (go ahead and try to say another is better), Real Housewives of New York City is set to return with last year’s top-tier cast and you know there’s going to be laughs—and drama. Luann de Lesseps was arrested just before Christmas and charged with battery of an officer, disorderly intoxication, resisting arrested with violence and crimes against another person. She’s now in a treatment center. Bravo’s cameras are just itching to start recording and we cannot wait to see what they capture.

John P. Johnson/HBO

A Return Trip to Westworld

Season one felt like nothing more than a prelude, an introductory course to this world where nothing is as it seems and everyone watching wised up to the twists down the road much sooner than anyone writing expected. But now that the robots have taken over, making the demented amusement park at the center of this HBO sci-fi/western pastiche a true free-for-all, we can’t wait to see what happens next when Westworld finally returns this spring.But it better involve Maeve (Thandie Newton) kicking some ass.

FX

Atlanta, at Long Last

One of 2016’s most surreal and delightful new shows, Atlanta feels like it’s been gone forever. Apparently creator and star Donald Glover was too busy being very famous and employable to give us more in 2017, so we’ll take whatever he can give us in 2018. 

Netflix

Robin Wright’s House of Cards Reign

Robin Wright has always been the best thing about House of Cards and now she gets to truly own the show for its sixth and final season. After allegations of sexual misconduct by Kevin Spacey came to light, the status of the Netflix series was in question. After deliberation, Netflix and Media Rights Capital said the show must go on¬—without Spacey. Wright’s Claire Underwood ended season five in power, now we get to see her wield it triumphantly.

The CW

Sabrina Gets Spooky

Inspired by the success of Riverdale‘s dark take on Archie Comics, WB and Netflix are teaming up to create the show of our teenage dreams. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (you know, the teenage witch) is already our favorite thing to binge and we know absolutely nothing about it yet. Even if we only get a cast in 2018, we are here for it. 

Sipa

Feud Goes Royal

After Feud‘s spot-on casting for Bette and Joan, we can’t wait to see who Ryan Murphy lands in the lead roles for the anthology’s upcoming second installment, Charles and Diana. We have our thoughts on who will fill the royal shoes of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, among others, but we’re sure that Murphy will still manage to surprise us. 

Which TV event are you most excited about for 2018? Sound off in the comments below!

(E!, Bravo and NBC are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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Catching Up with Crystal, the Canadian Drag Queen on Season 1 of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK

Crystal, one of RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K.’s inaugural queens, is a 180-degree turn from the last Canadian RuGirl to grace our screens. While Brooke Lynn Hytes, who came in second on the American version’s eleventh season was a pageant queen, Crystal has described herself as “not afraid to look a bit messy or ugly or scary.” Her look is East London grit — punctuated with pops of chest hair or angle grinding, occasionally suspended from the air.

“I never thought in a million years that I would get on,” she says. “And I definitely didn’t think they’d cast a Canadian in the first season.” But they did, and we’re luckier for it. FASHION recently caught up with Crystal, who finished in sixth place, on a day off from the Drag Race UK cast tour.

Photography by Leigh Keily/World of Wonder

Finding out that you were born in Newfoundland and Labrador and grew up in Nova Scotia and through those environments eventually turned into Crystal was mindblowing. That doesn’t happen every day.

Yeah. I think it’s because I was such an awkward, weird kid and I didn’t have a lot of friends when I was in my teens. I retreated into comic books and fantasy novels and worlds of imagination.

It wouldn’t have happened otherwise for sure. If I had been a well-adjusted, popular kid at school, there’s no way I’d be a drag queen now.

Did you start drag in Canada or only after moving to the U.K.?

I’d been in the UK for about five years before I really did any drag, but I had run alt- and new burlesque nights when I lived in Montreal. That was back when burlesque was the thing before the drag revival, but I didn’t really do those in drag — it was stripping basically.

Once I felt like I’d established myself in London and felt settled I was looking for something to challenge myself creatively. I was doing circus classes and a friend was like, “why don’t you just do another show?” And I was like, “Oh yeah, I could do that and then I could have a place to perform circus.”

That kind of led me down the road into drag. Gradually drag became a bigger thing and circus became a lesser thing because it’s much easier to perform drag places than it is to do circus.

Photography by Matt Parker

When it comes to fashion, what are your inspirations?

It’s super cliche to say this, but strong women and particularly strong women of fiction. I think I’m always going back to female characters from my childhood, from sci-fi films, comic books and video games. I was a real geek growing up — I mean, I still am.

I love things like Daryl Hannah in Blade Runner or Ripley in Aliens. And then any time there’s a witch in a movie I’m like, “ugh, I want to be her.” As well, X-Men comics and ’90s, hyper-sexualized Jim Lee X-Men illustrations are the kinds of places that I go to when I start thinking about looks and drag.

There are designers that I really like to pull from as well. It’s always really fun to look at Jean Paul Gaultier or Mugler — people who have the same kinds of reference points that I do.

As someone who incorporates aerial acrobatics into your drag, how do you strike a balance between fashion and practicality when you’re up in the air?

To be honest, when you do an aerial performance you have to sacrifice design for sure cause it just needs to be pretty form-fitting and to work. So when I perform aerial it’s generally just a slinky bodysuit of some kind.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t do a reveal before you get on the rope. A lot of my performance these days isn’t aerial based, so then you can kind of go crazy on those numbers.

Photography by Eivind Hansen

Was Drag Race as fun as it looked on TV?

Well, ‘fun’ is a strong word. People always ask, did you have fun? Not really.

It’s such an intense experience and there were moments of it that are amazing and incredible and yeah, fun. But for the most part I was just an anxious, stressed-out person. I was so conscious of how much pressure there was and how much this mattered and — so tired. I don’t think I did actually have that much ‘fun’ when I was on the show.

But now that I know what it’s like, if All Stars ever happens I’d go in not taking it too seriously and ready to have fun. I think that was what really held me back.

Do you have a favourite look that you didn’t get to show on Drag Race?

I really wanted to do the twin makeover challenge (from the second-to-last episode). I had these amazing frothy milkshake costumes. It was going to be me and my sister in pink tulle fantasy, with giant straws and cherries on our heads — very campy. But styled kind of mean, so we’d be like bitchy milkshakes.

What sort of response have you had from Canadian fans?

It’s been lovely. I was a bit worried about that because on the show I did try and distance myself from Canada a little. I wanted the U.K. to be like, “no, he’s British. He’s been here for 10 years, he’s got a British passport — he’s not the Canadian one.” But thankfully that didn’t alienate Canada either.

I’ve got the best of both worlds and I always feel a little bit stuck somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic between the two. I can’t wait to come perform in Canada and meet fans. Recently, I was in Toronto and I didn’t expect to be getting recognized on the street, but I was constantly, and it’s cool.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

The post Catching Up with Crystal, the Canadian Drag Queen on Season 1 of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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