"I got weirdly self-conscious in a different way."

For the uninitiated, filming a sex scene with someone you're dating might seem like the easiest thing in the world — you're getting paid to pretend to do something you're probably already doing. But as revealed by actor Andrew Rannells, there's an aspect of it that people don't think about.

In what he recalls as his seventh appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the actor starts chatting about working on the dark comedy Black Monday. The show, which had been on a slight hiatus given the pandemic, features Rannells playing Blair Pfaff, a bisexual aspiring stockbroker with a wife and a boyfriend. His boyfriend, Roger Harris, is played by his real-life boyfriend Tuc Watkins.

This isn't the first time the pair have worked together: they played lovers in Boys in the Band both on Broadway and on the impending Netflix film. But Meyers wanted to know if there was a difference doing sex scenes with someone you're dating versus someone you don't know.

"Well you know having done both now, I would say the anxiety is a new kind of anxiety because I've done it," Rannells said. "Like on Girls I've done a few sex scenes: a few with Corey Stolls who is so fantastic but we didn't really know each other so that was kind of awkward. It was figuring out what are you comfortable with and is this ok and how do I touch you?

"With Tuc it was sort of easy to block it and get into it but when it came time to actually filming it, all of a sudden I had this realization that I was surrounded by the crew who had now become friends of mine," he continued. "I thought I wonder if they're thinking 'So that's what it looks like. That's what they do at home. That's how they touch each other.' So then I got weirdly self-conscious in a different way." Sounds like someone isn't overtly into PDA!

"All that said," Rannells continued, "it was much easier to do it with someone that you know."

RELATED | Ryan Murphy Is Bringing The Boys in the Band to Netflix

The queen also speaks out on Legendary and ballroom being at the forefront of culture.

She could turn a look like no other and has a poise and confidence that's practically unmatched. Still, that sadly wasn't enough to take her all the way in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 5. Yes, we're talking about Mariah Paris Balenciaga.

After pulling out all the high-fashion stops on the runway, Balenciaga's time on the race was cut short last week after she was voted — by committee — to go home. It was a decision that absolutely came too early but this is the hand we were dealt. Here, we talk to the ballroom staple about what she hoped to bring in her return, all that fashion, and what it's like seeing the ballroom scene now at the forefront of culture.

What were you hoping to show on All Stars this season? What was it about for you?

Coming into All Stars this go-round was about having fun for myself and just showing my growth as an entertainer. Pretty much it was about just having a good time, and allowing myself to enjoy the moment, all while displaying my growth and some fashion.

Let's talk about the fashion and what you wore on the show as well as one thing you didn't get to wear that you were excited about.

There was one outfit that I didn't get to wear that I had. It was this beautiful yellow gown that I shipped into Atlanta to get stoned — that one was going to be sicking. I really wish I would have made it long enough to wear that gown, but you never know you might see it somewhere else soon.

With the Skin You're In evening gown was made for me by Thomas Ogden. He's from the San Francisco Bay Area and he made about six or seven pieces for me. I loved it. It was multi-layered and textured, and there were about three different shades of my nudes layered on top of each other. It just felt like to me I think being for me being in the skin you're in and loving is the ultimate luxury and I just wanted to feel like absolutely regal. I wanted to feel luxurious and opulent; I wanted to just float. I think that that is the feeling that most people who are comfortable in their skin and content with who they are, that's ultimately the feeling. That gown was a visual interpretation of just feeling content with who you are and loving it.

In over a decade of seasons, you still are the only Drag Race competitor who has really made a name in the ballroom scene. On the show you sort of mentioned how it was coming in the first time having not done the pageant and club circuit, what was it like on All Stars?

Well coming into All Stars, I had started performing and traveling and doing the clubs this go-round. So, coming into it I had another, a newer set of tools. So if I had to lip sync or perform or just be more comfortable performing, it definitely gave me the extra advantage I didn't have during season three.

Given Legendary and everything else, what is it like to see ballroom at the forefront of culture?

Well, I am glad that the world can finally see where a lot of people get their creative inspiration or just are stealing ideas from. I think it's been high time for the ballroom culture to get their just due credit for generating a lot of the styles that you see, a lot of the terminology that you hear, and a lot of the dance moves that you see in some of your favorite music videos. Designers, choreographers, stylist they come to the balls and they've gotten inspiration or stolen ideas from ballroom culture for years. I think it's great now that ballroom was the spotlight because those are the people who actually deserve it and earned it. 

You walk the face category which is about having face but is definitely is also about selling it. Do you think that experience helped you on Drag Race?

Absolutely. When you go up there it's all about your presence, your attitude, being able to strategize and anticipate who might be competing, and how they compete and anticipating their moves. You do all of this while making it look effortless and being confident and self-assured. That all that alone is not an easy task, you know that that's a mouthful. To do that and to have the poise and the confidence in the presence. Definitely, the ballroom gave me that.

Do you have any particular thoughts about Legendary?

I just hope that the people who are profiting from Legendary are the people who should be profiting from it. I hope that the ballroom children involved are getting properly compensated. That's with any of these mainstream productions that involve ballroom and ballroom personalities or theme; I hope they are paying them accordingly. 

What do you want your legacy on Drag Race to have been?

Not being afraid to show who you are and not being afraid to speak up about issues that are hard to discuss. It's just being yourself and being confident and comfortable and happy with who you are, whether it's masculine or feminine. Just being comfortable with who you are, it's no easy task. It sounds so much easier said than done, but it really is about being and enjoying who you are and knowing your worth and your value, and what you have to contribute and bring to the table.

What's next on your plate?

I'd love to do just more production work. I want to do more tv projects or even like do some movie stuff. I just want to be more involved with production and challenge myself.

When you say production, do you mean in front of or behind the camera?

Honestly, either way! I think the whole process is amazing. And it's mentally stimulating for me.

RELATED | Why 'Drag Race All Stars' Ongina Should Have Stayed Another Week

It gives you everything you're missing from the FX show, but unscripted.

Pose isn't on right now. This is a reality we must face every single week. That FX series with its high production and high gloss has carved out a special place in our hearts that is only filled by epic reading sessions and beautifully filmed voguing. And while the new HBO Max competition show Legendary isn't a one-for-one replacement, it certainly does enough, while also bringing real-life, modern-day ballroom stories into the forefront.

If you haven't heard, Legendary is television's first competition show based on the ballroom scene — if you ask community icon, Pose choreographer and star, as well as Legendary judge Leiomy Maldonado, it's television's only ballroom show. And while that is amazing in and of itself, the series gives a peek into the varied talents of this community supported by an HBO production budget. 

Each week — outside of the first episode — houses compete in a variety of categories for the title of "superior house" by the end of the episode. These categories are as varied as in ballroom: there's been a team runway challenge; early on there was face; there's also been ballroom's bizarre category where contestants aim to create something otherworldly. Voguing is obviously a staple of the show. 

Before a final elimination, houses have to pick members to go head to head for a vogue battle to live on to compete another day. This is routinely a highlight of the show. Last week, Makayla Lanvin's battle against Shorty Ebony was a no holds barred, acrobat royale where they left everything they had on the floor.

Occasionally these weekly functions are "money balls" where the winners of the various category also go home with cold hard cash; in a particularly emotional moment, Packrat Lanvin took home $5,000 after winning the body category. She begins to cry after winning as a result of never having seen her own body as beautiful — being affirmed as such onstage, and by Meg Thee Stallion no less — is moving.

As with many shows, it's in these small moments that Legendary sings. The personal narratives, when done right, show the true power of the ballroom community. They speak to a myriad of experiences and how the community can help alter one's self-image. But the show has its high points at its shadiest moments.

Image architect Law Roach has etched out a name for himself as the most controversial figure on the series. Period. Week after week he sits on the judging panel and gives the assembled houses his blunt, to-the-point opinion. It is worth noting that when he loves something, he loves it just as much as he hates the next thing. It not only makes for good television but also makes the critique actually mean something as opposed to judges who routinely give out praise.

But in episode three — and in the most recent episode — his attention turned to fellow judges. First, it was Dominique Jackson, an icon of the ballroom community and Elektra Wintour on Pose. She came off just as divisive a character as Roach himself — possibly moreso. It seemed, from footage, that he took issue with her demeanor towards the houses.

"In this house, she's a guest," he says at a particularly spicy moment. The choppy editing made it clear that there was much more there that went unaired.

But this past week Roach got into it with Maldonado in a bit of a bizarre back and forth. Some viewers have criticized him as being aloof, reading as "better than" the houses. The footage that aired last week leaned into that, with Roach seemingly not carrying about anything but the fact that his "check was still going to be cashed." In a particularly contentious exchange, Maldonado brings it all into perspective, dressing Roach down for his attitude and position. In a "perfect for TV" moment, Maldonado brushes off his long resume of fashion credentials.

"We don't need resumes," she says. "A resume means nothing to me mamita." Following the episode's airing, Roach released unaired footage contextualizing his ballroom involvement.

"I know there's been a lot of back and forth about me not being in the ballroom but Ilyana Balenciaga took me to my first ball in 2003," Roach said. "So a lot of balls you girls are watching on YouTube, I was there." In a virtual panel for the ATX Festival, Roach revealed that after that first ball he got on the scene's circuit going to events in Chicago, New York and Atlanta.

"I was blessed to see people like Leiomy and Dashaun and a lot of the real legendary iconic people in the beginning stages of their careers," he said."What I've done in my career is I've become a storyteller for Black history in fashion and I think that what people don't realize is the ballroom scene is a part of Black and brown history. There are so many historic moments that have come from the ballroom scene and I've just been so blessed to be able to see some of those moments in real life."

In the episode, the momentary tiff ended in air kisses.

Legendary truly gives you it all. While it is not a ball exactly, it's probably the best-televised version of a ball we're going to get — much like RuPaul's Drag Race isn't a direct reflection of how many of us experience drag, or any other competition show isn't a direct reflection of the community is based on. Where the show fails in editing — most times in pacing and context — it makes up with the unbridled talent of participants and heart. Led by awe-inspiring house parents like Erykah Lanvin, Jamari Balmain, London Escada, and Jarrell Gucci, who all clearly have a passion not only for the legacies of their respective houses, but also the children they've brought with them on the show, it's a show that works its way into your emotions and will have you rooting for it week after week.

RELATED | Yes, HBO 'Legendary's Jazzul Escada Was Robbed This Week

The queens are doing the Snatch Game this week.

We should say this upfront: last week's lip-sync was a little weird. Just .. from an objective point of view, it looks like the edit favored Miz Cracker to justify a tie. This is no shade to Cracker, but let's just be honest! There's what happened on the floor and then what the producers wanted us to see. Anyway, regardless of who won, the result was the same: Mayhem Miller's time had come to an end. The vote was completely unanimous, and she sashayed away. But in a new clip, the queens count up who is in the lead. 

"Do you guys feel like anyone is the clear winner or top right now," Cracker asked.

"if we're going based off of pure performance, the top would probably be front runner, second, and I would probably be right behind," Shea Coulee responded pointing to Cracker and then to Jujubee.

"Juju, I think you are the front runner right now," Alexis Matteo added. 

"I wouldn't say that," Jujubee said. "What about Miss Quiet over here too?" Jujubee points to Blair St. Clair. 

"She's been consistent like me," Matteo said, "But we haven't won yet."

And it's true: Matteo and St. Clair both have put in solid performances week after week but haven't won. But as we all know, it's still anyone's game.

According to the preview, this week's guest judges are Tommy Dorfman and Jeffrey Boyer-Chapman — the latter of whom is no doubt promoting Canada's Drag Race which begins airing tomorrow. This week on All Stars, according to the name of the new clip, the queens will be competing in "Snatch Game of Love." Fans will remember that this version of snatch game debuted on season 4 of All Stars so it will be interesting to see how prepared the girls are.

RELATED | These Are 'Canada's Drag Race' Season 1 Queens

Ryan Murphy's Hollywood garners six nods, and even Tiger King is nominated.

The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA) announced nominations for their inaugural Dorian TV Awards Tuesday, and Schitt’s Creek leads with seven, including best TV comedy and best supporting TV performance for Dan Levy. Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Hollywood earned six nominations, followed by HBO’s miniseries Watchmen and TV movie Bad Education with four nods each. Tiger King was appropriately nominated for the campiest TV show.

"With a global pandemic, severe economic strife, the gut-punches of racism and police brutality proverbially hitting us all—this might not seem like the right time for fluffy showbiz awards," said GALECA president and Pride Media CEO and Editorial Director Diane Anderson-Minshall. "But it may be more important than ever now to embrace and champion quality stories and push the real Hollywood’s entitled writers, producers, executives and PR reps out of their bubble and into truly reflecting America’s diversity for a change. They have so much power, and entertainment journalism groups like GALECA can make them accountable."

“Stereotypical, or worse, depictions of LGBTQs and People of Color have greatly contributed to the pain America is in right now,” said GALECA Executive Director John Griffiths. “GALECA and its partner organization CGEM: Critics Groups for Equality in Media are determined to press media companies to take more responsibility and hire more underrepresented voices, voices that might say, ‘Hey, why, in 2020, is every single character on this show white, rich and straight except for the Asian, Latinx or Black baddie/comic foil?'”

In addition to more traditional categories, the Dorians are also know for more off-the-wall awards such as the campiest TV show and the Wilde Wit Award honoring a performer, writer, or commentator who, like the award’s namesake, can both challenge and amuse with his or her observations. The Dorians are named in homage to Wilde’s classic character Dorian Gray.

Below is a complete list of the nominees.

BEST TV DRAMA

Better Call Saul (AMC)

Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)

Ozark (Netflix)

The Crown (Netflix)

The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

BEST TV COMEDY

Better Things (FX)

Dead to Me (Netflix)

Insecure (HBO)

Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

The Good Place (NBC)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

BEST TV MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

Bad Education (HBO)

Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)

Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)

Normal People (Hulu)

Watchmen (HBO)

BEST TV PERFORMANCE – ACTRESS

Christina Applegate, Dead to Me (Netflix)

Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)

Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me (Netflix)

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)

Regina King, Watchmen (HBO)

Laura Linney, Ozark (Netflix)

Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

BEST TV PERFORMANCE – ACTOR

Hugh Jackman, Bad Education (HBO)

Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Paul Mescal, Normal People (Hulu)

Jeremy Pope, Hollywood (Netflix)

Ramy Youssef, Ramy (Hulu)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE – ACTRESS

Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)

Julia Garner, Ozark (Netflix)

Allison Janney, Bad Education (HBO)

Patti LuPone, Hollywood (Netflix)

Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Jean Smart, Watchmen (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE – ACTOR

Billy Crudup, The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Harvey Guillén, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Joe Mantello, Hollywood (Netflix)

Josh O’Connor, The Crown (Netflix)

Jim Parsons, Hollywood (Netflix)

BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

Cynthia Erivo, “Stand Up”, 92nd Academy Awards (ABC)

Jake Gyllenhaal, “Music, Music Everywhere!”, John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch (Netflix)

Jennifer Lopez & Shakira, Halftime Show, Super Bowl LIV (Fox)

Janelle Monáe & Billy Porter, Opening Number, 92nd Academy Awards (ABC)

Noah Reid, “Always Be My Baby”, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW

Bad Education (HBO)

Hollywood (Netflix)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Vida (Starz)

We’re Here (HBO)

Work in Progress (Showtime)

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM

Cheer (Netflix)

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC)

Visible: Out on Television (Apple TV+)

BEST UNSUNG TV SHOW

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform)

Gentefied (Netflix)

The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

Mrs. Fletcher (HBO)

One Day at a Time (Pop)

Vida (Starz)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Work in Progress (Showtime)

MOST VISUALLY STRIKING SHOW

Hollywood (Netflix)

The Crown (Netflix)

The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Watchmen (HBO)

Westworld (HBO)

CAMPIEST TV SHOW

AJ and the Queen (Netflix)

Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings (Netflix)

The Great (Hulu)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (Netflix)

WILDE WIT AWARD

Dan Levy

Randy Rainbow

Hannah Gadsby

Cate Blanchett

Trevor Noah

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And yes, it was in Jaida Essence Hall's section.

When RuPaul's Drag Race aired its Madonna Rusical in season 12, we called it one of the best Rusicals in herstory. We, unequivocally, stand by that assessment. But now creative director and choreographer Jamal Sims, is revealing that some of the most salacious parts were left on the cutting room floor due to careful editing.

For those who don't remember, Madonna: The Unofficial Ru-sical saw contestants embody different eras of one of entertainment's longest-reigning popstars. It was quite the competition with Gigi Goode and Jaida Essence Hall coming as clear stand outs — Goode justifiably won that week's maxi challenge and Hall went on to win the season. But according to Sims it was all done on just hours of rehearsal.

"I have an hour [two teach the queens] on camera, and then I have 45 minutes to an hour after, off-camera,"he told Entertainment Weeklyof preparation. Sims is somewhat of a secret weapon for Drag Race— and a sometimes judge — having choreographed quite a number of the show's performances as well as RuPaul's Drag Race: Live in Vegas. "Normally, something like this would require a week's rehearsal. It's intense."

But given that Sims has been a lifelong fan of Madonna, and is a professional at what he does, he made pretty quick work of getting the job done. After coming up with choreography, he customized it to the queen's individual dance ability. And this is what we saw on the runway — mostly.

"'Justify My Love,' it was a little edited because I kind of went there with that one," Sims said. "They didn't show everything ..."

"So it was raunchier?"EW Drag Race reporter Joey Nolfi asked.

"Yes!" Sims replied.

Go take a look at the rehearsal footage on EW.

RELATED | This Is How Much Cash 'Drag Race' Has Awarded to Queens in 12 Years

In a new clip, Alexis Matteo tears up about the incident.

Last week brought the drama that RuPaul's Drag Race has been honestly missing from the last few seasons. In what has seemingly come out to be nothing more than a strategy move India Ferrah claimed that previously Alexis Matteo had campaigned to have Shea Couleé voted off. As all of the queens (outside of Couleé) were in the bottom, it was Ferrah's attempt to put up another viable candidate for elimination. And according to a new clip from this week's episode of the show, it's one the top-performer considered.

"I got really close, really close to picking your lipstick, I'm not going to lie," Couleé says in the clip. This imagery that India created in my head of you going to all the girls in secret and telling them to pick my name really shook me. But even though there were doubts, there wasn't reason enough to send you home.

Matteo reasserted what she had said during the deliberation. You remember: if a girl wants to campaign they have to campaign!

"I know how voting works," she said. "If I wanted you to go home, I needed all of you." The queen then goes on to ask each of the other competitors if she approached them and they all denied it. 

When it was all said it done, all of the lipsticks revealed that the cast — besides Ferrah — wanted Matteo to stay. 

"I feel like the right person went home tonight," Blair St. Clair says. "India was in the bottom four times in a row — woof." And though we haven't gotten a full resolution on the situation yet, as Daddy Couleé says "whatever is done in the dark will always come to the light." So we'll see it all come out in the wash.

For this week's maxi-challenge, the queens are competing in The Charles Family Backyard Ball. Singer Bebe Rexha is the guest judge. The competition is a spin on the show's long-running multi-look ball challenge

RELATED | 'Drag Race's Madonna Rusical Was 'Raunchier' Than What Aired

She takes over from Ruby Rose.

There's a new Batwoman in town, and her name is Javicia Leslie!

According to a report from Variety, the fan-favorite superhero series from The CW just cast the 33-year-old bisexual actress as the show's new lead, taking over the reins from Ruby Rose, who left the show earlier this year. 

"I am extremely proud to be the first Black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television, and as a bisexual woman, I am honored to join this groundbreaking show which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community," Leslie, who was previously known for her role in CBS' God Friended Me, told the trade publication in a statement when the news of her casting broke. 

Instead of being recast as Ruby's previous character Kate Kane, Variety is reporting that Leslie will be playing the role of a new series lead named Ryan Wilder. While the thought of losing one of TV's still too few lesbian characters is a tough one, especially since Kate Kane is such a beloved comic name, you don't have to worry about whether or not the show is still going to be queer AF. 

"She's likable, messy, a little goofy, and untamed," a now-deleted casting notice said, describing the Ryan Wilder character. "With no one in her life to keep her on track, Ryan spent years as a drug-runner, dodging the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits. Today, reformed and sober, Ryan lives in a van with her plant. A girl who would steal milk from an alley cat and could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly disciplined. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical All-American hero."

Ever since the unexpected news of Ruby Rose's departure from The CW's latest Arrowverse series broke back in May, the fate of the show has been up in the air, so it's nice for Batwoman stans to get some majorly needed good news amidst all this chaos!

And we can't wait to see Javicia rock the iconic Batwoman suit and kick some bad guy ass! Congrats Javicia! 

Streamer announces final season for the LGBTQ+ fan favorite.

Netflix is calling it quits on their teenaged witch.

The streaming network announced it was cancelling the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s supernatural horror series based on the Archie comic book character and starring Kiernan Shipka in the title role. The show is known for its diverse characters and inclusive story lines, making it a fan fave within the community. Sabrina will end production following the release of part four later this year.

“Working on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has been an incredible honor from day one,” Aguirre-Sacasa said in a statement. “The cast, beginning with Kiernan as everyone’s favorite teen witch, has been an absolute joy. I am beyond thankful to the crew, writers, editors, assistants, and everyone for pouring so much love into this dark dream of a show.”

Shipka is back for part four, as are castmates Chance Perdomo, Gavin Leatherwood, Tati Gabrielle, Lucy Davis, Miranda Otto, Lachlan Watson, Ross Lynch, Jaz Sinclair, Richard Coyle, and Michelle Gomez. The final episodes are scheduled to be released this fall.

Saying he was “proud of this show” and “grateful to everyone who worked on it,” Aguirre-Sacasa told fans to “hold on tight” for the show’s final episodes.

Shipka won rave reviews for her performance in the titular role of Sabrina. She brought two of her demonic friends to Instagram to summon viewers to the final episodes.

Sabrina has earned a loyal following due in large part to the representation of LGBTQ+ folks, people of color, and strong female characters, as well as the refreshingly inclusive storylines. Some fans were clearly not in an upbeat mood following the announcement.

Sabrina was originally designed as a spinoff for Aguirre-Sacasa’s successful Riverdale series, but was later moved to Netflix for 20 episodes. The cancellation is one of several by Netflix this month. The streamer had earlier announced Ozark, The Kominsky Method, and Dead to Me were all in their final seasons.

This is the second cancellation in the past few days for Aguirre-Sacasa. The CW nixed his Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene was after only one season. Despite the dual-cancellations, Aguirre-Sacasa remained upbeat and thankful.

“I’m also grateful to our partners at Netflix, Warner Bros., Berlanti Television and Archie Comics for letting us tell the story we wanted to tell, the way we wanted to tell it,” he said in a statement. “We can’t wait for everyone to see part four.”

RELATED | 5 Things We Want to See in ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ Part 2

In the Out exclusive, Shea Couleé gives the performer some tips for this week's challenge.

As has been said multiple times before: at least two shows are going on in any given season of RuPaul's Drag Race. On one hand, there's RuPaul's Drag Race the pageant, and on the other, there's RuPaul's Drag Race the reality show. In a good season, the two overlap and we all fall in love with the queens who do well in the competition. But by the nature of the business, it's generally the queen who stands out on the reality television side that has the most lasting careers. On All Stars 5, the two versions of the show seem to overlap heavily.

Of the seasons top-performing queens are Jujubee and Shea Couleé. And while Couleé is bringing a level of honesty with a dash of comedy to her confessionals, it's Jujubee who is pulling out ahead as the season's Queen of the Confessional. If we were allowed to crown the season's narrator, it's going to Jujubee hands down. Now, a new clip from this week's episode premiere exclusively on Out, shows just the latest example.

This week on the Main Stage, contestants will compete in The Charles Family Backyard Ball. Essentially a multi-look design challenge, queens have to create their own looks from things they might find in someone's yard. This proves a possible issue for Jujubee who isn't a sewer.

"You know what, I am so confident in this challenge, oooh, I am going to take this!" she says excitedly in the clip. "Bitch I am lying because I'm scared. I am going to poop myself because this is terrifying. That's the honest truth."

Thankfully, though Couleé is playing to win, she truly wants to win because she's the best and not just on a technicality. So, the giving person that she is, she channels her design background and gives Jujubee a few tips. It's a collaborative, sisterly note that leagues away from how the previous episode ended.

RELATED | This Is Why 'Drag Race's Shea Couleé Sent India Ferrah Home

"I'm going to be honest, I knew you couldn't sew so I didn't know you were going to walk in done like this." 

If you don't have enough RuPaul's Drag Race in your life, well there's a little more — at least from the latest episode. As the show continues to build out content around episodes, the latest installment includes RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars 3 winner, Trixie Mattel.

In a new clip posted to YouTube, Mattel crashes the show's set to interview the remaining queens. Likely done right before the contestants went to the Main Stage for judges' critiques.

"Hi, I'm Trixie Mattel — a young woman," she says. "I'm on the set of All Stars 5 and these queens are right in the middle of a Barbecue Ball challenge. Now it's a stressful event but I think they can handle just a little more stress."

The banter is the funny type of back and forth that we've come to expect from Mattel. There's not an incredible a lot of "tea" that we haven't seen yet: Mattel gags at how naturally fishy Blair St. Clair is; Alexis Matteo describes the intricacies of how she made her look; and everyone points to Jujubee as the person who is the most nervous.

"I'm going to be honest, I knew you couldn't sew so I didn't know you were going to walk in done like this," Mattel says to Jujubee when it comes to her.

"What did you expect? Jujubee asks incredulously. "A roach?"

"Maybe!!" Mattel replies.

The girls revisit the "to campaign you have to campaign" conversation, but  no new tea there. But still, we get to watch them in literally all of their All Stars beauty. 

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Producer Tony Cervone reveals Velma was going to become romantically involved with Marcie Fleach if they had more time.

The producer of the animated series Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated revealed on Instagram the character of Velma Dinkley was a lesbian in his 2010 animated retelling of the 1969 cartoon classic. Tony Cervone made the revelation in response to a comment on a picture he posted of Velma and fellow character Marcie Fleach against a background of pride colors.

"I've said this before, but Velma in Mystery Incorporated is not bi. She's gay," the Cervone said in response to a fan of the franchise who was apparently triggered that Velma’s lesbianism went against “the canon” of Scooby Doo lore.

Velma has been an LGBTQ+ icon since the original Scooby Doo: Where Are You? animated series debuted in 1969. The show ran for two seasons on Saturday mornings and featured the hijinks of a group of teenagers and one lovable Great Dane, who drive around together in a psychedelic-painted van solving outlandish and mildy spooky crimes. Velma is portrayed as the ‘brains’ of the group, as well as the strongest.

Cervone’s Mystery Incorporated ran from 2010 to 2013. He had hoped to develop the relationship between Velma and Marcie, but an early cancellation meant the couple did not have “time to act on their feelings.”

The fan in question had complained that simply because Velma and Marci “wear similar stuff doesn’t mean there (sic) dating” and a relationship between the two would be heretical because “Velma likes shaggy that’s the canon.”

“We always planned on Velma acting a little off and out of character while she was dating Shaggy because that relationship was wrong for her and she had unspoken difficulty with the why,” Cervone explained of that relationship.

Whether the user is upset or not, Velma's sexuality is queer and, according to Cervone, the haters are just going to have to get used to it.

“You can not like it,” he said. “But this was our intention.”

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The trailer for the new series is uber cute.

If you were thirsting for more Andy Cohen, the universe has heard your cry. Today the television show host and executive produce has announced a new dishy series serving up some tea and a bit of insider scoop on his own life. Welcoming to the broadcast: The Andy Cohen Diaries.

Over the years, Cohen has spoken about keeping a diary — on Shangela's podcast he said that this was inspired by Andy Warhol. The diary (or journal) can serve as a possible blueprint for a future memoir or some other project. He went on to tell Shangela that he does much of his writing in his journal while on airplanes. In the past, these diaries have indeed been turned into New York Times Bestsellers with The Andy Cohen Diaries and Superficial: More Adventures from the Andy Cohen Diaries. Now, we're getting into television baby.

The Andy Cohen Diaries show is a new animated series launching July 20. 

"After 10 years of hosting a talk show, I feel like my audience and I are connected besties," Cohen says in a trailer for the series. "Now I"m doing the one thing I've been told not to: share all of my super confidential stories."

The trailer teases appearances by Celine Dion, George R.R. Martin, Sarah Jessica Parker, and multiple housewives from his Real Housewives franchise, as well as some of the star's embarrassing moments. But there also seems to be some sweetness in there too. The trailer continues a very quick moment of Cohen, seemingly dressed as a cat burglar, ceasing on to a child. dubbed "World's Cutest Baby." This is likely an exaggerated reimagining of the birth of his son Benjamin. And of all of the stories, we honestly can't wait to see that one.

Stills provided to press reveal that there may be multiple scenes involving Benjamin.

The Andy Cohen Diaries airs on Quibi, beginning July 20.

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The new season features gay runner Coree Aussem-Woltering. 

Amazon Prime just released the trailer for their upcoming epic adventure World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji and it looks absolutely crazy.

The 10-episode series, hosted by Bear Grylls, pits 66 teams from 30 countries against each other in a non-stop race across hundreds of miles in the jungles, mountains, rivers, and ocean of Fiji. The race is a 24/7 ordeal that takes place over 11 days.

"I have no clue what to be afraid of," one of the contestants ominously says in the clip. "I'm about to find out."

In other words, the World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji is about perseverance. A diverse group of teams and competitors will test the limits of human physical and mental endurance — at one point someone admits they've only had four hours of sleep in as many days, and at another someone seems to teeter on the brink of consciousness. Along the way, viewers are introduced to some of the team members, including a self-described "tough chick," a man who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a father and son duo, and a few "strong" Indian women. This year also features gay Black triathlete Coree Aussem-Woltering as a member of Team Onyx, the first all-Black team to compete in the challenge. Woltering does not appear in the trailer but is known for his love of racing on any surface, often in his "signature Speedo and a friendly smile"according to North Face, a brand that he works with.

You can watch the full trailer below.

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The British television commercial is part of the company’s attempt to reimagine societal attitudes about condoms and their use.

A new Durex condoms commercial airing on British television shows a same-sex couple in a moment of intimacy. The ad entitled “Let’s Not Go Back To Normal” encourages condom usage and eliminating associated stigma, and is part of the company’s “Challenge the Norms” campaign begun earlier this year.

“For too long, normal just wasn’t good enough,” a voice says as the ad opens. “Normal was making rubbish excuses for not wearing a condom. Normal was shaming women for even carrying one. Normal was one million needless STIs. Every. Single. Day.”

The narration continues while people representing a spectrum of gender and sexual identities appear intermittently on screen.

“So, this is a call to arms, legs, bums and private parts,” the narration continues. “Let’s not go back to normal. The world has never been so ready for change. So, let’s all change it for the better. For each other.”

Towards the end of the commercial, a gay couple are seen together on a bed, slowly caressing each other in one of the commercial’s more memorable moments.

“Everyone is talking about going back to normal,” said Ben Wilson, Global Category Director, Sexual Wellbeing, at Durex parent company Reckitt Benckiser Group, in a statement. “But nobody is questioning whether we should. Truth is, ‘normal’ is rooted in a lot of outdated conventions and when it comes to sex, we can do better.”

Elliot Harris, RB Global Executive Creative Director at the company’s creative agency Havas London, agrees saying the campaign “might be the most important piece of work” the company has ever created.

The ad concludes by noting that “it’s been pretty weird lately” and challenging viewers to effect real change when restrictions are lifted.

“So, when it’s time to get back out on the streets and jump back in the sheets, let’s not go back to normal,” the narrator observes as the commercial ends. "Let’s have better, safer sex. For everyone. Forever.”

The complete Durex commercial can be viewed below.

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The network is currently in 'active negotiations.'

Saying the company is in “active negotiations” and will reveal “more details soon,” a representative from the Hallmark Channel announced that some of the movies included in its annual “Countdown to Christmas” and “Miracles of Christmas” holiday programming will include LGBTQ+ characters, actors, and storylines. The network was met with pushback recently when none of the announced titles in its 2020-2021 slate of holiday films seemed to includ queer themes or characters.

"Diversity and inclusion is a top priority for us and we look forward to making some exciting programming announcements in the coming months, including announcements about projects featuring LGBTQ storylines, characters, and actors," George Zaralidis, vice president of network program publicity at Hallmark's parent company, Crown Media Family Networks, said in a statement. "We are committed to creating a Hallmark experience where everyone feels welcome."

The network had earlier released a partial list of 40 movies for the upcoming holiday season, and received blowback for its lack of LGBTQ+ stories, including one from Netflix writer JP Larocque.

The Hallmark Channel is renowned for its popular programming that includes made-for-TV movies featuring romantic storylines and plenty of happy and sappy endings.

Last year, Hallmark Channel CEO Bill Abbott told co-host Daniel Fienberg on The Hollywood Reporter’s “TV's Top 5” podcast the network is open to “really any type of movie of any type of relationship in any space,” including same-sex romances in its seasonal Yuletide offerings. Shortly thereafter, though, the network had to apologize for removing an advertisement showing a same-sex wedding couple. That ad was later reinstated after a public outcry.

“Hallmark is, and always has been, committed to diversity and inclusion – both in our workplace as well as the products and experiences we create,” Mike Perry, president and CEO of Hallmark Cards, said in a statement at the time. The company was also embroiled in controversy last year when they banned a Zola ad that featuring a lesbian couple.

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Papa Thomas, Daddy Davide, and Evelyn will make their debut on ' Disney Fam Jam' on Sunday.

We are the Butson-Luthier family! Our family consists of two dads and a 9-year-old daughter that came into our family through surrogacy. We are also known as Le Fab Trois online — which translates to The Fab Three — and this month, we will become the first family with gay dads to appear on a reality-based Disney show.

First, a little about us: We are an international family! Papa Thomas (that’s me) is from Paris, Daddy Davide is from New York (with Italian roots,) and our daughter Evelyn was born in India using an Indian egg donor. What’s more, Davide and I met in Hong Kong.

At the time, Davide was in a six year ordeal to have a child. Coincidently, the two of us met the same week our surrogate was pregnant. When he told me that he was trying to get pregrant, I revealed my desire to also be a father. Once Evie arrived just 9 months later Le Fab Trois was created, a year and a half later, we all relocated to Davide’s hometown of New York City, Thomas and Evie quickly felt at home and became official New Yorkers.

As soon as marriage equality became the law of the land in North America, we tied the knot on Fire Island amongst family and friends. Today our family lives and works in Las Vegas. This July we celebrated five years of marriage just in time for our big television debut. 

Last November, Disney reached out to us through Instagram and asked if we would be interested in joining a family dance competition show called Disney Fam Jam. On it, every week two families compete against each other in a dance battle. At the end of each episode, the studio audience will vote for their favorite family, and the winner takes home a $10,000 prize along with a "Disney Fam Jam" trophy. We said yes to the opportunity right away!

The thing about being on set is that it was truly filled with love. There weren’t any unrealistic expectations of professional dance ability or anything like that; it was truly about just having a good time for the kids. That was palpable from when we stepped on set.

The song we chose for the main performance was one that celebrated our daughter Evelyn, and where she comes from; Her Indian heritage was front and center. The performance highlighted our family’s love for one another and our passion for dancing, which is the reason why we were competing in the first place — well, and the fact that Evie dreams of becoming a professional dancer one day and is already training four days per week in tap, hip hop, ballet, and jazz.

For us, it was more than about just winning a possible $10,000. Going on national television by way of a Disney show was also about visibility. While there is some visibility currently for queer families with gay dads like Ricky Martin, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper, and Mr. Joe Zee, all of whom have had children via surrogacy, we bring something different. We are an every day family, without any nannies, big dollar budgets, or headline names behind us. It’s a sign of visibility that people can relate to, and is important in the spectrum of families that are available in the public domain today.

“At the end of the day it’s all about awareness” Thomas, my husband says says. “Our daughter has faced remarks from other kids about her two dads and she quickly explains with extreme pride: ‘Love is Love is Love…and my daddies love me, isn’t that what matters?’”

The Disney Fam Jam episode featuring the Butson-Luthier will air on Sunday, July 19, at 8:24PM (EST/PST) on Disney Channel (please check your local listings as this may be subject to change).

Time to meet the newest members of our Las Encinas gang. 

Ring ring, school is almost back in session!

When we last left Netflix's hit show Elite, we were in a moment of uncertainty. Half of the cast was graduating Las Encinas, the school that connected them all and played as the backdrop for most of the crazy action on the show. And not only were they leaving, but they were flying off to different parts of the world. The other half, for some reason or another, were repeating their senior year. Speculation began to quickly mount that any new season would bring in a whole new cast, and a new post from the official Twitter account does just that. 

"Welcome to the Elite family," the account tweeted this morning listing four new actors. The photos included contain the six of the prior cast that are stuck at Las Encinas (yes, Omar and Ander are still there but they are curiously separate in the image) as well as the newbies. Their names: Manu Rios, Carla Díaz, Martina Cariddi, and Pol Granch. Rios is a well-followed actor, model, and social media influencer while Granch is a musician.

How these new players will change the dynamic of the show is yet to be seen? The first three seasons centered murder mystery storylines. With those murders all solved, will someone new die? Or is there some undiscovered detail about a previous death that comes to light?

There has been no date for when the new season might be out. The season four announcement included the actors saying that they had already seen the scripts but given the ongoing global pandemic there's no telling when production will begin. That said, the press photos seem to be from set. So who knows!

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'Pose's Our Lady J has also come on to the project as a writer.

After casting related backlash, New Regency is pushing forward with its Rub & Tug film project, now as a television series. Though Scarlett Johansson is no longer in the lead role, producers have tapped Our Lady J, who notably served as a writer for FX's Pose, to pen the pilot’s script. According to a Deadline report, New Regency will also cast a trans actor in the lead role of Dante “Tex” Gill, the larger-than-life transgender Pittsburgh gangster involved in the city’s infamous massage parlor wars of the 1970s.

"Tex's life story is like no other, and the rich landscape of this unexplored moment in time has truly captured my imagination," Our Lady J said in a statement. "I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to write a gangster drama based on such a fascinating and diverse web of queer characters.”

The Emmy-nominated writer for Pose and Transparent is likely the perfect choice for the reimagined project. Originally planned as a movie starring Scarlett Johansson in the leading role, the project was put on hold after criticism from the transgender community for casting a non-trans actor in the role. Johansson withdrew from the project and added fuel to the fire with insensitive comments, although she later apologized.

Gill built an illicit empire of massage parlors in Pittsburgh’s red light district during the 1970s and 1980s before being imprisoned on tax evasion charges in 1985. He surrounded himself with others who were marginalized and living on the fringes of society, many of whom were LGBTQ+. Never one to back down from mobsters or police, Gill infamously threw a birthday cake at an undercover state trooper when police raided his Spartacus Massage Parlor.

For Our Lady J, the story is personal. She grew up in Pennsylvania and is “excited to delve deep into Pittsburgh's underbelly” of the era. For her, the story is about the “promise of reinvention, and the peril of losing oneself in the process.” If a trans masculine actor is cast to play Tex, the show could make history.

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The Queens of Vegas are on their way!

If you were afraid of running out of RuPaul's Drag Race with the end of All Stars season five hurtling ever nearer, breathe easier. The franchise is launching a whole new television show on VH1, and this time we're going to Vegas.

Premiering on August 21, RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue is a six-episode docuseries revolving around the RuPaul's Drag Race Live! residency. That show launched earlier this year (we loved it) and cast show alum as its stars. The cast rotated and was originally slated to go through the end of this year. The ongoing global pandemic interrupted that but before the residency ended, World of Wonder Productions got enough content to make a show.

The new VH1 series shows not only what happened onstage for the residency also behind the scenes. "The series gives fans a deeper look into the lives of their favorite queens as they showcase the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent it takes to pull off groundbreaking performances in front of a live audience," a release said. The hope is we'll get some juicy details like, why exactly Kameron Michaels and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo are kissing in the trailer.

Your queens: Yvie Oddly, Asia O'Hara, Derrick Barry, Kameron Michaels, Naomi Smalls, and Vanessa "Vanjie" Mateo. And, having seen this show when it was on stage, Asia O'Hara is the host we all need in our lives!

(Oh, and yes they come with their own Pit Crew!)

Watch the show's trailer below. An extended first look at the show will debut during the finale of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars season five this Friday.

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