Sunday, December 30, 2012

Out Spotlight

Today's Out Spotlight is one of the world’s most famous drag queens. He is a successful actor, advocate, author, spokes model, singer, producer and television host. Today's Out Spotlight is RuPaul.

Born RuPaul Andre Charles. November 17, 1960 in San Diego, California, the only son and middle child (between older twin sisters Renae and Renetta and baby sister Rosalind) to Ernestine and Irving Charles  he learned about fashion from his mother and his sisters. 

At four he saw "The Supremes" on the Ed Sullivan TV show. As he put it, "I fell in love with them, particularly, the skinny one in the middle." (Diana Ross)  His sister remembers him playing out in the yard in one of her pink dresses in 1965, while RuPaul remembers that year him lip-sinking "The Supremes" hit song "Baby Love" by the side of the garage. Neighborhood kids informed him that was a sissy.

After years of fighting his parents divorced when he was 7.  He and his sisters ended up taking care of his mother who shut down for several years after the nasty and ugly divorce.  At 16, he moved to Atlanta to live with his sister and brother-in-law to get a fresh start.

In Atlanta, RuPaul studied acting, performed as a bar dancer and sang with a band. He gained national exposure with a cameo role dancing in the video for the B-52s’ “Love Shack.” In 1987, RuPaul moved to New York, where he became a popular entertainer in the Manhattan nightclub scene. He was crowned “Queen of Manhattan 1990.”

In 1993, RuPaul collaborated with Elton John on a remake of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” The following year, RuPaul had his first solo hit single, “Supermodel (You Better Work),” which topped the dance music charts. Three more dance hits followed: “Back to My Roots,” “A Shade Shady” and “House of Love.”

Small guest parts in television shows (in and out of drag) in the early 90's led him to  branch out into movies with appearances in "To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" (1995),  “The Brady Bunch Movie” (1995) and Spike Lee’s “Crooklyn” (1995).  Those  roles aalong with the release of his autobiography “Lettin It All Hang Out” (1996), landed RuPaul a talk show on VH1.


He described the “The RuPaul Show” as “the most creatively satisfying, fun-filled working experience I’ve ever had.” The show had RuPaul (in drag) interviewing celebrity guests and musical acts including his life long celebrity crush Diana Ross, as well as other notable guests   Nirvana, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Mary J. Blige, Bea Arthur, Dionne Warwick, Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton-John, Beenie Man, Pete Burns, Bow Wow Wow, and the Backstreet Boys. His co-host was Michelle Visage, with whom he also co-hosted on WKTU radio. On one episode, RuPaul featured guests Chi Chi LaRue and Tom Chase speaking about the gay porn industry.

That same year, he became a spokesperson for M.A.C Cosmetics, making him the first drag queen supermodel. In six years, RuPaul helped raise over $22 million for the M.A.C AIDS Fund.

His morning  show on WKTU-FM with Michelle Visage, on a New York dance music station was the inspiration for him to  produced and starred in the film “Starrbooty” (2007), which he adapted into a nightclub act.

In 2009 he created, produced and hosted of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (as herself, in drag) for Logo Television and the next year added “RuPaul’s Drag U” (as himself, out of drag) for Logo as well.

In 1999, RuPaul was named Entertainer of The Year at the GLAAD Media Awards. In 2002, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by The Most Beautiful Transsexuals in the World Association.

 “With hair, heels, and attitude, honey, I am through the roof.”


 




32 comments:

prairiegirl said...

Fascinating Out Spotlight, Special! But you did a gif!!!! I can't stand gifs!!! LOL. They drive me nuts.
I don't remember RuPaul in Love Shack. I'll have to re-watch that video on YouTube. And who doesn't remember "Sashay Shantay"? That was awesome. You bet work, work it girl!. I loved that. "Sashay Shantay".
Sounds like his childhood was pretty rough, though. But what a survivor. And what a super achiever, wow. Really a great story.

the real m said...

Sometimes I think RuPaul is the only thing on LOGO. Every time I scroll past there it's on. I did not realize his other work. I don't think Prisoners starts filming for another month so not sure why he would be in the south already, unless he and Austin are settling in early.

the real m said...

Grrr! I was in the middle of re-reading a slash story when live journal went down. Frustrating! Plus the iPad auto correct is driving me crazy too. Must be vigilant for a sentence to make sense.

prairiegirl said...

Darnit, I meant 'better work', not bet work. Oh well, sorry about the error.

Well, we're supposed to get snow now.
>[ Not happy about that at all.

prairiegirl said...

Hey m, I was beginning to think no one wanted to go near those Alabama tweets, LOL.

I have no doubt about Alabama. Let's have a little Twitter PowerPoint demo, shall we? I think this one's worth it.

It all started just before Christmas and most of this is, believe it or not, coming from Austin's camp. The guy had been silent since Dec 11. All of a sudden, out of the blue, he tweets on the 23rd, the 24th, and on Christmas Day. And his camp has his account revving up all of the periodic horny come-on DM's to young girls. No need to post those, they belong on a Nickelodeon Twitter site, they're that bad.

So anyway, all of a sudden, some of the old reliables pop back up out of the shrubbery, this one in particular who routinely tag-teams with another account, both parties supposedly from Australia.

@Jaimeefleming
12/25/12, 8:06

@AUS10NICHOLS check ur other msgs


^^ Rubbish. She can't message him because he's not following her. The other person has to be following you in order for you to be able to DM them. Interestingly, this tweet is no longer, it was deleted.

And notice the date on that tweet too, btw. Christmas Day. lol.

prairiegirl said...

For those who don't know about Twitter, this tweet was by a person named @Jaimeefleming. She is tweeting at Austin, hence the @AUS10NICHOLS. When she says "check ur messages", she is most likely referring to DM's. DM's in Twitter speak are like IM's in Outlook, PM's in LiveJournal, etc. They're sort of like emails that no one else can see.

She isn't talking about phone messages. If she was, there would be no need for Twitter communication. #2, she's a fan (supposedly). #3, She's supposedly in Australia. Right. Like Austin is going to be corresponding with a fan on Christmas morning. The odds of that are kind of low. Not out of the question but...The fact that she put that tweet up and then took it down pretty quickly just threw her into a pretty suspect category as far as validity is concerned.

And then someone new popped up on Christmas Day. @sophiebenn89. This person tweets for the first time on Christmas Day. We're going to follow this account now in a little timeline.
This is so phony, it's not even funny.


Sophie Bennet ‏@sophiebenn89

Merry Christmas.
9:46 AM - 25 Dec 12 · Details


Sophie Bennet ‏@sophiebenn89

Well that's a lame first tweet but okay.
9:46 AM - 25 Dec 12

Good so far, right? Kind of a testing 1, 2, 3.

prairiegirl said...

She throws in another tweet for good measure, also on Christmas Day.

Sophie Bennet ‏@sophiebenn89

Christmas dinner with the fam and tonight partying with my favorite girls.
4:09 PM - 25 Dec 12

Then comes the first tweet to Austin:

Sophie Bennet ‏@sophiebenn89

Hey handsome @AUS10NICHOLS What does a girl have to do to get a dm from you?
2:37 PM - 27 Dec 12

Sprinkle with a Nana tweet:

Sophie Bennet ‏@sophiebenn89

Having dinner with my Nana at the nursing home tonight. I never get used to the smell of old people.
2:41 PM - 27 Dec 12

Then here comes the onslaught to Austin:

Sophie Bennet ‏@sophiebenn89

@AUS10NICHOLS Hmm. Well if you want them to happen, you'd better start telling me buddy.
4:03 PM - 28 Dec 12

Sophie Bennet ‏@sophiebenn89

@AUS10NICHOLS On the other hand.. You have already dm'd me. But tell me what you're thinking and I'll see what I can do. ;)
4:04 PM - 28 Dec 12

Sophie Bennet ‏@sophiebenn89

@AUS10NICHOLS That's...bold. Do you dm all your fans with an offer like that or should I feel special? ;) Are you in NYC?
4:14 PM - 29 Dec 12


This last tweet comes after the first Alabama sighting which occurred on the 28th at 19:02 CT. Isn't it interesting too how "she" asks him if he's in NYC? Now why would she ask that? I thought Austin lived in L.A.? Or is it Austin TX?
Now here's the kicker. Today, this account tweets:

Sophie Bennet ‏@sophiebenn89

@AUS10NICHOLS Shame I can't just dm you, but I'm flattered haha. Sounds like fun! Keep me posted babe. Have a great time in TX!
10:25 AM - 30 Dec 12


Whaaa? Hey, it sounds like Austin must be talking to her, right? "keep me posted". And babe? Wow, didn't she just meet him on Twitter on the 28th? Wow, things moving along very quickly!! lol.

But the big key in this tweet is the "Have a great time in Texas". Oh my goodness, why Austin must have DM'd her to tell her that he was in Texas, not NYC!

See, this tweet came an hour after the Jake at the drive-thru in Alabama tweet.

In other words, if Jake is going to be tweeted in Alabama, then Austin has to be anywhere but. So this chick's sole purpose is to place Austin in......Texas.


See how that works?



Methodical Muser said...

Excellent overview, PG. Yep, even the roll out of Mystery Gal was about Jake's upcoming film. We had a whole "convincing" backstory about her too. So surely she must be real. Probably, some clause in Jake's contract that stipulated he needed to roll out the old, "I'm hetero" meme.

I don't think Prisoners starts filming for another month so not sure why he would be in the south already, unless he and Austin are settling in early.

Actually, the filming of Prisoners is going to start on January 16, 2013. In just a few weeks.

On Location Vacations reports that the movie will mostly be filmed in the Conyers area beginning January 16th through March 26th, 2013. Paul Dano and Melissa Leo will also be featured in the film.

Methodical Muser said...


Jake was seen in Alabama before he started filming An Enemy in May. No doubt, he was already scoping out the area for a safe and uber private place to stay while filming Prisoners, in Georgia. Of course, we shall get the obligatory write up of exactly where he's staying in Georgia to throw people off, but he will only use that as cover as he's done in the past, i.e. Toronto. The key is often whenever you see excruciatingly detailed specifics about where Jake is, (Mr. Obsessed with Privacy), PR is earning it's salary. Remember back in 2008, when Jake was filming Nailed in South Carolina and it was released where Jake was staying and the person who gave out the information was hit with a letter from Jake's lawyer to take down the information immediately. Yet, somehow, we were spoon fed information to tell us exactly where he was staying in Toronto.

Alabama Bound said...

Maybe Jake's people will try to have a tie in with that chick he was seen with in New York (btw: whatever happen to his "girlfriend" anyway)and try to float the idea that her family is from Alabama. I can see it now. LOL!!

prairiegirl said...

Poor Austin. I'm sure he has had to stay within four walls since Jake was sighted. They cannot afford for him to be seen in Alabama. That would be disastrous.

Which makes me think that's why Jake was seen at a drive thru. Since he had already been seen once, better for him to risk being seen again than Austin.

Interesting sidenote on the phony @sophiebenn89 account. The location in the profile is NYC. For such a new account, they've thrown together 12 accounts to follow. No one is following the account and she has 11 total tweets, of which 5 of those are directly at Austin.

Sloppy. And totally unbelievable. People, there's no ifs, ands, or buts about this one. That account is so made up, it's as plain as the sun in the Texas sky.

Methodical Muser said...

That account is so made up, it's as plain as the sun in the Texas sky.

Shout out to Austin!

prairiegirl said...

Oh, and since we're on the subject of Nickelodeon, here was another attempt at cover up. This tweet appeared today:


Wicked Gay Blog ‏@wickedgayblog

Spotted: 32-year-old hunk, Jake Gyllenhaal alone at the beach. http://fb.me/srVJVh0l
10:01 AM - 30 Dec 12 ·

The link takes you to a Facebook page, which will show an old picture. It's not current at all.

This account is based out of Massachusetts. So why was someone trying to place Jake on the beach on the east coast? Isn't it snowing and freezing up there?

LOL! I mean, it was just so Nicolodeon today. Come on, PR, up your game a little bit, would you?

Methodical Muser said...

Don't forget the MoMA tweet a couple days ago that placed Jake in NY. But, of course, no pic of Jake. Just a photograph of a Matisse painting. Very persuasive. NOT!

New mommy said...

That lady in NYC with the Iranian background is the new surrogate for Jake and Austin. The old surrogate's uterus was so worn out because of all the imaginary children she spit out.

Insider said...

Oh, you mean his personal assistant, Juliana Guedes? Is that the girl you're referring to?

Eonline said...

Comment excerpt from eonline's "Jake Gyllenhaal Holds Hands With Mystery Woman - See the Pic!"


tessFri Nov 16 2012+1 replyreport
its his personal assistant. and yes she is married! look at her finger. and her name is Juliana Guedes.

NatasjaFri Nov 16 2012-1 replyreport
Thank you Tess for clearing this out....I also notice the wedding ring on her finger. She is his PA for his play right?

BillFri Nov 16 2012 replyreport
No thats a men.

TessFri Nov 16 2012 replyreport
She (Chelsea Mardeuo) is his PA for the Daily things! so not for work ore his play. Juliana Guedes is his PA for when he is on set(movie). For the play he has a Male PA. Chelsea Mardeuo is also his long and good childhood friend. she is the sister of the guy how is always whit him in LA, walking the dogs etc.

Anna FonerFri Nov 16 2012 replyreport
I Am person close to jake , I say that as another source already told, Jake and the 35-year lady are indeed not a couple. they have been friends since childhood, they know each other by, among other high school. She is indeed married and has a little girl of three years. now this out of the way. can we just talk again about his acting.


College Student My Foot

Stop Bullshit pls!!!! said...

Sydney ‏@sydneythal
Just saw Jake Gylenhaal at the MET. My life is now complete
28 dec

Sally Alfis ‏@sallymak26
Just chilling with Matisse and jake Gyllenhall .... #nbd #art #culture #mus @ The Metropolitan Museum of Art
28 dec

Mana Yegani ‏@Law_Mana
@Law_Mana: #Jake Gyllenhaal was sitting next to me in the French Restaurant called #Buvett in West Village, NYC. He was very polite.

10.35 PM 29 dec

Mana Yegani ‏@Law_Mana
@GyllenhaalJake It was cool seeing you at Buvett tonight. I talked to you about where your jacket was. Loved the beard.

10:38 PM 39 dec

From Facebook:

Okay....So the snow turned to rain (and now back to snow) so no-romantic-snowing-in-NYC-photos BUT I 100% locked eyes with Jake Gyllenhaal. No shit. You can ask Kirsten K. Ps...I'm moving to NYC. Just so you know.

29 dec




AUS10 said...

Happy New Year to everyone around the world. I wish you all the best possible 2013.

7:31 AM - 31 Dec 12 · Details

prairiegirl said...

My heart kind of hurts for these 2 guys right now. Not because of the fix they're in - they created it and continue to create it all on their own and with their full cooperation and consent.

I still just hurt for them because underneath it all, I still care about them very much. I wouldn't be here still hanging around if I didn't.

Do you all realize how bad those comments from eonline's article thread make that whole Girlfriend story look? Incredibly bad.

Yes, Gossip Cop refuted it immediately. And had the story stopped there, the whole thing would have been pretty harmless.

But oh no. No, in the usual Jake G mgmt way, someone's got to have the brilliant idea to tweak just a bit more, get just one more shot in there, one more little nip and tuck, one more play...and it's that overplay, that overkill that just blows it every single time. When is he ever going to learn? I don't know, some dogs you just can't teach a new trick.

prairiegirl said...

Because after that GossipCop refute came against the Enquirer story, it still didn't stop on Twitter. And then his people had to feed it to Huffington Post. Daily Mail. Us Magazine. Even after several weeks, it was still appearing on Twitter and she was positively identified as his girlfriend. There was no longer a question, Who is she? Is she....? Could she be???

No. She was positively identified as his girlfriend and they gave her a name. They wrote that she was a college student.

The Brokeback Mountain star was photographed walking arm-and-arm with a mystery woman in New York City on 9 November (12) and she has since been identified by bosses at the National Enquirer as Iranian Mahsa Jafarian.

According to the publication, she is currently enrolled in a master's degree programme at a college in the Big Apple and met the Hollywood hunk on a train in September (12) - and they have been hanging out ever since.

A source says, "He asked for her number and gave her a call a few days later to ask how she did on an exam she'd told him about... Mahsa thinks Jake is intelligent, well-rounded and a perfect gentleman - and she's completely smitten with him."


from The Enquirer.

So is she really this "Juliana Guedes"?? The person on that thread sure seemed to know, didn't she?

There is a Juliana Guedes on IMDb listed as Jake's assistant from Love and Other Drugs through An Enemy.

The next question has to be well why do you have to make up a story like this? And if she is PA Juliana Guedes, why ever on earth would you risk that being found out and try to float that her name was something else and she was a college student?

Okay,I will let it rest on that. I'm sorry but even though this story is now part of the "past", it is important to the present.

Methodical Muser said...

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

John F. Kennedy

Methodical Muser said...

Past is Prologue.

-Shakespeare

AUS10 said...

For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.

-John F. Kennedy

11:28 AM - 31 Dec 12 · Details

prairiegirl said...

Hard to ever confirm the intent when someone is re-quoting such as what Austin just did an hour ago, but it almost seems to me that Austin might be saying that they're working towards a goal, but please look the other way in the meantime and let them run amuk until the time comes that they have reached their goal.

And while it's great to have goals, in this day and age, is it a good idea to put all your eggs into a basket that you're not even planning on using until several years down the road? Things are going to rot between now and then - they're called expiration dates, Austin. We could all go through life running with scissors and stepping on toes with the full intent to behave and tell everyone 'excuse me' when we're darn good and ready and everything is at that perfect time. We wait and wait for that perfect time but you know what, that perfect time will never come.

Several parties want some of this talk stopped and they want it stopped now, don't they, as evidence by a few popping heads and...other tactics.

not in Alabammy said...

Steph ‏@whatsyourbeef

Jake Gyllenhaal was on my subway carriage today. He had a hefty beard and was wearing trakkie bottoms. I did not wish him happy new year.

^^she lives in Park Slope.

prairiegirl said...

lol.

Sorry, you'll never convince me otherwise. He was in Alabama all right, may not necessarily be there now, who knows.

But please! Feel free to believe that NYC is where he has been all this time. I don't care what you believe but stop running over here like a rabbit with every NYC tweet you find. I'm seeing the same ones you are, already saw that one.

Alabama made total sense in its timing and locale, not to mention the cyber subterfuge which splashed before and after. No going back now. Everything now is just attempted cover up.

it's a head scratcher said...

Why Alabama? He'll be filming 150 miles away in Conyers. Alabama doesnt seem all that convenient for keeping family close does it?

Sorry you feel the way you do, PG.

prairiegirl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
prairiegirl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
prairiegirl said...

Let me re-do that.

I'm not explaining the reason why I think he was in Alabama and I have a specific reason for not doing so. Sorry, that's just the way it is.

You speak to me as if you know me but are unwilling to use your real name. Whatever the case, refrain from calling me PG. The apology was totally befuddling and no need to apologize for me or to me. I don't have anything to feel bad about, lol. I'm just expressing my belief like anyone else so I'm sorry you felt an unnecessary need to do that.

And now I'm done for the night. It's New Year's Eve and it's a time for celebration and fun.

Happy New Year's! Here's to a safe and a healthy 2013 for all of us.

Happy New Year O Wonderful Blog Administrator!!!! Thanks for your time, effort and ever faithful job of 2012 on OMG.






the real m said...

Happy new year to all. We've cracked open one bottle of champagne to start with and have one saved for midnight. I cant recall the last time we went out for New Years - we just prefer to spend it at home. But maybe next year we will spend it somewhere special. We'll see how the year goes. And I have about 5 chapters left on my rereading of an old slash story. Its fun to read a story start to finish rather than waiting weeks for an update - puts a whole new perspective on the the story.

Its been a great year with all of you. I cant imagine my life without this blog and the friends I've made here. Wishing everyone a safe and happy 2013.