The Season 3 Finale Extravaganza for RuPaul's Drag Race, Part II

By West Village Bill

After Manila, the RuPaul's Drag Race queen I was most excited to meet was Shangela. The constant knock against her was that she was too inexperienced to even deserve to be on the show. And maybe she should have waited to become the winner or at least in the top three of season 4 or 5 instead of being an also-ran in season 3 and the first one eliminated in season 2.

But that's not what she wanted. And every damn week, Shangela worked her ass off and managed to claw her way to a top five finish.* And she was just as hard-working at the press event; she had the longest line of people waiting to talk to her. (That's me with her in the photo, which was taken by my nondrag superstar, Tony P.)

Shangela is determined to make it big. She's already shot a pilot for a show starring Don Johnson that might be picked up by NBC for the coming fall season, though she won't be appearing in drag in it. She's playing a male hairdresser named Snip under her given name, D.J. Pierce.

Shangela told Riot and me that she spent the summer of 2007 in New York and has friends in Brooklyn and the Bronx and her drag sister Sahara Davenport in Harlem, whom she had to unsuccessfully lip-sync for her life** against in the first episode of season 2. She's happy on the West Coast, though. "I love Los Angeles," she said. "I'm a sunshine girl."

Drag Race Season 3 - Meet the Queens

Last night I attended the RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3 Series Finale with QNY contributors Bill and Darling, along with Miguel and Tony P., our camera crew and retinue.  The press event beforehand, during which we interviewed seven of the Season 3 Queens, was one of the highlights of my year so far.  Bill did a great job of reporting the details, so after the jump I'll have the luxury of giving my impressions and random thoughts about the girls and the event.  (Spoiler warning, I do mention who won.)

I was so nervous going into this event!  Celebrity is one of the few phenomena that can truly make me tongue tied.  I was never one of the popular, pretty people growing up, and sometimes the social anxiety I experience when thrown into a room of beautiful people can be intense.

These days I get through nervous times by letting my freak flag fly high!

(All photos by Miguel Dominguez.)

The Season 3 Finale Extravaganza for RuPaul's Drag Race

By West Village Bill

Last night, Providence in midtown was filled to the rafters with drag queens and the queers who love them: It was a party for the season finale of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Before the winner was crowned on the Logo network on the big-screen TVs and then again on stage, by season 1 winner BeBe Zahara Benet, I was part of a QNY team who got to talk to the three finalists—Manila Luzon, Alexis Mateo, and Raja—and some of the other season 3 contestants. (The winner will be revealed after the jump, so if you recorded the show but haven't watched it yet, sashay away. For now.)

For much of the season, I've been rooting for New York's own Manila Luzon. Originally from Minneapolis, Manila lives in Harlem with her boyfriend of five years, season 2's Sahara Davenport. "I love Harlem," Manila said. "It's out of the way but still in Manhattan, so you can catch a cab." And it's still inexpensive, she said, though it may not last that way, what with the million-dollar condos going up.

Manila said her favorite look from the show was her pineapple dress. "It's so me," she said. Last night, she was showing "Queen Elizabeth II realness."

Moments after I took this photo, Manila complained that the lighting was bad in that part of the room and so was relocated to a spot that had been reserved for Alexis, who hadn't yet arrived at the press meeting area. And that's why we love her! Actually, I loved her because she always put on a fantastic runway show and transformed herself into a beautiful yet often charmingly quirky Filipino princess.