On last night’s episode of Dancing With the Stars, besmirched Southern chef and former diabetes meds saleswoman Paula Deen offered an interpretation of one of the gay canon’s most important works—Madonna’s 1990 hit “Vogue.” While Deen and her dance team’s choreography was far less sophisticated than Madonna’s (read: Willi Ninja’s) classic ball queen moves, the scenario they constructed was a compelling departure from the original video, which featured Madge strutting about in a kind of late-’80s monochrome art gallery fashion show.
Taking a cue, apparently, from Annie Lennox’s crucial visualization of “Walking on Broken Glass,” Deen finds herself in a French courtesan fantasy, complete with Dangerous Liaisons makeup and swishy backup dancers in waistcoats and booty shorts. The butter queen may have slipped from her celebrity chef pedestal some time ago (as well as, I should note, from DWTS itself after earning low marks for the performance); but with this little diddy, she seems to be sashaying her way toward camp nobility.
