Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Paris is Burning

Confession time: I was completely unaware of the drag scene until I started watching RuPaul's Drag Race (which I just recapped here) in 2012. I had obviously heard of drag, but thought it was an odd subculture that didn't appeal to me. Since then, I've not only fallen in love with drag, but I've actually performed in drag (only once so far, but I plan to do it again soon). Living in the incredibly drag-friendly city of Columbus, Ohio, has allowed me to really dive into this incredibly art form. But as with most things, it's important not only to know the current state of things, but to be aware of the past. There is no better document of the history of drag than Paris is Burning.

Paris is Burning focuses most of its time talking about the balls of New York City, but it also takes time to get to know some of the queens who participate in them. It becomes obvious early on that many of them participate in the balls in order to gain notoriety and fame in the gay community. Most of them are content to stay within that realm, but one, Octavia Saint Laurent, wants to be famous. Even being a transgender model in the 1980s, she has dreams of becoming a household name. She's shown attending a model search, resulting in the best shot from the film:

RuPaul's Drag Race: Glamazonian Airways

Another week, another episode of Drag Race, and another elimination. This week's challenge is a lip-sync performance to music and spoken word, and I can honestly say that this is one of the most well produced performances the show has ever put on. So far the entire season has been unreal with it's production values, and I hope it continues to rise. Meanwhile, the queens are also proving to themselves as one of the best crops of queens the show has ever had.

RuPaul's Drag Race: Born Naked

It's that time of year again; time for a new season of RuPaul's Drag Race! Being the seventh season, the new queens all think they know what they're getting themselves into. But do they really? Ru says to expect the unexpected, and I pray she means it.