62. Paris is Burning (Not available for streaming via Netflix or Amazon)
I can’t find a trailer for Paris is Burning, so here’s a taste of the film.
[youtube ydA7-qCv570]
Paris is Burning is a documentary that showcases the drag ball scene/culture in New York City in the late 1980s. Drag balls were not just limited to the traditional drag queens, but included all sorts of categories in which one could walk. Much like a runway – one would come to the event to compete in a category and would walk the runway, competing with one another.
Intertwined with footage from the drag balls are interviews with active members of the ball scene, including leaders as well as up-and-coming “children” in the different houses. Some of the most interesting stories are like that of Venus Xtravaganza, pictured above, who is transgendered, transitioning from male to female. Many of the people in the ball scene had developed their own families within their houses after many of them were disowned by their family for being gay or transgendered.
Terms still popular today are defined throughout the movie – you will learn about realness, reading and shade.
If you’ve read this blog for more than a minute, you might figure out that I am a big fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and am a proud fag hag. Many references will be cleared up for you if you watch Paris is Burning. I got the DVD from Netflix and would recommend watching the movie again with the commentary track, because it’s a lot of fun.
Paris is Burning is available on DVD from Amazon for $26.99.
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5 Tips to Win RuPaul’s Drag Race
by Jamie Sanford on March 11, 2012
I am a gigantic fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and after watching 3.5 seasons of the show, I think I can give some solid advice to the fake ladies who are currently applying for a spot in the season 5 cast. I would love to hear from other fans of the show on their recommended tips for winning RuPaul’s Drag Race!
Buy all RuPaul albums and learn every word.
No queen in any season after the first one should be unprepared by not being intimately familiar with RuPaul’s albums. There are ALWAYS challenges related to Ru’s music, and I know I’m not the only one who notices Ru singing along to her own music at the end of every show. KNOW THE WORDS and SING THEM. It certainly can’t hurt for you to show Ru that you have done your homework.
Every month is gay history month.
Learn the business ladies. This week’s episode showed that there was a severe lack of gay history knowledge with some of the remaining queens. It seems obvious to me that this is another topic on which you should be well-versed in order to best prepare for slaying the competition. Note that Willam won the challenge last week with a boatload of Stonewall knowledge, but without a boatload of anything relevant on that boat. No shade though, that coat was fabulous.
Have a celebrity impersonation ready, and it better be flawless.
See Chad Michaels, season 4(image via Logo’s Tumblr), giving the best Cher since the actual Cher. Chad had the win ON LOCK – and it seems that at this point, no one should be showing up to compete in the show without being ready for the inevitable round of Snatch Game. Sharon Needles did her homework and it paid off in a big way. Pick your celebrity, get the look right, but also remember that it is meant to be funny.
PARIS IS BURNING.
LEARN IT, AND LEARN…IT…WELL!!
After viewing this brilliant 1990 documentary, you will see that RuPaul (and Ru’s friend and show judge Michelle Visage) lived this universe in the 80s in New York City – they aren’t in the film but have both shared that the ball scene was their world. RuPaul gives us phrases every week that appear in the film. Plus, like I said, it is a brilliant film and you should watch it anyway. (It is also available to stream on Netflix!)
Reading is fundamental.
This came up after this post first went up. Queens beware, you will have to read a bitch if you make it past the first few episodes. Prepare for that! I know that not all queens are into tossing insults at other people, but work up some wittiness in your mind so that you can be prepared for a reading challenge. The library is open!
Alright racers, what do you think? What are your winning tips for the upcoming queens of season 5?
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