The subject of this Tell Shelley Anne is Amber LeMay, the co-founder of The House of LeMay and host of Amber Live, one of the internet’s top comedy/drag talk shows. The House of LeMay was founded in the 1990s and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities. In this interview she shares how the character and backstory came to be, and she shares some tips on how to become your own drag star.
It’s Drag in Cinema & TV, Plus More! After the text about several male actors playing trans and drag characters (Agent Coulson is that you?) in films from many different years we have a photo gallery of famous actors in character for a film role, or just hanging around in a dress, or skirt. We see you Vin Diesel.
Our Columbian correspondent, Katherine Diaz, files a report on how the worldwide pandemic has affected the crossdressing and drag communities in her nation. She also announces a virtual present to the world that will happen in December. Read on to learn just what it will be.
This edition of our Drag in Cinema blog is a bit different. Rather than showcasing cisgender male actors donning drag in the interest of the film’s plot the films featured today all star professional drag queens. Among them; Panti Bliss, Bianca Del Rio, and Jinkx Monsoon.
Today we slip the constraints of linear time and bounce around the time stream to check out drag in cinema that missed covering in previous editions of Drag in Cinema. We look at Back to the Future, Part II, Trick from 1999, and the 2006 feature She’s The Man which features a female character impersonating her brother at an exclusive school. Then we stop 2010 for All Good Things, a film based on the exploits of suspected murderer Robert Durst.
Today Katherine Diaz, our Columbian Correspondent, looks back briefly at the roots of drag as performance and part of street culture. As long as there have been different attire for the sexes there have been males who adopt feminine presentations to entertain, to express their own femininity, or to poke straight culture in the eye. And Katherine, as always, provides a video to go along with the blog.
Katherine Diaz is exploring the world of drag “transformsitas” in her city of Bogota, Columbia. one thing has led to another and she went from a lone crossdresser to becoming a glamorous drag performer who appears on stage in various venues around the city. Her acceptance by the performers has allowed her to learn about many aspects of drag. Today she blogs about her experiences and as always provides a video.
2018 for a big year of change for our Columbian correspondent Katherine Diaz. She enrolled in a course to improve her crossdressing skills and through that course she was noticed by a leading impersonator in Bogota who took her under her wing. Katherine modeled fashions on the runway for the city’s leading transformation boutique, competed in a drag contest and started performing an act in local clubs. In today’s blog and vlog she catches you up on what she has experienced in 2018.
David de Alba graciously allows us to re-publish his celebrity interviews. Today we bring you his interview with Joan Rivers favorite Joan Rivers impersonator, Gary Dee. The interview was conducted in the early 2000s while Gary Dee was living and performing in Aruba. Imagine we are transported to the beautiful Island of Aruba in the […]
Dorian Wayne was an Anita Ekberg look-a-like who performed with The Jewel Box Review and at the 82 Club in the late ’50s and early ’60s. Dorian was the glamorous creation of Rick Colantino. Dorian starred in several “B” (or more like “D”) movies. Here is a short film about Dorian Wayne that includes film and still photos. It’s narrated by Rick Colantino.
Hollywood, CA – What do you get when you mashup Comic-Con, BeautyCon and Hello Kitty Con? RuPaul’s DragCon, of course. It’s the first ever convention that celebrates “the art of drag, queer culture and self-expression for all” and will launch May 16-17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. RuPaul’s DragCon will kick off the Gay […]
David de Alba is not only the Cuban Legend of female impersonation but is also a documenter of the other practitioners of the female impersonation art. He has done scads of interviews with those who trod the stage in gowns and high heels. He has published his FI celebrity interviews on his website but has given TGF permission to bring you select interviews. Today we present David’s 2001 interview with Wynnie La Freak, a British performer who is still going strong in 2014.
Pam DeGroff interviews the “world’s tallest and hairiest drag queen” Martha Graham Cracker, a Philadelphia, Pa. sensation who is taking her hairy drag persona nationwide with a trip to Texas in the near future. Graham Cracker is an actor, dancer and vocalist who hostesses a weekly cabaret show in Philadelphia. Meet her and get TG music news and some mini-reviews of new music — and a cute cat video — in TransVocalizers.
Latina cooking queen Soraya Sobriedad has won a prize. Sobriedad hosts a cooking show on cable channels in the New York City area that instructs viewers on how to cook delicious Latin dishes while keeping them healthy and low fat. This year she took a large cash prize in the Eighth Annual Queens StartUP! Business Plan Competition by cooking up a business plan the judges found to be very tasty.
Pamela DeGroff introduces you to a San Francisco band called Pepperspray. They combine The Spice Girls with the Sex Pistols and pull drag into the heart of rock and roll. Pam interviews vocalist Precious Moments and we learn all about Pepperspray. Then Pam bring us music news from Georgie Jessup and Coco Peru along with others, and does a couple of mini-reviews of new CDs. Meet Pepperspray and keep up with the TG music scene with Perpetual Change.
In TransVocalisers Pamela DeGroff presents two music videos — “Princess Boy” by Aline Queen and “Animal” by Berlin that feature males in drag interacting with the female singers. Then she brings you a good sized helping of new music reviews of Billy Porter (Lola from the stage production of “Kinky Boots”), Sevyn Streeter, and Christina Perri. Check out videos and audio clips.
Our political reporter Babs Casbar Siperstein is not all politics and activism. She likes to slip into an ostentatious outfit now and then and what event is better for that than Night of 1000 Gowns. That’s the Imperial Court of New York’s coronation of their Emperor and Empress. Babs was there this past Saturday night and she filed a report and a photo gallery.
The New York City drag scene of the ’80s and ’90s was dominated by just a few star names. Among them were Lady Bunny, Joey Arias, Sherry Vine and Raven O. Pam DeGroff has tracked down Raven O and in this TransVocalizers column she brings you an interview. In the years since the heyday of the NYC drag scene much has changed. Including Raven, who has given up drag. TVocalizers also has new music and TG music news. Don’t miss a beat — read TransVocalizers.
While cruising around the Internet our intrepid music columnist Pamela DeGroff came across a drag queen music classic. She stumbled onto a copy of a 1996 CD release called God Shave The Queen! it features music by 10 artists, most drag queens and the musical genres range from dance to funk, smooth jazz to cabaret, and more. The CD is still available online so check out Pamela’s review and see if you’d like to add it to your music collection.
Return with us now to the Roaring ’20s when men were men — and men were women. Female impersonation acts were booming in the early 20th century (as they are in the 2st). Most of those acts have disappeared into the backstage of history but some names remain. One of those who is remembered as not being afraid to be seen as gay, and who is reputed to have inspired Mae West’s persona, is the magnificent Bert Savoy.
Many thanks to David de Alba for sharing this interview he did with noted female impersonator Gypsy, a.k.a. James Haake. Haake was an actor and female illusionist who appeared in several films in and out of drag, starred in La Cage, and was one of the main attractions of The Carnival Cabaret in Lake Tahoe. How did a boy from Montclair, New Jersey make it to Hollywood and some of the most prestigious drag venues? The answers are in the David de Alba interview with Gyspsy.
Willam Belli has released a CD with the parody songs that have made waves on the Internet for the past several months. Chow Down (At Chick-fil-A), Love You Like a Big Schlong and other tunes are featured on The Wreckoning. TGF music writer, Pam DeGroff, reviews the release.
Watch video highlights from Episode 5 of the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Season 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race is under way and episode 2 hits the air tonight at 9 (EST). We’ve got a sneak peek for you right here on TGF. Get More: Watch RuPaul’s Drag Race Full Episodes, RuPaul, Logo TV
Season 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race debuts in January on Logo. We present a preview of all the fabu cattiness, shade and glamma.
