58. PAGEANT

i used to watch the miss america pageant every year.  i never knew about THIS pageant--the miss gay america pageant.  held, in memphis tn for the 34th year, the film follows several hopefuls in their journey to win the ultimate title for female impersonators.  there are no hormones or surgical interventions allowed.  the competitors have won the state level.  they compete in interview, evening gown, solo talent, performance and final question.  our hopefuls all believe they have what it takes to win.  some are professional female impersonators, but others work normal jobs.  just as in any pageant, they spend a lot of time and money in preparations.  unlike others, significant effort is put into changing the male form into female.  these are not the most attractive women, but that's not so important; it's an overall feel.  there's a lot of drag makeup.  there's a lot of sequins.  there's a lot of lip synching.  one of the most surreal parts is seeing all these female looking heads walking around backstage with bare chests, which are very obviously NOT female.  oh, and the voices, which are not female in any way.  however, there is the same passion for winning as in any other competition.  curious to consider how many more years may pass before miss gay america pageant would be considered for prime time viewing.