Cheeseburgers and Drag Queens: Shelley Novak Experiments With a New Vibe

blogs.miaminewtimes.com – By Natalie O’Neill in Gender Bender

“It’s gonna be a transvestite dictatorship,” says old-school drag queen Shelley Novak. “This year, I’m running the show — and all I need is a microphone and a spotlight.”

She’s talking about the 17th annual Shelley Novak Awards — Miami Beach’s queer equivalent of the Oscars –which has gotten back to its small-scale roots. When it comes to venues, Shelley says she ditched the big gay clubs for a low-key restaurant because she’s sick of producers and management bogarting the creative control. (In past years producers switched winners’ names and assigned obnoxious co-hosts.)