After playing Elle Woods in Broadway’s Legally Blonde, this cute little pixie with the big voice delivers a fine roster of country songs, split evenly between the heartbreakin’ and two-steppin’ kind. A bonus to her skill level (“Curse the Bed” is amazing) is that she’s extraordinarily supportive of the gays. Mercury Records (islandrecords.com).
This out-and-proud lesbian trio from Canada rocks hard in the tradition of The Cliks, with whom they frequently tour. All eight tracks here are dramatic and energetic, but our favorite is the witty and nicely harmonized “She Only Loves Me When She’s Wasted.” Fine grrl fare. Tommy Boy Records (tommyboy.com).
I recently saw a 1978 interview with the late Dusty Springfield, in which she called herself “the Dolly Parton of the ’60s” in regard to her piled-up blonde hair and makeup techniques; one icon acknowledging another, with respect.
A winner of the Muskogee, Oklahoma Bare Bones International Film Festival’s Independent Spirit award, this comedic drama finds Jill (Sara Stepnika) and Rob (Eric Morrison) at crossroads in their gay lives. Only time—85 minutes, to be precise—will tell if they are a help or a hindrance to each other’s journey. Anthony Vallone directs. May 18. Ariztical Entertainment (ariztical.com).—Nancy Ford
Hope stays alive in this special edition collector’s set documenting President Barack Obama’s swearing in and inaugural address, the Neighborhood Ball, and the pre-inaugural concert with the openly gay Rt. Reverend V. Gene Robinson giving the invocation. Includes performances by Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Stevie Wonder, and other superstars. Don Mischer directs. 2010. HBO Home Entertainment (hbo.com).
This DVD collection provides an assortment of chillers from the legendary British film studio’s late ’50s/early ’60s heyday, including These Are the Damned, Stop Me Before I Kill!, Never Take Candy from a Stranger, Cash on Demand, and Maniac. Kind of sounds like chapter titles for a particularly lurid gay memoir, doesn’t it? But the gayest things in these truly fun rarities are probably Damned’s black leather-clad Teddy Boys and their silly theme song.
These two episodes of her one-season, 1960s-era CBS variety series finds Judy vocally dueling with a couple of other musical legends, Lena Horne and Tony Bennett, leaving us breathless. Comedians Terry-Thomas, Dick Shawn, and Jerry Van Dyke provide the laughs, as does some of the set decoration, in this black-and-white piece of television history.
First there was the 19th-century coming-of-age play by Frank Wedekind. Then there was Spring Awakening, the gayed-up award-winning musical treatment that won the Best Musical Tony award in 2007. This most recent adaptation for television audiences loses the music, and stars Victoria Tennant. Arthur Allan Seidelman directs
This unconventional fairy tale follows a “ladyboy” prostitute, Raquela, on her journey from the ghetto streets of the Philippines to Paris to find her Prince Charming. A festival circuit favorite, it won New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival’s Best Feature Film award. Olaf de Fleur directs. 2008. E1 Entertainment (e1entertainment.com).
Ashleigh Sumner (Criminal Minds) and Jill Bennett (Dante’s Cove) star in this mystery/comedy/fantasy nod to the art house classic, Run, Lola, Run. In it, we learn that promptness, even when you’re gorgeous and talented, still counts big. 2009. Screenwriters Ellen Seidler and Megan Siler also direct. May 18. Wolfe Video (wolfevideo.com).
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