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DVDS
GAY 1. “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom,” directed by Patrick Ian Polik (2008, 101 min., $24.95 DVD). “Noah’s Arc” is back, and you’re invited to the big wedding! But can Noah and Wade really pull it off? Will Ricky’s sexcapades get the better of him? Can Chance and Eddie stay together? And can Alex stay sane? Get set for a wild wedding weekend of love, laughs, sex and some serious drama. 2. “Gods of Football: The Making of the 2009 Calendar,” directed by Grant Carroll (2009, 80 min., $24.95 DVD). Forty-five of Australia’s sexiest Rugby League and Australian Rules footballers were invited to tastefully “bare it all” and model for the “2009 Gods of Football Calendar” to raise awareness and funds for breast-cancer research. 3. “The Lair: Season 2,” directed by Fred Olen Ray (2007, 229 min., $29.95 DVD). A supernatural thriller with an eye for the erotic, “The Lair” boldly goes where few shows of its type have ever dared. 4. “Finding Me,” directed by Roger S. Omeus Jr. (2008, 115 min., $19.95 DVD). A fresh, new indie film about a young gay black man’s journey of self-discovery, affirmation and love. 5. “Another Gay Sequel,” directed by Todd Stephens (2008, 97 min., $24.95). Packed with celebrity cameos and total gross-out humor, this outrageous follow-up to “Another Gay Movie” centers around the Spring Break adventures of Andy, Nico, Jarod and Griff when they enter the Ft. Lauderdale “Gays Gone Wild” contest (a contest to see who gets laid the most). 6. “Between Love and Goodbye,” directed by Casper Andreas (2008, 87 min., $19.95 DVD). The perfect couple falls headlong into possessiveness, jealousy and rage — trapped in the tangled emotions found in that space between love and goodbye. 7. “Mulligans,” directed by Chip Hale (2008, 90 min., $24.95 DVD). Sweet, smart and funny, “Mulligans” is more than a poignant family drama, more than a coming-out movie. 8. “Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon,” directed by Jeffrey Schwarz (2008, 82 min., $19.95 DVD). Before Jeff Stryker and Michael Lucas, Jack Wrangler was the No. 1 name in gay porn and his wild, unpredictable career and life is recounted in this can’t-miss documentary.
LESBIAN 1. “Finn’s Girl,” directed by Dominique Cardona and Laurie Colbert (2007, 88 min., $24.95 DVD). Finn is a doctor running a clinic and a single lesbian reentering the dating scene. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Zelly’s testing her preteen limits and Finn’s patience daily. But when controversy erupts over the clinic and Finn’s life is threatened, “family” takes on a whole new meaning. 2. “Exes and Ohs: The Complete First Season,” various directors (2007, 132 min., $19.95 DVD). Michelle Paradise stars as Jennifer, a documentary filmmaker with a vivid fantasy life and a floundering career. Jennifer wants to find Ms. Right … but first she must navigate the rules of lesbian life, most of which she learns the hard way. 3. “Watermelon Woman,” directed by Cheryl Dunye (1997, 90 min., $19.95 DVD). Cheryl, a young black woman, is making a documentary about an obscure black actress from the 1930s. Just as she discovers that the actress had a white lesbian lover, Cheryl meets the girl of her own dreams. 4. “Stranger Inside,” directed by Cheryl Dunye (2001, 96 min., $9.95 DVD). Treasure Lee, a young African American, has just been transferred to the women’s state prison. There, she schemes to meet the incarcerated mother who gave her up years ago. But when she connects with Brownie, a seasoned convict and “lifer,” Treasure finds the path to reconciliation both twisted and dangerous. 5. “Four Minutes,” directed by Chris Klaus (2007, 112 min., $24.95). Jenny, a musical prodigy, finds herself behind bars for murder, but one person wants to help her out — Traude, the 80-year-old piano instructor who has taught at the prison for years. 6. “Girl + Girl: Classic Lesbian Short Films,” various directors (2006, 88 min., $19.95 DVD). This wonderfully entertaining batch of lesbian short films showcases long-unavailable film-festival favorites and pioneering works. 7. “She Likes Girls 3,” various directors (2008, 92 min., $24.95). The girls who like the girls are back in this jam-packed installment of the most popular lesbian-shorts DVD series of all time. 8. “Kate Clinton: 25th Anniversary Tour,” directed by Andrea Meyerson (2007, 65 min., $19.95 DVD). Celebrating a quarter-century of being queer, Kate’s Silver Anniversary Tour isn’t just stellar political satire and witty one-liners, it’s a chance for celebrities the likes of Lily Tomlin, Melissa Etheridge and Billie Jean King to pay cameo tributes to a pioneer of comedy.
BOOKS
LESBIAN 1. “Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women’s Love and Desire,” by Lisa Diamond (Harvard University Press, 333 pp., $17.95 pb). The book raises fundamental questions about women’s sexuality. Diamond’s comprehensive analysis of the scientific evidence illuminates the interconnections of love, sex and sexual identity in women’s lives. Her analysis of sexual fluidity is both original and compelling. 2. “Sea Hawk,” by Brenda Adcock (Yellow Rose Books, 212 pp., $15.95 pb). Dr. Julia Blanchard, a marine archaeologist, is so consumed excavating the remains of a 19th-century ship that she finds herself separated from her boat and adrift on the vast Atlantic Ocean. Her rescue at sea leads her to the ship’s true identity. 3. “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic,” by Alison Bechdel (Mariner Books, 232 pp., $13.95 pb). Through narrative that is alternately heartbreaking and funny, readers are drawn into a daughter’s complex yearning for her father. Apart from assigned stints dusting caskets at the family-owned “fun home,” the relationship achieves its most intimate expression through the shared code of books. 4. “Justice for All,” by Radclyffe (Bold Strokes, 309 pp., $16.95 pb). As part of an operation to expose organized crime, Dellon Mitchell goes undercover with a young woman posing as her lover. Before long, she and her team unwittingly become targets. 5. “The Little Stranger,” by Sarah Waters (Riverhead Hardcover, 480 pp., $26.95 hb). A sinister ancestral hoe in an advanced state of decay, a family terrorized by its own history and a narrator drawn into these orbits dominate this creepy novel from Waters. 6. “Stone Gods,” by Jeanette Winterson (Mariner Books, 206 pp., $13.95 pb). Billie Crusoe and the renegade robo-sapian Spike have been assigned to colonize a new blue planet. But when a technical maneuver intended to make it inhabitable backfires, Billie and Spike’s flight to the future becomes a surprising return to the distant past. 7. “The Lies that Bind,” by Susan X Meagher (Brisk Press, 329 pp., $16 pb). Erin Delancy, a young physician, moves back to her small town in New Hampshire to take over for her mentor. Katie Quinn seems to be the antithesis of the placid doctor. Falling in love is often the end of the story, but there are myriad complications in this small town that work against their living happily ever after. 8. “One Last Kiss,” by Mary Wilbon (Kensington, 294 pp., $15 pb). Election season in New Jersey brings out more than dirty politics in Wilbon’s edgy, amusing second mystery to feature African-American lesbian private investigator Cassandra Slick, a former Newark cop, and her white partner, philanthropist Laura Charles. 9. “Consequences,” by Skyy (King’s Crossing, 304 pp., $15.95 pb). School’s back in and there’s a lot of unfinished business to handle. As Lena prepares for her wedding day, she can’t help but think about Denise, her sexy b-ball roommate, who almost stole her away.
GAY 1. “The Passing Game: Queering Jewish American Culture,” by Warren Hoffman (Syracuse University Press, 206 pp., $24.95 hb). “His probing readings not only bring fresh insights to these works, but also invite readers to rethink how gender and sexuality are engaged, even as they are disguised or obscured, in modern Jewish culture generally,” said Jeffrey Shandler, Jewish studies professor at Rutgers University. 2. “False Colors,” by Alex Beecroft (Running Press, 333 pp., $12.95 pb). With the arrival of his former captain — and lover — on the scene of the disastrous mission, Alfie is torn between the security of his past and the uncertain promise of a future with the straight-laced John. 3. “Straight Lies,” by Rob Byrnes (Kensington, 288 pp., $15 pb). Chase LaMarca and Grant Lambert get information that gay icon Romeo Romero is actually straight, but their incompetent associate loses the incriminating videotape in a cab. Before LaMarca and Lambert can retrieve the tape, it falls into the hands of tabloid reporter Ian Hadley, who has blackmail on his mind, too. 4. “Transgressions,” by Erastes (Running Press, 381 pp., $12.95 pb). The fair David is drawn to his father’s new apprentice. And though his father treats them both as if they were brothers, David’s feelings toward the shy Jonathan develop as they hide their growing physical relationship. That is, until the fateful moment when local gossips force David’s father to banish him to protect the family name. 5. “Blind Fall,” by Christopher Rice (Pocket Books, 302 pp., $15 pb). Rice delivers the gripping story of an Iraq War vet seeking redemption and revenge when one of his fellow Marines is brutally murdered. 6. “Between Men 2: Original Fiction by Today’s Best Gay Writers,” edited by Richard Canning (Alyson Books, 288 pp., $15.95 pb). There’s something for everyone. Moving beyond tales of coming-out stories, “Between Men 2” is filled with the stories of men with something revelatory to say about the gay experience and, moreover, the human experience. 7. “Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction,” edited by Timothy Lambert (Cleis Press, 268 pp., $14.95 pb). For all those who think love has gone the way of the eight-track tape comes a collection of new gay fiction designed to reignite their belief in love and romance. 8. “Best Gay Love Stories 2010,” edited by Brad Nichols (Alyson Press, 288 pp., $15.95 pb). Everybody needs a little love in his or her life, so whether you’re missing your special someone or just want a reminder of why you fell in love in the first place, this collection is filled with stories that reflect the many faces of love, and what makes it worthwhile. 9. “The Unfinished Poems,” by C.P. Cavafy (Knopf, 121 pp., $30 hb). Powerfully moving, searching and wise, Cavafy’s poetry and the brilliant stories he tells make the historical personal.