The Gay Agenda

FLICK: Steven Spielberg is finally back behind the camera, as opposed to behind the checkbook, with the much-anticipated release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on Friday, May 22. Harrison Ford dons the professorial hat for the fourth time, the last being 1989s Last Crusade! Though Ford does still look good for 65, we are most ultra-pumped to see Shia LaBeouf greased up and riding a motorcycle. He proved he could act with A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints and proved he was going to be really hot in Transformers. In Crystal Skull, LaBoeuf tags along with Indy to thwart an evil bitch incarnate in the form of Cate Blanchett who wants, what else, ancient mystical powers innate in a tribal relic. Its going to be awesome. Check out the trailer here. TUNES: Two new discs are unveiled on May 20 to delight the eardrums of gay listeners everywhere: Mates of States fifth album, Re-Arrange Us, and Jason Mrazs We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Mates of State are the husband/wife drums/organ duo whose indie pop sound is hard to believe comes from two people. Theres so much energy and joy crammed into these ten songs with sporadic and guest guitar, horns and strings, youll find hidden pockets of beauty the more you listen to it. Check out Get Better here. Meanwhile, the simply precious and open-minded (you must read our Q&A with him here, hes kissed boys!) singer-songwriter is giving us a third album of brilliantly produced pop gems like "I'm Yours."DVD: May 20 sees the release of two powerful gay documentaries on disc. Francois Chenu, a 29 year-old gay man in France, was confronted in a public park by three neofascist skinheads. When he refused to deny his homosexuality, he was beaten to unconsciousness and thrown in a pond to drown. Beyond Hatred is the very real documentary by Olivier Meyrou that chronicles the parents of the victim and the accused and explores what makes people hate, grieve and forgive. On a lighter note, Meema Spadola, the daughter of a lesbian, tells the story of five families -- African American, Latino and white; Mormon, Christian, and Jewish -- in Our House: Kids of Gay and Lesbian Parents. Netflix them both today, or buy them here. FESTIVAL: MondoHomo Dirty South 2008 goes annual with a Memorial Day coup after the success of last Junes alternaqueer culturefest in Atlanta. Kiki Carr (the festivals founder) and crew have lined up a host of queer happenings from Friday, May 23 to Sunday, May 26, including a hip-hop night MC'd by Tim'm West at Lenny's Bar, and Mondo Fagspolitation, a night of film featuring the new documentary Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band. Check out the website here.