Days of Summer

Monday, June 9: Cyndi Lauper brings her queer powerhouse tour, True Colors, to Minneapolis tonight with the B-52's, Tegan and Sara, the Cliks, Rosie O'Donnell, and Carson Kressley gracing the stage. We imagine the Twin Cities' US Bank Theater at the Target Center hasn't seen this much gayness in eons. Future True Colors tour stops include: Chicago on June 10; Atlantic City on June 13; Atlanta on June 16; Houston and Dallas on the June 21 and June 22; and Los Angeles and Berkeley on June 28 and 29. Get your tickets here. Tuesday, June 10: Our favorite Canadian angst queen, Alanis Morissette, is back with her seventh full-length record, Flavors of Entanglement. She'll no doubt be flexing that cathartic muscle after splitting with Ryan Reynolds, and perhaps it's RyGuy's loss; read our take on the new video for "Underneath" here. And if you haven't already, we also suggest scooping up the new Dresden Dolls album, No, Virginia, the recently released follow-up to 2006's Yes, Virginia. Consisting of lady-on-the-keys Amanda Palmer and drummer-guitarist Brian Viglione, the veteran Boston duo wear a deliciously thick layer of makeup and perform dark, German-inspired cabaret -- always a good thing. Hear some new Dolls songs here. Wednesday, June 11: PrideFest in Key West kicked off on Saturday, June 7, but you still have time to tackle a long list of ultra-gay festivities in Floridian paradise. Perhaps most enticing is the Miss PrideFest 2008 contest tonight, a drag throw-down at LaTeDa on Duval Street. Duval is where it's at: There's a street fair on Saturday, the 2008 PrideFest Parade later that day, and the ball at Aqua in the evening. Hopeless voyeurs should hit up the All Male Revue at KWEST Men Thursday or the Bad Boys Party at Island House on Friday night. Consult the full schedule here. On the flipside, if you haven't had a humbling and inspirational moment lately, head to Groove, Give and Get in New York City's North Harlem, honoring -- in scholarship and party form -- the legacy of one of the first openly gay black politicians, Chuck Allen III. Get the details here. Thursday, June 12: Tonight marks Philly's sixth year indulging queers thespians with the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival. Over the course of 16 days you can catch six productions throughout the city of brotherly love, all of them aimed at portraying, educating, enlightening, and entertaining the gays. Catch Keith Bunin's tale of a mommy minister with a homo son in The Busy World is Hushed, running June 20-27. (Watch a preview clip of the Australian premiere here.) Or see Bait, a humorous romp exploring the perils of gay dating, by and starring David Sisco. (See a preview clip here.) Shows go up at various venues, and tickets can be purchased over the phone (215-922-1122) or at the Arden Theater box office.Friday, June 13: It seems Ang Lee didn't quite get it right with Eric Bana in 2003, so this time Ed Norton takes on the role of Dr. Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk, directed by Louis Leterrier (the man responsible for The Transporter flicks). Liv Tyler, William Hurt, and Tim Roth also share the big screen in this high-octane, Marvel-inspired joyride. Watch the trailer here. Meanwhile, ruggedly hot Mark Wahlberg gets his turn as hero in M. Night Shyamalan's environmental thriller, The Happening. Wahlberg plays a science teacher hunting for the answers with his wife (Zooey Deschanel) and daughter as they try to determine why dangerous neurotoxins in the atmosphere are causing violent suicides. See the trailer here. Saturday, June 14: This year at Austin's Pride Texas Festival you can catch live performances from Pansy Division and Meshell Ndegeocello. A veritable R&B pioneer, the lovely Ndegeocello, who has seven records and nine Grammy nominations under her belt, is sure to funk up Austin queers. (Check out her video for "If That's Your Boyfriend" here). San Fan queercore band Pansy Division got their start in 1991 making queer-singed punk rock and covering Prince's "Jack U Off." Watch "Manada," their ode to picking up boys north of the border, here. Get tickets to Pride here. Meanwhile, if you're one of those New Yorkers who still haven't had their fill of all things Sex and the City, head over to -- irony alert! -- Brooklyn to fete the release of Robb Pearlman's new must-have accessory for queer SATC devotees, The Q Guide to Sex and the City. Get the details here. Sunday, June 15: Theater fans, clear your schedule. You have some serious gay matters to attend tonight. The 2008 Tony Awards air on ABC at 8pm EST, celebrating Broadway's biggest and best (and putting on a big, swishy, fabulous show in the process). Check out an Awards performance from last year's Best Musical winner, Spring Awakening, here. 2007 Out 100 honoree Stew has something to get gussied up for as his smash hit Passing Strange is up for Best Musical -- as is his performance in the show. And if you need another queer hero to cheer for, the delightful sleeper hit Xanadu, starring gay thesp Cheyenne Jackson, is up for Best Musical, too. Watch a montage clip here, then see the nominees here.