Pride: Up North
I headed 90 miles north to Milwaukee on June 8-10 for their Pride weekend, which consisted of a really sad parade (and I do mean pathetically sad), but the spectacular 3-day Pridefest at the city's festival grounds along their lakefront. The weather was absolutely gorgeous as lots of Chicagoans ­ including Miss Foozie on stage ­ joined an abundance of cheese-heads of various stripes. Headlining entertainers Chaka Khan and Kathy Griffin and an impressive line-up at the Dance Pavilion, including Nikki French, led to this being the best attended Pridefest in history. Chicago's Pride Parade and Northalsted Market Days may still reign supreme as far as Midwestern LGBT gatherings go, but Milwaukee's Pridefest is clearly in the rearview mirror and gaining fast.

One Great Weekend, Two Fantastic CDs
The 2007 edition of Gays Days in Orlando was recently held with thousands of GLBT folks and their families descending upon the happiest place on earth, making it also the gayest place on earth for one magical weekend. As this annual event is so incredibly diverse, drawing from every part of the community, Centaur Music decided to come out with two official mixed dance compilation CDs associated with Gay Days. PARTY GROOVE: GAY DAYS VOL. 4 is mixed by DJ Randy Bettis and has a bouncy uplifting feel to it, featuring lots of vocals by the likes of Freemasons, Suzanne Palmer, and Viola Wills. PARTY GROOVE: ONE MIGHTY WEEKEND VOL. 2 is mixed by DJ Roland Belmares and has a noticeably edgier sound that will appeal to circuit-boys and those who prefer underground dance beats. Both discs are quite enjoyable, well executed and worthy additions to your dance music collection.

Pride: On The Northside
It is indeed Pride season in the U.S. and a full month of events and festivities in Chicago culminates on the last weekend of June with Pride Fest (June 23) and the Pride Parade (June 24). While not nearly as big or fantabulous as the one in Milwaukee, Chicago's one-day Pride Fest (held on N. Halsted Street between Addison and Grace) is growing in size, popularity, and stature. Presented by the Northalsted Area Merchants Association, this year's Pride Fest will be held in the shadows of the beautiful new Center On Halsted building and features The Sister Sledge Show with Kathy Sledge.

The next day brings us the 38th Annual Pride Parade with former NBA player John Amaechi as Grand Marshall and an estimated 450,000 folks in attendance along the parade route. Of the many floats in the Parade, one notable entry is the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce's "party on wheels" with DJ Monna of EsNtion Records.

If you are in need of a fun place to watch the parade go by, with great bias I highly recommend Cesar's on Broadway. In addition to providing bleacher seating and offering $3 Margaritas at the intersection of Broadway & Oakdale, Cesar's will have DJs Plez (that's me) and John Murges (of Milwaukee) spinning streetside while sexy dancers shake their prideful groove thangs. This is sure to be the hottest spot on the Parade route.

Back In The Spotlight
Many years ago before there was the likes of Britney and Christina, there was pop superstar and teen icon Tiffany. Capitalizing on a successful 1987 nationwide tour of shopping malls, she topped the record charts, was featured in magazine and newspapers and reached superstardom in a startlingly short amount of time. Still writing songs and performing all these years later, Tiffany has just released her latest effort, an 11-track long-player called JUST ME (10 Spot / Universal). Far from the bubble-gum pop of her youth, JUST ME shows Tiffany as a polished adult contemporary artist and features songs with influences from Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant, and Jewel. It's a testament to the talent she always possessed, ready to please the fans that have grown up with her and those just discovering her abilities.