Music
A CD that is sure to jump start your work-outs and well as your summer house party is Just Dance, a new mixed compilation album by Ultra Records and Island Def Jam. The non-stop party mix includes hits such as "Disturbia" by Rihanna, "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey, "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" by Pitbull, and "Mercy" by Duffy. Other strong inclusions on the CD include tracks by Ne-Yo, Anastascia, Basshunter, and Alina.

She may play the ultimate diva on TV's Ugly Betty, but Vanessa Williams is considered one of the most versatile entertainers around and she proves yet again that her singing talent is top-notch with the release of The Real Thing (Concord Records). The 11-track album is her thirteenth and the collection not only features the sophisticated pop and R&B that have been the hallmark of her career, but also marks a return to her love for the rhythms of jazz and Latin music. The CD includes tracks by Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, and Babel Gilberto as well as two new songs written by Babyface. Simply a a fantastic record!

The Top 5 tracks getting the most play on my MP3 player:
"That's Not My Name" (Soul Seekerz Dirty Vox) by The Ting Tings. The radio version is fantastic and this dirty electro funk mix is off the hook.
"Drop A House" (Quentin Harris Mix) by DJ DeMarko! featuring Heather Leigh West. The Razor N' Guido remix has been getting most of the hype, but this deep and minimal tech house version is funky, deliberate, and sexy.
"I Wish I Wasn't" (Nick Harvey 2008 Remix) by Heather Headley. Yes, this remix came out last year, but I just got it and what Harvey does with this 2003 classic track is simply masterful.
"When Love Takes Over" (Laidback Luke Remix) by David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland. One-upping her Destiny Child bandmates, Rowland tops the charts with an actual original dance track, not a remixed hit.
"Boom Boom Pow" (LMFAO Party Rock Mix) by Black Eyed Peas. Forget the big room dance remixes, it's all about the original album version and mixes such as this one that stay true to the ultra funk-i-fied nature of the song.

Books
A fun summer read for 2009 is the engaging Drama Queer by Frank Anthony Polito. This coming of age novel is a wonderfully sweet and funny tale about Brad Dayton, a charming gay high school kid who is fairly comfortable about who he is and just trying to live his life while pursuing love and his dream of graduating from school plays to Julliard. This was a true treat to read as was What We Remember by Michael Thomas Ford. This suspenseful story involves family secrets, lies, and a murder mystery that will have you anxiously anticipating what turns up on the next page. For more provocative fare, you can never go wrong with writer Sean Wolfe and his newly penned Eight Inches. This piece of steamy gay erotica delves even deeper into Wolfe's imagination with wildly sexy stories that are smart and literate.

DVDs
Recently released on DVD, The Strange One is a 1950s classic starring Ben Gazzara and George Peppard in their cinematic debuts. Gazzara plays a sadomasochistic bully in a Southern military academy who uses his magnetism and the school's own military code to manipulate his fellow cadets and officers. Unrestrained by the limitations (censorship?) of the Production Code of the 1950s, this uncut version of the film sizzles with subtext and innuendo. Another really good movie worth checking out is the English movie My Beautiful Laundrette starring Daniel Day Lewis. When I first saw it in 1986, it was the gay content that was the highlight, whereas now it plays as a more multi-dimensional look the Thatcher's Britain, exploring social, ethnic, and sexual issues and contradictions.