4 Ways to Honor 50th Anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's Death Today

It's already been a very Marilyn Monroe month, with events around the globe honoring the 50th anniversary of her death on Aug. 5. LGBT folks are feeling the need to honor the event. Here are a few options:

Head to Palm Springs: The Viceroy Palm Springs is attracting tons of queer Marilyn fans to their swank desert "Some Like it Cool" event being held today until 6 p.m. It features a bevy of special cocktails (try The President ial and Bubbles), DJ Valida spinning at the pool, a Marilyn look-a-like, Black Lava Caviar hand treatments and an ice plunge at Estrella Spa. ViceroyHotelsandResorts.com

Pick up a book: Whether you're poolside or not, now's the time to read MARILYN: The Passion and the Paradox by leading feminist historian Lois Banner. The book has already made headlines for saying that Monroe was concerned she might be a lesbian, but there's so much more to enjoy about the first tome of its kind, written by a woman who has been at the forefront of women's issues for the last half decade and spent nine years researching the intimate details of Monroe's life, interviewing more than one hundred people in her inner circle and fan club, and examining confidential papers and ledgers in the final years of her life that previous biographers have failed to analyze. Banner turns Marilyn into a radical intellectual--and one of the most important women of the 20th century. Banner will be reading from the book at Westwood Presbyterian Fellowship Hall on August 5, and Vroman's bookstore in Pasadena on August 7 (both in California).

Hit an art show in Las Vegas: The Martin Lawrence Galleries at The Forum Shops at Caesars, which features one of the only collections of Andy Warhol's famed Marilyn suites, celebrates Monroe this month.Last week the gallery displayed the Warhol Marilyhn alongw ith a special vieweing of her famed film Some Like It Hot, on two large screens, with complimentary glasses of champagne. You can still catch Monroe at the 6,000 square foot gallery this month, sans champagne.

Rent a Blu-Ray: Don't understand the Monroe fanfare? Check out The Forever Marilyn Collection, which hs just been released on Blu-ray. It offers seven classic films starring the blonde bombshell, inlcuding The Misfits and the dragtastic Some Like It Hot as well as new-to-Blu-ray titles How to Marry A Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Seven Year Itch, There's No Business Like Show Business and River of No Return.