10. DVD: Born to Be Bad/The Dictator
In Born to Be Bad, a racy 1950 melodrama from bisexual director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause) turns Joan Fontaine (Rebecca)'s good girl image on its head. In between his performance as flamy fashionista Bruno and his upcoming turn as flamboyant Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury, catch Sacha Baron Cohen as a Middle Eastern despot who goes incognito in New York in the relentlessly silly The Dictator.
9. VIDEO: "Triumphant (Get 'Em)," Mariah Carey
So Mimi's latest single wasn't exactly a knockout on the sales charts -- the glittery video (directed by Nick Cannon), set in a boxing ring, belongs in the winners' circle. Watch it below.
8. TV: All the Right Moves
Fans of Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance will likely enjoy this reality series in which friends and celebrated choreographers Teddy Forance, Nick Lazzarini, Kyle Robinson, and Travis Wall put everything on the line when they join to start a company of dancers to be hired out for movies, TV, and theater. Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Oxygen.
8. FILM: Beloved
French filmmaker Christophe Honore's latest is a thrilling musical set in the glum HIV era of the 1990s in which a mother (Catherine Deneuve) reconciles her randy past with the way things have changed for her daughter (Chiara Mastroianni, Deneuve's gorgeous look-alike real-life child), who is decidedly less lucky and in love with a gay man (Paul Schneider). Now playing in select theaters.
6. DVD: Bernie/Glee Season 3
Jack Black's nuanced performance as the fussy Texas funeral director who charms mean old lady Shirley MacLaine (in full battle-ax mode) is a highlight of Bernie, Richard Linklater's sweet, fact-based comedy. Before the gang from William McKinley High splits up this fall, catch up with the third season of Fox's musical hit with its tributes to Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, guest stars from The Glee Project, and compelling storylines for the Blaine-Kurt and Brittany-Santana relationships.
5. FILM: Best of Outfest Shorts 2012
Check out some of the most popular short films from this summer's Outfest. With award-winning comedies, dramas, and compelling documentaries, there's something for everyone in this entertaining and provocative compilation. Food truck connoisseurs will enjoy Greasy Wiener, which will parked outside the theater. Wednesday at L.A.'s Downtown Independent. For more information go to Outfest.org.
4. BOOK: How to Be Gay
Scholar David Halperin, who more than a decade ago raised a furor with his class of the same title at the University of Michigan, is no longer ashamed to be a fan of Joan Crawford, Doris Day, and Judy Garland, as his deliriously entertaining manifesto on gay culture (Harvard University Press, $35) illustrates.
3. PERFORMANCE: David Dean Bottrell Makes Love
The comic, perhaps best known for his work on Boston Legal, will generously donate the proceeds from his popular one-man show to help defray the medical expenses of JD Disalvatore, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker-activist recently diagnosed with breast cancer. At L.A.'s Theatre Asylum Saturday at 7 p.m.
2. EVENT: Southern Decadence
New Orleans's fabled French Quarter will be transformed into a sea of bare skin, feathers, and glitter when an estimated 200,000 uninhibited visitors descend on the Southern metropolis for nonstop revelry. Wednesday through September 3. For more information go to SouthernDecadence.net.
1. DVD: Weekend
Two men meet at a gay club and spend 48 hours together that will affect them forever. Andrew Haigh's bittersweet romance won countless accolades for the affecting, naturalistic performances from actors Tom Cullen and Chris New. One of last year's most compelling dramas is now available on DVD.
