East Side Story

$24.95

Wolfe Video

A closeted Hispanic young man finds himself in the midst of a comical love triangle, deep in the heart of his re-gentrified East L.A. neighborhood.

Diego (Rene Alvarado) is a good man, loyal to his immediate family and stuck working in a nowhere job in his grandmother’s restaurant. He is also having a surreptitious relationship with a fellow closeted man, Pablo (David Beron), and hopes the two can someday move out of the “hood” as out-and-proud lovers, and open an upscale restaurant. The trouble is, Pablo and Diego’s view on sexuality takes a big hit when Pablo begins dating Diego’s vampy aunt (Gladise Jimenez), and a gay Anglo couple, Wesley and Jonathan, (Steve Callahan and Cory Schneider) move into the neighborhood.

The attraction between Diego and Wesley is kinetic, forcing Diego to make hard choices about the clandestine life he has been living. East Side Story will be available on DVD Dec. 4.

Long-Term Relationship

$24.95

Liberation Entertainment

Doing time on the singles scene in L.A. feels like a prison sentence to Glenn (Matthew Montgomery), but he may be getting an early parole for time served, when Adam (Windham Beacham) answers his personal ad.

Glenn and Adam hit it off immediately, but to get to the titular Long-Term Relationship, a series of compatibility questions must be answered – such as, are the deal breakers between the two insurmountable obstacles?

Long-Term Relationship is a humorous look at the ins and outs of finding “the one,” and has been likened to both Trick and Broken Hearts Club.

Two very different arenas of live performance head up this month’s DVD Double Feature. Naked Boys Singing! The Movie goes the full frontal route, while Elton 60 Live at Madison Square Garden features the legendary ivory tickler performing in his birthday suit – well, not that birthday suit! He was fully clothed for the concert that was held in conjunction with his 60th birthday.

Naked Boys Singing! The Movie

$22.49

TLA Releasing

The off-Broadway show, Naked Boys Singing, has certainly caused a sensation with its brand of full frontal male nudity, coupled with tunes geared at celebrating the male form. The show became a bona fide international hit, touring in more than 40 cities and translated into six different languages.

Now, you can enjoy the lads giving it their all, (musically speaking, of course) in the privacy of your own home with Naked Boys Singing! The Movie – and get ready to set your remotes to pause! As the movie’s tagline says: “No Dress Code Required,” so the home audience can leave that up to its discretion. Naked Boys Singing! The Movie will be released on DVD Dec. 4.

Elton 60 Live At Madison Square Garden

$19.99

Island/Mercury

Even though this special performance at Madison Square Garden was performed on his 60th birthday, it turns out to be a gift for fans of the talented Sir Elton.

This two-disc treat not only features the concert that was Elton’s birthday gift to his fans with 33 songs performed (including staples such as:“Daniel,” “The Bitch is Back,” “Your Song” and “I’m Still Standing”) on that special occasion; disc two features live, rare and unseen performances culled from his decades spanning years in show business.

Wearing History: T-shirts from the Gay Rights Movement

Steven Gdula

$18.95

Alyson Books

In this insightful book, the history of T-shirts as a part of the gay rights movement is examined.

From the early days, using T-shirts as a way to display concern regarding the lack of political support during the initial start of the AIDS crisis made those who wore the shirts targets.

In the ’90s, the shirts began to reflect the more mainstream acceptance toward homosexuality, as society, in turn, began to become more accepting of the GLBT community.

Wearing History is an intriguing look at how what you wear truly can make a statement, and Gdula will be doing a book talk, signing and slide show for Wearing History on Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. at The Center.

Gdula has been a contributor to The Advocate, Details and Rolling Stone.com. His next book, The Warmest Room in the House: How the Kitchen Became the Heart of the Twentieth-Century American Home, is due out in January.

Deep Dish

Marc Harshbarger

$16.95

Marc Harshbarger Publishing (available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com)

Teleport back to the ’70s, 1975 to be specific, when mood rings and pet rocks were all the rage, and we invited a plucky independent TV character into our homes on Saturday nights to prove we were gonna’ make it after all!

The suburbs of Chicago’s north shore houses the families, Davenport and Haze, and Deep Dish follow their ups and downs in a hilariously campy, soap opera-inspired, cliffhanger of a novel, where secrets are uncovered and the endless quest for love is the name of the game.

Deep Dish has been called “a serial cliffhanger with more twists than Charo” by Greg Lily, author of Fingering the Family Jewels.

Code of Conduct

Rich Merritt

$15

Kensington

Author Rich Merritt let it all hang out in his memoir, Secrets of a Gay Marine Porn Star, which gave readers a glimpse into his dual existence as both an active duty Marine during the pinnacle of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and his subsequent tour of duty in the world of gay porn.

Now, Merritt has written a work of fiction based upon his own experiences during his days in the military, which follows main character Don Hawkins’ ascent as the secret leader of a faction of gay military men and women, all of whom are looking to serve their country with honor, while maintaining anonymity regarding their private lives.

While Hawkins falls for a gorgeous helicopter pilot, (after 10 years have passed since his last lover’s death in Beirut) his friends and their lifestyle come under fire, when an investigation threatens to blow the lid off of their covert operation to keep their sexual identities under wraps.

Seal

System

$18.98

Warner/Elektra/Atlantic

For his fifth studio album, Seal has teamed with Stuart Price (AKA Jacques LuCont, a remix artiste) – the man who co-wrote and produced Madonna’s Confessions on a Dancefloor, delivering a very club friendly effort that maintains Seal’s unique vocal style.

Tracks like “If It’s In My Mind, It’s On My Face” and “Amazing” seem tailor made to get people up to shake their collective groove thangs, but his softer side is showcased on “Rolling,” and “Wedding Day,” a song he wrote the morning he married Heidi Klum.

Celine Dion

Taking Chances

$18.98

Sony

With her newest album, Celine Dion collaborates with hit makers from Linda Perry (who has written songs for the likes of Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera) to R&B’s Ne-Yo.

Dion shows she is serious about the album’s title, Taking Chances, by branching out from her usual musical path

The disc is fused with original material and covers, like Heart’s “Alone,” and showcases less of the love ballad version of the singer that audiences have come to know and love. Instead it offers an edgier Dion, who croons about surviving spousal abuse and unreciprocated love.

Megan McCauley

Better Than Blood

$12.98

Wind-Up Records

Megan McCauley vacillates between hard-edged, in-your-face lyrics with songs such as “Migraine,” “I’ll Pay You To Shoot Him” and “Tap That,” tempered with a softer side on “Wrong Way Out,” “Reverie,” and “Wonder.”

McCauley cites Janis Joplin as her biggest musical influence, but seems to be taking a page out of the Alanis Morissette school of autobiographical songwriting, as what she is singing about comes from a very real place – her heart and soul. The songs drip with both a venom and emotional resonance that could not be manufactured.