Fat Girls

$24.95

Liberation Entertainment

Life ain’t rosy for Rodney Miller (Ash Christian), a high school senior and theater enthusiast who is branded a queer by his peers at a campus in the heart of Texas. Thankfully, he has his overweight gal pal, Sabrina (Ashley Fink), to lean on in times of trouble.

The two-of-a-kind outsiders fight through anguish in this humorous and out-of-the-ordinary coming-of-age tale. While Rodney dreams of Broadway stardom, he also attempts to fall in love.

Fat Girls, which 20-year-old Christian wrote and directed, has been praised by Shortbus director, John Cameron Mitchell, as “completely, beautifully made,” and has earned many rave reviews and recognitions on the film-festival circuit.

The Bubble

$27.99

Strand Releasing

This foreign film tackles a timely subject: the political and social unrest in the Middle East. In the film, three young friends share a home in Tel Aviv.

Lulu is the lone female in the trio, which also includes Yali and gloomy Noam. Life in their trendy Tel Aviv neighborhood is moving along nicely until Noam falls for a Palestinian man named Ashraf.

The friends then scheme to fulfill Noam’s desire by housing Ashraf. The film’s theme explores borders – those erected and enforced by warring countries, and those dismantled by love.

Olivia Newton-John And The Sydney Symphony (Live At The Sydney Opera House)

$19.98

Capitol/EMI

The Australian pop powerhouse Olivia Newton-John is backed by the famed Sydney Symphony on this DVD release, which includes 27 of her hit songs and favorite tunes that span her four-decade career in the music business.

Set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks, The Sydney Opera House, Newton-John digs deep into her song catalogue, and performs such gems as “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” “Xanadu,” “Magic,” “I Honestly Love You,” and “Physical.”

This month, we have an interesting dichotomy of men who are keeping secrets (“The DL Chronicles: The Complete First Season”) and men who are letting it all hang out (Chippendales – The Making of the 2008 Calendar) – well, most of it anyway.

The DL Chronicles

$24.95

Liberation Entertainment

By now, most everyone knows that being on the “down low,” or “DL” is slang for African-American men who appear to be straight, but have sex with other men. The men are straight presenting and keep their sexual preferences to themselves, rejecting the gay identity and community.

“The DL Chronicles: The Complete First Season,” first aired on here! TV in 2007. Four characters, Wes, Robert, Boo and Mark, are the kiss-and-don’t-tell quartet in the show.

Wes (Darren Schnase) is doing double down-low duty, embarking on an affair with his wife’s younger brother, while Robert (Terrell Tilford) faces the prospect of a fling developing into more than a one-night stand. Boo (Oneil Cespedes) gets a wake-up call because of his risky sexual practices, and Mark (Ulrich Que) expects his live-in boyfriend to butch it up for his cousin’s visit.

Chippendales: The Making of the 2008 Calendar

$14.95

Chippendales

Ever wonder what exactly goes into corralling the swarthy studs who grace the Chippendales Calendar?

Look no further. Chippendales: The Making of the 2008 Calendar delivers the skinny on how the men of Chippendales are pumped, primped, oiled and dressed for the calendar.

Eye candy factor aside, the DVD also features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the photo shoots for the calendar, and interviews with the wash-board abs, guns-a-blazin’ hotties, each of whom is as unique as the months they represent. The DVD is on sale at www.chippendales.com

Nightlight: A Memoir

Janine Avril

$15.95

Alyson Books

The story of Janine Avril’s family life includes hidden identities and people who aren’t as they appear in a well-to-do Long Island neighborhood.

When she loses her mother to cancer, and discovers six years later that her father is dying of AIDS, and that he was diagnosed when Avril was 10, her world is turned upside down, and she sets out on a journey of self discovery.

She looks inside herself, rehashing her childhood and, in particular, her father’s sexual proclivities, to answer questions that plague her adult life.

Comin’ At Ya!: The Homoerotic 3-D Photographs of Denny Denfield

David L. Chapman and Thomas Waugh

$27.95

Arsenal Pulp Press

The life and work of 1950s male nude photographer Denny Denfield is on full display in Comin’ At Ya! These 3-D photographs (yes, the book includes 3-D glasses!) were snapped when Denfield was an amateur photographer of the male physique, and an accountant for the U.S. Army.

These photos capture the male form au natural and serve as a history lesson. During the time Denfield was a shutterbug, the photographs, some of which are sexually explicit, were considered illegal.

Mary J. Blige

Growing Pains

$13.98

Geffen Records

Back in 2001, Mary J Blige pleaded for “No More Drama,” and now with her eighth studio album, Growing Pains, she’s telling listeners things are “Just Fine” (the first, upbeat single from the disc).

Her latest musical achievement says her life is a work in progress, though she is in fine form as a musician.

Growing Pains is filled with songs culled from Blige’s “no gain, no pain,” experience. She co-wrote most songs, and producing credits include Neyo, The Neptunes, Dre and Vidal. The album also features guest vocal appearances by Ludacris and Usher.

Taylor Dayne

Satisfied

$18.98

Adrenaline Music

Taylor Dayne hit it big in the ’80s and ’90s with songs such as “Tell It To My Heart,” “Prove Your Love,” “Love Will Lead You Back,” “Don’t Rush Me,” and “I’ll Always Love You.”

Now, on Satisfied, her first album in 10 years, Dayne returns with that unmistakable voice, and a sultry R&B infused sound, particularly on the first single, “Beautiful.”

Dayne even gives her own spin to the Red Hot Chili Peppers song, “Under The Bridge,” which is a stripped-down version of the original, giving it emotional resonance, and a different vibe.

Idina Menzel

I Stand

$18.98

Warner Brothers

Idina Menzel is best known for her role as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Wicked, and for her work in both the film and Broadway productions of Rent. She even snagged a Tony for her stellar vocal and acting abilities.

Now her voice is put to the test on her debut album, I Stand, which is a tuneful blending of ballads and pop songs. The latter is evident in the single, “Gorgeous,” and the former in the song, “Brave.”

The Tony Award-winning actress has written all of the songs on her CD, and collaborated with producer Glen Ballard, the Grammy-winning maestro, who has worked with Alanis Morrisette, No Doubt, Celine Dion and Annie Lennox.