Fireworks lit up the cloudy sky over the San Diego Bay, cars were honking their horns and loud cheers could be heard in the streets. Happy New Year, my chickadees!

What a year 2006 was. Saddam Hussein was executed, Tom Cruise got married, the American people spoke loudly with their votes, Angelina had a baby, the Rev. Ted Haggard sinned, Nicole Richie didn’t know which way to go, Miss USA Tara Conner got a second chance, Mark Foley is in “rehab,” Gerald Ford passed on and we saw more of Britney than we ever cared to see.

My special thanks to the San Diego chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights for spearheading the Stonewall Citizens Patrol and watching out for us on New Year’s Eve.

I took my usual holiday trip back home to New York City using my American Airlines mileage. What a big mistake. I booked my flight in early October online and decided to fly out of Burbank. The trip itself was uneventful; it was the shock I got when I received my monthly Advantage statement that they took 50,000 miles. I’ve been using my mileage for more than 10 years and it had always been 25,000 miles for trips within the 48 states. I didn’t even know that it was possible to fly a certain flight using more miles.

When I called to complain, their attitude was “too bad.” If I wanted my mileage back, I could cancel my flight and pay them $150. Talk about highway robbery. I sent an e-mail to customer service and never heard back. Lesson of the day: Read the fine print! I’ve been a loyal customer for 20 years, but American Airlines, you have lost me forever. I am now a Jet Blue exclusive!

New York City is magical during the holidays, even though it didn’t snow. I never get tired of going to the see the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center; its majestic presence offers so much warmth and hope. Other must-see holiday sights include the window display at Bergdorf Goodman, where I’m sure they locked up an army of queer boys until there was no glitter or feathers left in the city. Also fun is the holiday window display at Saks Fifth Avenue, which I believe is the only animated window display left in N.Y.C.

The new Apple Computer store by Central Park, near FAO Schwarz, reminds me of the Louvre in Paris. This simple glass cube in the middle of a big open square leads you down to the Apple store, much like the I.M. Pei-designed glass pyramid does for the French museum. Of course, you also have to take a side trip to the Chelsea Market where the Food Channel is and to the Time Warner Building in Columbus Circle. This was where Ellen broadcast several of her holiday shows.

No matter what neighborhood in New York you find yourself in, you are certain to find great restaurants. The old meat market area west of Eighth Avenue and below 14th Street is always an adventure. There is Pastis, a large French open market type of restaurant, very trendy and very crowded. I prefer to go to Florent, owned by my friend Florent Morellet who was a pioneer in the area, offering French dinner fare like steak frites and rillettes. My other favorite food places are the El Quixote restaurant at the Chelsea Hotel for lobster and paella, and Havana Central in Union Square for their empanadas, ropa vieja and pernil. And of course I would highly recommend dim sum at the HSF Restaurant on Bowery in Chinatown. Then you can sneak in some shopping as well.

My dear friend Edith surprised me with tickets to A Chorus Line on Broadway because she knows I was too poor to pay full price. Besides, it was the holidays and tickets are hard to come by. I saw A Chorus Line when I first came to the United States many years ago (don’t bother counting my age because I’m not telling you when), and I paid $25 for a full-price orchestra seat. But those days are gone.

This Michael Bennett production made Broadway history not only for the many awards it garnered or for being the longest running show for a long time, but for the revolutionary staging of the show with minimal sets or costumes. The current production still holds up to the original, though it’s not as magical. But it certainly is a redemption following the awful film version with Michael Douglas.

Charlotte d’Amboise is superb as Cassie, who desperately struggles to hang on as the aging gypsy in “The Music and the Mirror.” You’ve gotta love the songs to enjoy the show: “Tits and Ass,” “Nothing” and “What I Did for Love.” There are just the gypsies, with the songs and the rigorous dancing all leading to the grand finale. And what a finale it was – the gold high hats and tails, the rhinestones fishnets and the precision of the mirrors and the step-kicks. A Chorus Line is one truly singular sensation!

Another major Michael Bennett Broadway production made it to Hollywood in the highly anticipated musical Dreamgirls. I remember seeing a 10-second film teaser exactly a year ago, and the movie has created so much buzz for its Christmas Day opening.

We got opening day tickets for the film at the famed Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City, where most major movie premieres are held. The ticket-holders line was more than a block long an hour before the show. You’d think people were in line for Playstation 3 or Fashion Week. The lobby of the Ziegfeld displayed two sets of costumes for the movie, but we were too busy scrambling for good seats – the popcorn would have to wait.

Few stage musicals translate well into Hollywood movies, with Chicago leading the pack. Rent and Phantom didn’t fare too badly, but I thought The Producers was a disaster. Dreamgirls, however, captured the heart and soul of the Broadway show. Beyoncé was stunning as Deena and Eddie Murphy was electrifying as James “Thunder” Early. But it is Ms. Jennifer Hudson who stole the show, like Jennifer Holliday before her on stage. When Hudson belted out “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going,” you could feel the hairs standing up on your back, even one as smooth as mine.

The choreographer did a great job getting the great dance moves down, and the costume designer takes the hometown girls to the big-time stars. They really capture the Motown look. And you gotta love all the big blow-up photos of Deena at the recording studio, because Beyoncé turned it out and sure looked like Ms. Ross. It was a fun film to watch, especially because the audience burst out in thunderous applause after every song. I think Jennifer Hudson definitely deserves an award for her breakout performance. Dreamgirls is a must-see, feel-good movie. And remember, “all you gotta do is dream.”

Coming to San Diego

Friends of Big Mike are throwing him a big 50th birthday bash at the US Grant Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 21, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. A $50 suggested donation will benefit the Ben Dillingham III Community Fund. There will be entertainment and food provided by some of Big Mike’s favorite neighborhood restaurants.

I will be hosting my monthly It’s Raining Men wet underwear contest on Thursday, Jan. 25, at Bacchus House. My special porn-stud guest will be the delicious Tommy Blade, who’s also been featured on the cover of Instinct magazine. Of course, I will be giving away lots of videos. So please stop by and say hello.

The very hot Steve Pena will host his monthly Military Madness Night at Club Montage on Saturday, Jan. 27, featuring circuit party diva Amuka, porn superstar Brent Everett and special guest DJ Chi Chi LaRue. Doors will open at 2100 hours (9:00 p.m.). General admission is $10, or $20 VIP. Get more info online at www.militarymadnessnight.com.