Days of Summer

Monday, July 14: Oh, the gays. We have a way with words, dont we? And now we have a veritable library of categorized quips in the form of Quirk Books To Quote A Queer: A Compendium of Wit, Wisdom, and Devastating Remarks. Some choice quotes: RuPaul on beauty: Look at me -- Im a big old black man under all of this makeup, and if I can look beautiful, so can you. Alexis Arquette on New York City: I do miss New York, and I wish I could live there, but you gotta come and suck on the nipple, the great nipple of Hollywood, thats what everyone does. Truman Capote on fame: Fame is only good for one thing -- they will cash your check in a small town. And lastly, Carson Kressley on fashion: Theyre the devils playground, the pleated khakis. Get the book here.Tuesday, July 15: Today marks the arrival of The Future Doesnt Need Us, a bouncy EP from Brooklyn trio I Am The Heat (above), a crew of jovial chaps who dig sweaty dance parties -- both playing them and shaking their hipster booties at them. Taking inspiration from N.Y.C post-punk trailblazers Television and Talking Heads, Heat offer up this five-track introduction, which includes debut single What Would Lou Reed Do, the tale of a boy or girl who straddles the line between "trouble and fun." Head to their MySpace page here and get their previous EP, Naked,here.Wednesday, July 16: Is Situation not one of the best '80s songs of all time? Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke formed Yaz (or Yazoo, as the band was known in the U.K.) in 1981 and quickly thereafter produced three unforgettable synth classics: Only You, Situation, and Dont Go. They broke up after two records (Clarke, of course, went on to found Erasure and play with Depeche Mode, while Moyet pursued a productive solo career), but they have influenced everyone from LCD Soundsystem to the Pet Shop Boys. 2008 is the year to catch Yaz reunited, and tonight is the first of two nights the duo will play New York City's Terminal 5. Watch the video for Only You here, then get your tickets here. Read Popnography's review of their show last week in Oakland here. Thursday, July 17: Eddie Izzard (above) is one funny Englishman. Maybe youve seen him in one of his eight comedy DVDs, in a film or two (Velvet Goldmine, The Avengers, or Oceans 12 and 13), or as the star of FX hit show The Riches. Still, the only way to really see him is in person. Hes an awkward, mumbling, brilliant comic who, as he throws on dresses and makeup, claims hes a lesbian trapped in a mans body. Tonight he embarks on a three-night stint at San Franciscos Orpheum Theatre. Watch a clip from The Definite Articlehere, then get your tickets and see the rest of his tour itinerary here.Friday, July 18: Finally, the cinematic event of the summer is upon us: Christian Bale and Heath Ledger in the The Dark Knight. With Christopher Nolan returning to the directors chair, Bale playing a super-hot and credible Bruce Wayne, and Ledger taking his turn as one disturbing Joker, this could very well be the best film of the franchise. Here's hoping. Watch the trailer here. Meanwhile, light-footed, show tune aficionados can finally celebrate the arrival of Mamma Mia! starring Meryl Streep (who sings!), Amanda Seyfried (of Mean Girls fame), and studly Dominic Cooper. ABBA gold, indeed. Watch the trailer here. Read Popnography's review here. Saturday, July 19: Featuring mixers, BBQs, fundraisers, and balls (the dancing kind), Bear Week in Provincetown, Mass. (July 12-19) celebrates the big and beautiful bear inside all of us. Registration may have closed, but you can still dabble in a slew of festivities at the Cape. Consult the full schedule here. On the other ocean's coast, Outfest continues to offer up curious queer culture with Del Shores' white trash Texans in Sordid Lives: The Series. Catch episodes 1 and 2 tonight, followed by a Q & A with the cast and an after party all going down at LA's Director's Guild of America hosted by the gorgeous Sordid star Jason Dottley. Consult the deets here.Sunday, July 20: Riverlanes in Tulsa, Okla., is about to experience its queerest weekend of the year as the International Gay Bowling Organization drops in for Julys Oklahoma Lambda Tournament (JOLT). What better way to elicit unexpected ass-slapping than to grab a ball and rack up a few strikes and spares? Consult the IGBO site here for future tournaments and then JOLTs website for details on this weekends festivities here.