Days of Summer

Monday, August 25: Still haven't made the time to see Spring Awakening? We're concerned. If the fact that the Broadway musical has won eight Tony awards and its plot line careens from one taboo topic to the next (it's so racy that the Spring Awakening website features a section devoted to helping parents discuss the play's content with their impressionable offspring) hasn't inspired you to secure yourself a seat yet, try this: Increasingly hot young Weeds star Hunter Parrish just joined the cast on August 18. Check out this clip of him dishing on his Broadway debut and practicing with his new playmates (the boy can sing!). Now are you ready for a little theater? We thought so.

Tuesday, August 26: Rather than ride on big sis Beyonc's bombastic R&B coattails, Solange (a.k.a. Solange Knowles, above) waxes nostalgic on her new album, SoL-AngeL and the Hadley St. Dreams (out today on Geffen). Enlisting coveted producers like Mark Ronson and the Neptunes, the doo-wop'obsessed singer has created a soulful collection of sparkling Motown toe-tappers (like the summer hit 'I Decided') and spacey disco grooves. Go see the videos for 'I Decided' and "Sandcastle Disco" if you don't believe us.

Wednesday, August 27: And in other music news: Lykke Li (it's pronounced 'Luke-y Lee,' by the way) has more to offer than just a funny-looking name -- she also has a killer new album, Youth Novels (Atlantic). The sugar-throated songstress is Sweden's latest export to hit our shores, and like the recent Scandinavians who came before her (Robyn, Sally Shapiro, and The Tough Alliance, to name a few), she definitely does not disappoint. Beats get dropped, hearts get broken, and when you finally manage to make yourself press STOP, don't be surprised if you gotta give the record one more spin. You know, just to be sure it's that good.

Thursday, August 28: Instead of wallowing in self-pity for missing the premiere of Margaret Cho's new reality series, The Cho Show, last week, be proactive and take tonight to catch one of the 400,000 reruns that VH1 surely has scheduled of the first episode. And if all else fails, you can download the first show for free at iTunes. Even though Cho, above, is a bit restrained (this isn't Showtime, people) she's never not funny. So much so that we'd be willing to watch 22 minutes of her cleaning the moldy produce out of her refrigerator -- and we bet you would too.

Friday, August 29: Friday night means date night, and what better way to get to know your new beau than by learning whether he's a high-pitched cackler or not at a showing of Disaster Movie? The slapstick comedy hits theaters today, and no recent blockbuster movie or its stars -- including Indiana Jones, Iron Man, and the gang from High School Musical -- are safe from the merciless spoofing sure to unfold onscreen. Get prepped by playing the Disaster Movie'sponsored Escape from Rehab video game, featuring Amy Winehouse giving Batman the beat down with her crack pipe.

Saturday, August 30: If you're in Seattle -- or even if you're not, but you have a few hundred bucks you can burn on an impulse airfare purchase -- check out the 2008 Gay Softball World Series (GSWS). The annual tournament is the largest queer sporting event in the world, with 185 teams from 41 cities and nearly 3,000 players involved. The competition, which begins on August 22, finishes tonight with the championship game being played at Russell Road Park. If you're feeling a little self-conscious, remember that being -- or owning -- a jock should never be required to have a good time. And if sports will never be your cuppa, make the trek out to see Rufus Wainwright with special guest Jessye Norman in Last Song of Summer, a concert at the Watermill Center in Watermill, N.Y. Buy tix here.

Sunday, August 31: Though some critics may have panned it, a majority of the Out staffers thoroughly enjoyed the ABBA-inspired movie musical Mamma Mia! Popnography summed it up quite nicely, calling it a 'sweetly gay' romantic comedy with 'fierce divas denying they're too old to party and nubile eye candy doing kick lines in short shorts." As if that -- or eye candy in the form of Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper, above -- weren't reason enough to check it out, now you can actually dance, jive, and be part of the campy cinematic magic. Universal Pictures has just released a special sing-along edition of Mamma Mia! in select theaters nationwide that features the lyrics to all of the film's musical numbers on the screen. Yes, this means you can finally croon and bounce along with other rabid fans to sugary classics like 'Dancing Queen,' 'S.O.S.,' 'Take a Chance on Me,' and -- one of our personal faves -- 'Lay All Your Love on Me.'