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Hot Sheet: The Perks of Being Volatile

Hot Sheet: The Perks of Being Volatile

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The top 10 entertainment highlights on our gaydar this week: One of last year's best movies for LGBT audiences comes to DVD, plus a pop star sure to get your attention.

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10. THEATER: Forever Dusty

You don't have to say you love Dusty Springfield -- we know you do. Forever Dusty, a portrait of the pop legend's life and music, is in an open-ended run at New York City's New World Stages, but there's a special treat for theatergoers Wednesday: a one-night-only sing-along performance, hosted by drag diva Sherry Vine (star of Here TV's She's Living for This) and comedian Seth Herzog. So if you long to belt out "Son of a Preacher Man," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," "Wishin' and Hopin'," and other Dusty hits somewhere other than your shower, here's your chance -- and attendees are even encouraged to dress in their best '60s-style fashions and Dusty blond beehive wigs! Kirsten Holly Smith stars in the show, which deals with Springfield's lesbian relationships as well as the many other aspects of her life.

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9. DVD: Luna Park
Luna Park is the home away from home for the stars of a popular porn studio, leading to the inevitably raunchy roommate dramas that accompany well-hung boys baring all. But when actress turned producer Alexia's mute brother, Christi, begins managing the building, he takes to hiding in the closet (metaphor alert!) to view his own personal peep shows. When his sister discovers her little brother's spying, she sends her minion Maxwell to remedy the situation ... but Maxwell finds himself enamored of the silent boy. Of course, in the land of skiing and sin, nothing is out of bounds. Explore Luna Park starting Tuesday on DVD from Aztrical Entertainment.

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8. EVENT: The 6th Annual Don Thompson LGBT Film Festival

The University of Southern California, one of the nation's top film schools, will host its sixth annual LGBT film festival this weekend, showcasing the top eight short pieces submitted by students and alumni. The chosen films judges include director Tina Mabry (Mississippi Damned), Sony Pictures vice president Jason Clodfelter, and The Advocate's own managing editor, Neal Broverman, and the event will be hosted by Drew Droege, a.k.a., the Chloe Sevigny of the Internet. Proceeds will benefit the Don Thompson Scholarship in Cinematic Arts. Saturday, 2 p.m., $5-$25. For more information visit the website.

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7. DVD: Sexual Tension: Volatile
Ever had an encounter with a friend, or maybe a stranger, that you were hoping would develop into something more than just platonic? TLA Releasing hopes so, given the subject of its new collection of short films, Sexual Tension: Volatile. The DVD is composed of six segments, including a sexual sponge bath with a man who has two broken arms, and two straight friends who literally show each other how to have sex with a woman. Cousins, best friends, even your tattoo artist isn't off-limits in this sexy set of taboo encounters that is sure to have your heart racing by the time the credits roll. Sexual Tension: Volatile will be released on DVD by TLA Tuesday.

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6. THEATER: The Vagina Monologues
Eve Ensler's ode to female anatomy and empowerment gets a benefit production the week of Valentine's Day at the historic Bucks County Playhouse in scenic New Hope, Pa. (about an hour from Philadelphia and 90 minutes from New York City). Starring are Doubt Tony-winner Adriane Lenox, New York stage vet Olivia Oguna, and Andrea McArdle, the original Annie, all grown up. Proceeds will benefit A Woman's Place, Bucks County's only organization supporting victims of domestic violence. Performances Wednesday through February 17.

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5. FILM: Side Effects
Careful not to spoil the plot, reviews of Stephen Soderbergh's Side Effects, in theaters now, are cagey about the gay-related details of the thriller starring Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, and Jude Law. But this much we know: The psychological drama deals with mental health and the medical professionals who try to treat it by medicating away depression, suicidal ideation, and perhaps a few too many of protagonist Mara's understated feelings, resulting in a crime in which those implicated are morally murky at best. In a harsh review panning the film, NPR claimed the film "will not be winning any awards from gay rights groups." Watch the trailer below, and see if your gaydar pings at any of the characters.


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4. THEATER: Talley's Folly
If you love watching out actress Sarah Paulson in American Horror Story: Asylum, you'll probably love seeing her onstage even more. Theater veteran Paulson returns to the boards in Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Talley's Folly, a Pulitzer-winning drama about two lonely people finding love, written by the late, esteemed gay playwright Lanford Wilson as part of his Talley family trilogy. Danny Burstein (Boardwalk Empire, Transamerica) costars. American Airlines Theatre, New York City, tonight through May 5.

Above: Director Michael Wilson, actress Sarah Paulson, and actor Danny Burstein attend the Talley's Folly off-Broadway press preview at Roundabout Theatre Company

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3. TELEVISION: The Grammys
The 55th Grammys happen Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern. Make sure to tune in for appearances and performances by Frank Ocean, Kelly Clarkson, Ellen, and more (we'll also be live-tweeting the festivities). Click here to read more about the LGBT moments expected on Sunday night.

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2. DVD: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Acclaimed author turned screenwriter Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and out queer actor Ezra Miller, who won raves for his performance as a gay teen. To a decade's outcasts, the original print version of Perks belongs on a shelf next to The Catcher in the Rye. It pays tribute to that classic indictment of adult hypocrisy but also tells an updated, unflinching, uncensored story about how many childhoods were not so much the setting of a happy home video as they were fodder for a future PostSecret confession.The DVD, out Tuesday from Lionsgate, includes deleted scenes, commentary, and the featurette Best Summer Ever.

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1. MUSIC: Azealia Banks, Broke With Expensive Taste
Even though her first proper album drops Tuesday, bisexual hip-hop artist Azealia Banks is keeping a low profile. That likely has something to do with her "f bomb" scandal from a few weeks ago, in which she proudly denigrated blogger Perez Hilton. Her backpedaling and refusal to make an outright apology definitely lost her some LGBT fans, but many will still download her masterful rhymes. Little is known about the album, Broke With Expensive Taste, other than that the lead single is "Yung Rapunxel," which wasn't part of her blockbuster EP 1991.

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