The Pet Shop Boys must be feeling a bit nostalgic.

Priming audiences for Electric, their latest album, which drops in mid-July, PSB started off by going back in time and revisiting the hard-edged flourishes and synths of Hi-NRG in "Axis," released last month. 

Now it seems that -- visually speaking, at least -- the duo has fast forwarded into the halcyon days of the UK acid-house scene, with "Vocal," a love song to that time. Directed by Joost Vandebrug, the video uses archival footage from outdoor raves, parties and even the famed Hacienda, giving viewers a sense of nostalgia for a time and a place they may not have even experienced. 

Check it out below.

It's the age-old question: Why do we exist?

If you're a gay man and wondering, Why am I gay?, comedian John McKeever may have an answer for you in his video Samesies.

I think I'll stick to "samesies" anyway, but if you're interested in this telling tale of how gays came to be, take a look.

And remember, "People Juice" is important.

Even though Jinkx Monsoon was just crowned America's Next Drag Superstar, and Detox isn't going to ever let us forget how amazing she is, RuPaul apparently plans to keep on keepin' on in the pop-culture sphere. 

After the fun that was "Peanut Butter," Ru's booty-shaking record featuring Big Freedia, Ms Charles recently released a single with her Drag U co-hort Lady Bunny. Called "Lick It Lollipop," the video is a rather steamy mix of Bunny, Ru and a bootylicious model named Miles Davis Moody.

Check out the video below.

 

After hinting at and finally releasing what is the hottest single this spring, "Get Lucky," the members of Daft Punk aren't about to let the hype end on their upcoming album.

A little over a month ago, videos entitled "Random Access Memories: The Collaborators" started popping up on YouTube. The first featured multi-instrumentalist/producer/songwriter Nile Rodgers. If Rodgers's name doesn't ring a bell, his songs might. This is the man behind Chic's "Le Freak" and David Bowie's "Let's Dance," to name a few. If you haven't watched the series, it's probably one of the smartest promotional tools put out in a long time, because although these videos are interviews with "The Collaborators," they are essentially a series of 10-minute commercials, enticing and exciting you about an album you have yet to hear.

Today, Daft Punk released a video showing what the new abum will look like, along with a teaser of the new track. The video looks like it came out of collaborator Paul Williams's movie Phantom of the Paradise, (a film that the duo have openly revered in interviews), and once again, whets our appetites for a new Daft Punk album.

Photographers are often the most difficult people to photograph. But what if the photographer is a paparazzo?

In 2006, Joseph Gordon-Levitt decided to turn the tables, or rather the camera lens, on a duo of paparazzi to see what they would do. He then follows them to ask them questions, which they avoid answering by insulting him. But the interesting part is how one of them ends up flirting with him, in a roundabout way. (Via Gawker) 

*language NSFW

After their lovely homage to Wilson Phillips with "Chick-fil-A," Willam Belli, Detox Icunt & Vicky Vox have done it again, this time with a very NSFW-ish video. 

"Boy Is a Bottom" is about a "total tops total dream," with a little bit of a nod to En Vogue (watch it and you'll see/hear it). 

Check it out.

It is said that all good things must come to an end.

In the case of Adam Goldman's web series, The Outs, all good things end serenely and with dignity.

Not all web series are good. In fact, most of them are rather terrible. But when one comes around that defies the stigma of being "just a web series," it's worth celebrating.

Unfortunately, the final episode of The Outs was just released. No more well-written characters and funny scenarios. No more inappropriate sex.

At least, not until Goldman decides on his next project.

We'll be waiting.

The Outs: Significant Others from The Outs on Vimeo.

When the first few web series started appearing online, certain individuals heralded it as a new way of creating television without the TV.

The problem was that not very much of what was available was very good. Sure, there were exceptions, but most of them were based in comedy (Jack in a Box) or sheer ridiculousness (Epic Meal Time).

But there were very few dramatic series, as drama tends to need a bigger screen for it to fill. Its viewers need to take in all that is on the screen, to let them in to the world of the characters. Tone is not conveyed in the same way as comedic timing, and we, the viewers, were left with paltry options. Unlike television, which has only as many channels as you can order, online entertainment can be anything from porn to kittens with cheeseburgers, all of it available in whatever sized portion you want. Making entertainment for the web is a hard thing to do, as it's only good as long as it doesn't keep you from clicking elsewhere. We tend to like short, bite-sized bits of online fun, hence why most videos are under 10 (if not five) minutes, a formula that the guys at Funny or Die figured out pretty quickly.

Somehow, Adam Goldman's The Outs has appeared to have broken out of that ideology of short, snappy stories. This continuing dramatic series -- recently funded by a stellar Kickstarter campaign -- follows the lives of a small group of queer 20-somethings as they try to navigate themselves through their own lives. Not an easy task, let alone in a city that permits all sorts of diversions and divertissements. 

The first episode has the feel of a short film, hooking you in quickly and efficiently. The characters are a little precious at first (the self-hating gay guy, the bitter and ridiculously acerbic gay who wears cardigans and has bad dates, the annoying girlfriend), but the viewers quickly fill in the gaps as to who and what these characters are: imperfect, wanting and redeemable. That's what makes good television, no matter what kind of screen you're watching it on. Check it out.

 

Stephen Beatty, the queer transgender son of Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, is an articulate and rapid-fire speaker.

The blogger from Super Mattachine and OP was recently asked to answer a few questions for the website WeHappyTrans. When asked who some of his heroes are, he mentions Truman Capote and Marsha P Johnson. 

The video has received some attention from The Advocate and even Entertainment Tonight. If anything, I hope the video provides people with an insight into the mind of an intelligent and articulate activist. 

Check out the video below.

 

On June 23, the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project's AGM took place and a new board of directors was put into place.

The list includes:

* Kevin Kindred (chair)
* Rosie Porter (vice-chair)
* Matt Numer (past chair)
* Kate Shewan (treasurer)
* Nathaniel Lewis (secretary)
* John Britton (member-at-large)
* Jim Gouthro
* Andrew Jantzen
* Kate Keough
* Justin Leblanc
* Brenda Merritt
* Alana Murray
* Rebecca Rose
* Nathaniel Smith
* Lucas Thorne-Humphrey

NSRAP also held a community forum during the AGM and published topics of discussion at the meeting, as well as their annual report.

Speaking of NSRAP, they're still accepting applications for the Community Hero Awards, a topic discussed in Down East a few weeks ago.

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It is the weekend, however, so in keeping with the weekly Office Dance Party tradition, here's a little Balearic bumper to get you ready for beach and lake times.