PALM SPRINGS -- Among the gay literati, the Lambda Literary Awards signify welcome recognition for authors writing about LGBT topics. Whether fiction, memoir or nonfiction, it’s a great honor to get nominated for the prestigious award.

So it was a real pleasure to revisit with our very own local columnist Dr. Jallen Rix when we got word his book, "Ex-Gay No Way," was nominated for a 2011 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Nonfiction.

PALM SPRINGS -- It was truly a surreal moment. I was startled awake a few weekends ago by my cell phone ringing. That in and of itself wasn’t too extraordinary. But I have a feature that announces who’s calling and as I stirred from my subconscious slumber my phone announced in its eerie digital voice: Molly Gianopoulos – better known as Molly Ringwald. My eyes flew open and I almost fell out of bed to answer it.

Molly was supposed to call me for our interview the afternoon before but as things can get haywired, there was a miscommunication and she thought it was for Sunday.

PALM SPRINGS -- There’s a very short list of entertainers who can claim five decades of practicing their craft. And Dionne Warwick is one of them. The New Jersey native has been belting out hits throughout her career, firmly etching an indelible spot in American music.

Throughout the years, Warwick has had 56 singles chart in Billboard’s Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998. Only Aretha Franklin has more female vocalist singles than her.

PALM SPRINGS -- Like many dance music DJs, I have my own list of favorite music producers whose remixes I instinctively gravitate towards, and Grammy nominee Dave Audé is most certainly among them.

His powerfully uplifting remixes consistently remind me just how great dance music can be. Audé has spent a lifetime perfecting his craft and his success is a direct reflection on his dedication to electronic dance music. I spoke with Dave via telephone to talk about his career, his Grammy nomination, and to discuss his thoughts on the current state of dance music.