Relaxing Gifts  The holiday season is upon us, and that means racking our brains to come up with gifts for a list of people who seem to already have everything; so we’re helping you out with a few suggestions. On the higher-end, do you know someone who would love a roaring fire but has no place to put it? Consider gifting them with an Anywhere Fireplace. For a more price-conscious choice, fans of holistic medicine may appreciate an accupressure mat from Hälsa, designed to ease pain by lying on spikes which encourages relaxation using the body’s own hormones.

Dinner and a Movie  The delicious motion picture Toast whisks audiences away to 1960s Britain, where the clothes were loud and the food was boiled. The film tells the (mostly true) story of British food-writer Nigel Slater, who grew up with a frail mother whose cooking was so bad that toast was invariably the best thing on the menu; she was soon supplanted by a stepmother (played with great sauciness Helena Bonham Carter), who used her own far superior cooking to wrap Nigel’s father around her little finger—prompting young Nigel to develop some cooking skills of his own. “Toast” is an utterly delightful romp—positively drenched with the music of Dusty Springfield—that follows Nigel’s emerging personality, burgeoning sexuality and growing passion for food until he finally builds a life that he can stomach.

Hung Love  It’s been hard not to notice the advertisements for the third season of Hung—premiering on HBO October 2—featuring a hunky, shirtless Thomas Jane between the sheets with a fan of shapely ladies’ legs. In season three, Jane returns as Ray Drecker, a man who faces financial troubles by bringing his most important tool to the table. This season promises a fresh infusion of drama, as Ray and Tanya (his partner in “Happiness Consultation”) face off against deliciously nasty rival pimp Lenore and hunky new-gigolo-on-the-block, Jason. Plus, later in the season, Ray is set to encounter his first transgendered client—we can’t wait!

Model Behavior  You might not know his name, but you know his face (and body): over the course of his career, David Gandy has become one of Dolce & Gabbana’s iconic models. From his ecstatic poses for their underwear to his sun-drenched, swimwear-clad ads for their fragrance Light Blue to working their clothes on the runway, there’s no such thing as too many pictures of David. That’s why we’re so pleased by David Gandy by Dolce & Gabbana from Rizzoli. This book is partly collection of the model’s most stunning work in front of the lenses of photographic greats such as Mariano Vivanco and Mario Testino and partly a look into what’s going on in his handsome head but it’s all beautiful and it can be all yours.

Pup To You  A dog can bring a smile to the face the most hard-hearted people, but—sadly—collections of stories about pets tend to be so saccharine they can leave a bad taste in the mouth of even the most ardent pet lover. Fortunately, we’ve found a collection of pet stories even a cynic can appreciate: I’m Not the Biggest Bitch in this Relationship. At turns laugh-out-loud funny and wipe-away-a-tear touching, this collection of stories captures how our dogs can both be neurotic, bratty, entitled, ridiculous and still somehow the loves of our lives. This wonderfully gay-inclusive collection was edited by one of our favorite memoir authors Wade Rouse and includes contributions by the likes of  funny lady Chelsea Handler, hilarious Ugly Betty star Alec Mapa, noted lesbian activist Rita Mae Brown, the Sweet Potato Queen herself Jill Conner Browne and many more.

Sunday Kind of Love  It’s been called “Before Sunrise” starring a gay couple, and we can see why: like the lovely Ethan Hawke/Julie Delpy romance, Weekend features two people awakening to the possibilities of love in the face of a seemingly inevitable goodbye. Shy lifeguard Russel and gregarious artist Glen randomly meet at a gay club on a Friday night and end up spending the next 48 hours sharing everything from their life stories to their beds, each knowing that the man with whom each might finally be able to overcome their fear of relationships may soon be an ocean away. Get a glimpse of a Weekend to remember at the film’s website. Look for it in theaters September 23.

Speaking Of Easy  We love the way Ken Burns captures American History—the artful pans across still photography, the marvelous vintage footage, the fantastic music, the remarkable interviews and (most important of all) the excellent storytelling. And we couldn’t be more pleased about his latest choice of topic, one of America’s most ambitious experiments: Prohibition. The fantastic Wynton Marsalis provides original music as he and other famous voices help tell the story of how our liquor-loving nation traded in saloons for speakeasies and an era that was supposed to be about abandoning alcohol ended up spawning a memorable cocktail culture that forever changed the face of U.S. society. Funny, enlightening, magical and maddening—we’ll gladly raise a glass to this series, set to premier October 2.

Nice Suits  It’s almost time to haul your big winter coats and bulky sweaters out of storage, and you’re going to need to make some room for them. Well if you’re considering parting ways with some of your gently worn suits, Men’s Wearhouse is looking to help you out and help others out at the same time. Throughout the month of August, they’ll be collecting these suits and redistributing them through charitable programs that help the disadvantaged get a (pant) leg up in life. Just think—that old suit going nowhere in the back of your closet may be just the ticket to helping someone walk into an interview with new confidence and start building a better life. Learn More »

Little Men  Photograher Blake Little has made a name for himself capturing on film everyone from striking models to stunning celebrities. But in his exciting new book The Company of Men, Little turns his lens on the burliest, most masculine subjects he can find—who just happen to be gay—in the hopes of addressing societal stereotypes about the intersection of sexual orientation and masculinity. Oh, and they’re some damn fine men well worth looking at, to boot.

Podcasting Call  Just as a writer needs to do a whole lot of reading before he puts pen to paper, we listened to plenty of podcasts before we created The Focus Group: Casual Fridays. Some of Paul’s favorite podcast addictions, include the well-rounded roundtable at Pop Culture Happy Hour, the original purveyors of snark at Extra Hot Great, comedian Doug Benson and his parade of guests playing the Leonard Maltin game on Doug Loves Movies, funnyman Paul F. Thompkins serving up all manner of stream-of-consciousness amusements on The Pod F. Tompkast, getting our daily dose of Rachel Maddow and checking in with some of our favorite gays on Ben and Dave’s Six Pack.

Keep on Ryan  The A-List: New York returns on Logo Monday, July 25th at 10pm EST; so we welcomed one of it’s break-out stars, celebrity hairstylist Ryan Nickulas of Ryan Darius salon to talk about how being on reality TV has affected his business, what he thinks about the A-List brand in general and get a sneak preview of the drama that’s coming our way in Season 2 of Logo’s guiltiest pleasure.

Isn’t that Captain Von Trapp?  If you’re like me, the name Christopher Plummer calls to mind a picture of the great actor crooning to Julie Andrews in a Viennese gazebo in “The Sound of Music.” Well, if you exchange Fraulein Maria for former ER hearthtrob Goran Visnjic, trade in Leisel for Ewan McGregor and ditch the rest of the Von Trapp children, you’ll begin to get a picture of Beginners. Though there are a number of “beginnings” in the film, it starts with an ending: Plummer has died, leaving his son Oliver (McGregor) to care for his father’s adorable dog and make sense of the fact that Hal (Plummer) spent the last few years of his life finally embracing his gay identity (after a long, unhappy marriage to Oliver’s mother). Over the course of the film, we look back to see Plummer build his new, gay life only to have it abbreviated by his sickness and death. At the same time, we watch McGregor attempt to make sense of life after his father’s death and love after witnessing his father’s late-in-life change of heart.

More than Meats  Though NYC’s Meatpacking District has now become a trendy mecca for upscale eateries and purveyors of high fashion, it once was once a kind of no man’s land that contained some of Manhattan’s seediest gay bars. Many credit the beginning of its gentrification with the culture that arose around Florent—an eatery with the menu of an upscale bistro, the architecture of an old-fashioned diner and a clientele that ranged from uptown foodies to downtown misfits. A new film, Florent: Queen of the Meat Market, available via many video on demand video services as of June 7, explores the legacy of the restaurant and its proprietor, activist Florent Morellet, with the help of famous faces like Julianne Moore, Isaac Mizrahi, Michael Musto and many more.

That Book Is So Gay  In an age when popular culture is so obsessively fixed to screens, it’s a joy to take a moment to celebrate the printed word. LGBT literature is so important to our community—it’s often where we find our bravest, most-forward-thinking voices. In anthologies, it shows how our experiences come together—our similarities and our differences. In non-fiction, it teaches us more about the truth of our struggle. In fiction, it presents a pathway to a shared understanding of our experience, and in poetry, it paints a picture of our collective soul. This year, the Lambda Literary awards honored a extraordinary works (including several that we’ve recommended right here on “The Focus Group”), in addition to paying homage to phenomenal playwright Edward Albee and prolific (and charming) crime novel author Val McDermid. See more of this year’s finalists and winners at lambdaliterary.org.

How Sweet It Is  Once upon a time, a woman named Jill Conner Browne felt downright gypped out of the opportunity to get all made up like a pageant queen and be adored. So she got herself a big red wig, sparkly green dress, majorette boots, cat’s eye sunglasses, a tiara and some well-placed padding and finagled her way onto a float full of Sweet Potatoes in a Mississippi St. Patrick’s Day Parade. What she didn’t know when she declared herself the Sweet Potato Queen was that she would start a movement empowering women (and more than a few men) to love themselves better, encourage each other to be more sassy and—every now and then—dress up like drag queens. It would also lead to a best-selling series of books and an annual celebration! Interested? You ought to be! Learn more at the official Sweet Potato Queens’ Website.

Oh My Squad  If you enjoy the behind-the-scenes antics of shows like Jackie Warner’s “Workout” and match-up shows like “Blind Date”, you can get the best of both worlds with Logo’s new series “The Setup Squad.” It’s a look at Wings, Inc., a company that specializes in providing professional “wingmen” (and wingwomen) to help turn the socially hopeless into people who can navigate the single life with ease. We especially love (looking at) cutie-pie Jonathan, but for us the real star of the show is the woman with the fabulous accent, the fancy wardrobe and the attitude that just won’t quit—Lauretta. You’ve got to see her to believe her! Watch them on the Logo network or learn more on the show’s official website.

The Original Crime Family  It may center around a man who would be pope, but new Showtime series “The Borgias” is anything but holier than thou. Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons) bribes, threatens and poisons his way to the papacy with the help of handsome eldest son Cesare. Meanwhile, Rodrigo’s hot-headed second son Juan is busy finding his way into fights or beds, and his wide-eyed daughter Lucrezia (who’d eventually become infamous for poisoning future husbands) only has eyes for her older brother Cesare. It’s a family story so twisted that Mario Puzo turned to it for inspiration when he was creating the family at the heart of “The Godfather” Trilogy. You can read more about the show and how you can take advantage of special Borgias promotions at metrosource.com.

Uomini Men, So Little Time  Dolce & Gabbana Uomini is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a volume featuring hundreds of breathtaking photographs of the male figure by reknowned photographer Mariano Vivanco. He accomplishes much with this book—celebrating of the human body (clothed and unclothed), referencing archetypes of Roman and Greek art, examining the ways various models meet the lens, and—in the process—creating one of the sexiest collections of images we’ve seen. Sneak a peak at dolcegabbana.com.

Light Enough to Travel  It’s the time of year when winter melts away and thoughts turn to travel — from heading out on Spring Breaks to planning Summer Vacations. So we turned to health and fitness expert Rick Dinihanian (who, in his 60s, has a better body than most of us had as teenagers). Rick advises a three week course of travel preparation — including a fitness test to measure your progress and a regimen of regular cardio, stretching, massages and more. You can read about it at his blog, which also includes videos of him performing some of the exercises — it’s especially helpful if you’re less than well-acquainted with the bevy of machinery at the gym.