TIME is running an interesting article and podcast from the True Colors Tour, asking people to define what a "gay song" is. One of the people they ask is radio DJ J.D. Doyle, who hosts a show called "Queer Voices", and takes umbrage with a popular perception:

"I could be describing my radio show to someone who hasn't heard of it, and I'd say its purpose is to share and preserve the history of gay music," Doyle said on a show a few years ago. "They'd say, 'Oh, disco music.' No, no. And I'd climb up on my soapbox and ask why they would think disco music is gay music, since most of it is by straight artists, mostly women, and only a tiny percent is lyrically gay. Very little of it is actually about our lives. By this time their eyes are quickly glazing over, and I realize once again I've taken the purist approach. But I certainly can't deny that to most people disco or dance music is the genre most associated with gay culture."

So what is a gay song, exactly? Is it any song by a gay artist? Is it a song by a gay artist that's explicitly gay? Can it be a song by a straight artist that has a gay sensibility to it? Or is there no such thing anymore as a "gay" or "straight" song? One of the people interviewed in the podcast is a teenage girl, who says that her generation doesn't really think like that. To them, a good song is a good song, and as long as it speaks to them, it doesn't matter who the artist is, or what the intention of the song is.

Do you agree with that sentiment, or do you have a list of favorite gay songs? Feel free to use the comments section to name your favorites, or explain why you don't think in those terms. Do you think that "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilara is a gay song? What about "Secret Love" by Doris Day, or "Father Figure" by George Michael?

And what about "Sugar Walls" by Sheena Easton, is that a gay song? It certainly was when I performed it at karaoke.

Discuss!

Yesterday I was dispatched on a top-secret mission in New York City ... to find Luke and Noah! Actually, given what's currently going on in the boys' storyline on As the World Turns, it was rather timely to be invited to the NYC studios yesterday to meet actors Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann and watch the taping of an appearance of a very special guest to Oakdale ...

Cyndi Lauper!

Yes, we're thrilled to be delivering the scoop that the pop legend will be making an appearance on the soap in connection with Luke and Noah. While I'm sworn to secrecy on the details, I can say that Lauper will be performing a few songs at Yo's, the Oakdale dive bar that for this particular occasion has been gussied up for a little celebration known as "Gay Pride".

Go ahead and re-read that if you like. Gay Pride. In Oakdale. Heck, on any soap! It was a complete trip to see the set festooned with rainbow flags and True Colors Tour posters and to watch Oakdale's Gay Finest (yes, there are more gays in the village!) whoop it up with Cyndi and the fellas. Luke interviews Cyndi for Oakdale U's paper and the boys enjoy a few performances.

I also got the chance to chat with Cyndi, Van, and Jake about the show and what's up with our beloved Alpha Gay Couple, but that will have to wait until closer to airdate (I also got to sit at Emma's kitchen table and pretend I was a houseguest at the Snyder Home for Wayward Gay Teens!). But I can say that it was amazing to see Cyndi play a part in this groundbreaking storyline, especially given how dedicated she has been to gay causes in recent years. Just last week I watched her perform at the NewNowNext Awards, and her second annual True Colors Tour starts this week in Boston, and there's no sign that she's slowing down anytime soon.

For now, be sure to check out Cyndi's new dance album Bring Ya to the Brink (it hit stores yesterday and is streaming on AOL as we speak), and be sure your rainbow flags are dusted off for the July 3rd episode of ATWT. 

Christian De La Fuente and friend (Brad Barket/Getty)

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• I'm not going to spill who won Dancing with the Stars, no matter how many times you ask. Unrelated: Finalist Christian De La Fuente was the big star at today's 100th birthday party for Milk-Bone dog biscuits!

• NYTimes food critic Frank Bruni takes a moment to mourn the loss of the late, great Meatpacking gay dining institution Florent, and tosses in a few mentions of his days at The Anvil and The Mine Shaft along the way. Meat packing, indeed!

• Enter the contest to win a trip to the True Colors Tour in San Francisco, where host Carson Kressley will be tearing it up with Cyndi Lauper, The B-52s, Wanda Sykes, Andy Bell, The Puppini Sisters, and more.

• Like I need another reason to get excited about the upcoming "Boogie Nights for Soccer Moms" series Swingtown: One of the stars is Miriam Shor, best known for playing transgender BFF Ytzak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

• Not for nothin', but WowReport nailed the dream casting of 'N Sync svengali Lou Pearlman for the inevitable biopic...

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

The dates and lineup for True Colors '08 have been announced. For the full list of dates, visit the official website, but here's the jist of it from the press release...

"The True Colors Tour will hit the road again this summer with an exciting new line-up of legendary and up and coming artists including headliners Cyndi Lauper, The B-52s, Rosie O’Donnell with host Carson Kressley and many more. After receiving rave reviews and a successful debut in 2007, the True Colors Tour is expanding to meet demand in many more cities. The tour will kick off Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month on May 31st at Boston’s Bank of America Pavilion. Produced by True Colors Concerts in partnership once again with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the 24 city North American tour is presented by Logo in support of the newly created True Colors Fund of Stonewall Community Foundation. The concerts feature nearly five hours of nonstop music with exciting special guests appearing on select dates throughout the tour including Wanda Sykes, Tegan and Sara, Regina Spektor, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Joan Armatrading, Indigo Girls, Nona Hendryx, Deborah Cox and The Cliks."

Needless to say, exciting lineup for an exciting event, and great news that the tour is being expanded to reach more cities. We'll be all over this one (and not just because Logo is AfterElton.com's parent company, we swear!).

According to an article by Billboard's Michael Paoletta, gay-oriented media is on the rise. The article notes that growth of ad sales for LGBT publications outpaced the rest of the industry, and that Logo has seen its reach expand with its ad sales also increasing. The article also points out that gay musical artists are having an easier time finding their audience, and notes the success of the True Colors tour.

For musicians, the internet is credited for democratizing the industry. Thanks to MySpace and YouTube a musical act can get the word out more effectively and less expensively than before. Fans, meanwhile, can easily spread the word about their favorite acts.

Out musician Darren Hayes (formerly of Savage Garden) says, "A consumer revolution is taking place. They are saying, 'This is the music we want.' Years ago, artists had to fit into certain molds created by the labels. But no longer. Napster really changed the landscape - in more ways than anyone could have predicted." (Along those lines, I'm surprised that the article barely mentions Here!TV, which has done a great job using the internet to reach its audience.)

Meanwhile, Paoletta finds the True Colors tour noteworthy for being the first national tour to openly target the LGBT market and succeed. Others have attempted a LGBT-aimed tours in the past but True Colors is the largest one to succeed.

• The View from Here features interviews with 39 queer filmmakers, including John Waters, Don Mancini (creator of the Child's Play series, pictured above), Bruce La Bruce (Hustler White) and Pedro Almodovar.
• Singalong Buffy: the Musical Episode expands from NYC to Los Angeles.
• John Amaechi: "I'm not just that big gay bloke." Of course you're not. Now, what's a "bloke"?
• When Bad Gay Jokes Go Bad: John Cusack is NOT gay, people. K? Now let's back to discussing the important stuff, like ... um ...
• ... how Britney ducked out of her True Colors Tour gig because she still can't sing?
  

Friday

National Bingo Night (ABC) 9:00 PM EDT
For the most part, I've avoided this series since my idea of Bingo has numbers being called out by a drag queen dressed as a nun and I can't imagine being disappointed by anything less. However, I hear this week includes a visit to the set of Brothers & Sisters. This could help tide me over until we get new episodes in the fall.

Confessions of a Matchmaker (A&E) 11:30 PM EDT
The series' premiere, featuring 41-year-old virgin Joe, reruns tonight. I found this episode to be sweet and endearing in how Joe's sexual orientation was handled.

Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) 1:35 AM EDT
For you night owls who can't get enough of her, Kathy Griffin makes an appearance. She's certainly promoting her show like crazy, isn't she? As a bonus, gay-fan-loving Enrique Iglesias also performs.

Saturday

CBS News on Logo: Profile on Pride (Logo) 3:30 PM EDT
With June almost over, CBS News looks at Pride celebrations around the world.

Shining Through: Behind the Scenes at the True Colors Tour (Logo) 4:00 PM EDT
Get a taste of the concert tour which includes Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, Deborah Harry, The Dresden Dolls, The Indigo Girls as performers and the fabulous Margaret Cho as host. Looking at the pix from the show's Las Vegas kickoff this sounds like a fab concert.

Sunday

The Next Food Network Star (Food Network) 9:00 PM EDT
If Top Chef isn't enough food competition for you, there's always this snark-worthy series, where gay contestant Paul McCullough is still in the running.

Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors Tour" launched Saturday night in Las Vegas. Since we know most of you couldn't attend, here are a some pictures. So dye your hair, put on you favorite Lauper album (I'm partial to her first one!), check out these pictures and you'll feel like you were practically there yourself!

Cyndi, understated as always! Girls just want to wear crazy hats

• Oprah has chosen Jeffrey Eugenides's 2002 Pulitzer-winning (and pretty darn interesting) gender-switch novel Middlesex as her next book club read. May the transgender talkshow PR train roll on!
  
• Ad spending in the gay and lesbian press broke all records in 2006 -- over $223 million -- and has grown on average three times faster than general consumer magazines. I guess my cut of that must be in the mail or something.
• Kissing cousin John Polly over at NewNowNext interviewed gay BFF Cyndi Lauper on her True Colors Tour and gay rights advocacy efforts. Could she BE any cooler?!
• Weinermobiles + gay characters + a former football player with history of steroid-induced rage = comedy gold.