Did more than a dozen red carpet interviews with an assortment of terrific folks at last week's Ribbon of Hope event and you'll be seeing them in the coming days (and probably weeks at the rate my transcribing is going). First up is world-renowned saxophonist Dave Koz who I first met at the GLAAD Awards a few years ago and whose life and career have been forever changed since he came out publicly as a gay man in April 2004.

"I didn't get pushed out, I just decided it was time. I turned 40 and thought, 'OK, it's time for me.' But the more high-profile people that come out - and they have to do it at their own time - the more that do, the less of an issue it becomes and it's just going to be a blip on the screen eventually. It kind of is that way now with the three I can think of in recent months (Neil Patrick Harris, T.R. Knight and Lance Bass) so there's momentum."

Dave says that since coming out, he's gained some gay fans and that after he came out publicly "that summer we had the biggest summer of concerts, ever. I had more people coming to the shows and more record sales and it was proof to me that you can never go wrong by being true to yourself. It's been a great lesson for me to learn and since then, things have just gotten better. No negatives. Zero. I'm very happy."

He's also very single.
"Because I came out, 'People' magazine put me in their most eligible bachelors issue and I had some many people say, 'Oh, now you're just going to [get dates] left and right and nope. Nothing. Not even a date!"
I then ask a tall, handsome man standing near Dave on the red carpet if he was his date for the night. His reply: "No, but I would be!"

Dave performed at the Ribbon of Hope Celebration 2006 which will air in April on the here! network. but before that, in January 2007, Dave will release "At The Movies," a lush, inspired collection of twelve timeless movie themes.
Guest artists include India.Arie ("It Might Be You" Tootsie), Anita Baker ("Somewhere" West Side Story), Barry Manilow ("Moon River" Breakfast at Tiffany's), Johnny Mathis and Chris Botti ("Shadow Of Your Smile" Love Theme From The Sandpiper), Donna Summer ("A Whole New World" Aladdin) and Vanessa Williams ("The Way We Were" from the film of the same name). The album also includes six instrumentals showcasing Koz's interpretations of the themes from "Casablanca," "Schindler's List," "Cinema Paradiso," "Pink Panther" and "Summer of '42" as well as a rendition of "Over the Rainbow" that leads off with a sample of Judy Garland's unforgettable vocal.

Sounds like a winner!