Rep. Christopher Shays on Why He Kissed Bush

It's amazing the media and discussion that one man-to-man kiss will generate.

Rep. Christopher Shays (CT-R) explained why he kissed President Bush on his way into the House chamber before the State of the Union on Monday night.

Said Shays: "I said some words of encouragement to the President as he walked by and he pulled me close and whispered something very thoughtful and kind in return. I wanted him to feel support as he walked into a very partisan chamber. I know he appreciated what I said to him. I realize many Americans are angry with the President and may even hate him, but I would have said the same thing to any leader who has the burden of the country and the world on his or her shoulders. I am particularly determined in this very ugly, political environment in which we find ourselves that the values of respect and compassion I grew up believing in extend even to a President who has a low approval rating."

Just what sweet nothing did Shays whisper in Bushie's ear before the parting kiss?

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Gay Indian Prince Says He Plans to Adopt a Royal Heir

Gay Indian Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, who appeared earlier this year on Oprah and discussed his coming out in a country where homosexuality is still illegal under an archaic 1861 law put in place by British colonists (Section 377 of the penal code), says he plans to adopt a child so that he will have a royal heir.

The Times of India reports: " The prince was in Rajpipla on Wednesday to perform the annual ritual of garlanding his great-grandfather Vijaysinh Gohil's statue on his 119th birth anniversary. Asked who would continue this tradition after him, he said: 'I have carried out all my responsibilities as the prince so far and will continue as long as I can. I will also adopt a child soon so that all traditions continue.' Manavendra, who is a divorcee, added that adoption was not new for the royal families as many had taken this route in the absence of a legal male heir. "The Gohil dynasty itself is a case of adoption. Rajpipla was ruled by the Parmar clan, not the Gohils. But the Parmars at one point did not have a male child. One of the Parmar princesses then married the maharaja of Bhavnagar."

Although no single men have adopted children in India, Manvendra says he does not believe that should be an obstacle for him as the only stipulations in place are having no prior offspring and a significant age difference between the adopter and the adoptee.

Previously
Gay Indian Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil to Appear on Oprah [tr]

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Music News: Kylie Hops Into Robyn's Box, Plus Leona Lewis, R.E.M., Yahoo Music, Cat Power, NKOTB, Shelby Lynne

Robbie Daw presents a weekly pop music update here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own pop music site called Chart Rigger.

Either these two pop dames are trying to give us déjà vu, or they're both just really into boxes. Kylie Minogue's new video for "In My Arms" (below, left) made its way online yesterday, and it bears more than a passing resemblance to Robyn's video for "Handle Me" (right) from last fall.

Of course, all these years later, it's worth revisiting what might be the silent inspiration for both clips.

While "In My Arms" is Minogue's second single off X throughout most of Europe, the U.K. and Australia will get "Wow" instead. Videos for both "In My Arms" and "Wow" were shot while Kylie was recently in Los Angeles by director Melina Matsoukas. The U.S. version of X is tentatively scheduled for a March release on Capitol Records.

Meanwhile, two EPs from Robyn were made available stateside yesterday -- the five-track Rakomonie EP and the single package for her U.K. chart-topper, "With Every Heartbeat." Robyn's full-length album from Cherrytree/Interscope will drop in April. The singer is doing three sold-out club performances next week in New York, San Francisco and L.A.

Along with Madonna, Mariah and Gnarls Barkley, successful U.K. belter Leona Lewis to throw her hat into the crowded ring of April album releases.

R.E.M. shoots their new video in New York at "the best sex shop [they've] ever been in."

Despite the company's current woes -- or perhaps in spite of them -- Yahoo Music to offer non-digital rights managed (DRM) songs by the end of the year.

Music sales are dismal all over, but Cat Power (pictured right) scores her best week ever with newly-released album Jukebox.

With an updated website boasting past achievements and playing a schmaltzy new ballad, is the latest musical reunion... New Kids On The Block? Group member Danny Wood initially denied it on his MySpace blog, but has since written: "Hi to all the New Kids On The Block fans, I wanted to clarify since my first post this morning regarding the NKOTB reunion. I loved being a part of the group, and have always thought 'maybe someday we'll get back together' – you just never know when your someday will come. I can guarantee all the fans that if this reunion were to happen, they would hear about it first on www.NKOTB.com."

"Glass-smashing garage punk and genre-mashing pop. Weed-infused hip-hop and Ivy League-schooled geek rock." Get to know Spin's Who's Next In '08. (In particular, Duffy and The Wombats already have huge buzz overseas, Santogold seems just crazy enough to crossover and Margot And The Nuclear So And So's really dig cello.)

Girls just wanna have fun: Cyndi Lauper, Natalie Cole, Bonnie Raitt and Bette Midler to be award presenters at the Feb. 10 Grammys.

... and baby makes four for Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale.

THIS WEEK'S NEW RELEASES:

Grammy-winner Shelby Lynne's album of Dusty Springfield covers, Just A Little Lovin'.

Stage diva Sarah Brightman's first album in five years, Symphony, which features guest vocalists Fernando Lima, Paul Stanley of KISS (!!) and Andrea Bocelli.

Rent and Wicked star Idina Menzel's foray into pop, I Stand.

A remix EP of the Thom Yorke songs "Atoms For Peace" and "Black Swan."

New singles from Estelle (the slightly electro "American Boy"), Spin artist to watch Santogold ("Creator/L.E.S. Artists") and Making The Band vixens Danity Kane ("Damaged").

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Homophobic Former Houston Mayor Louie Welch is Dead

Former Houston Mayor Louie Welch, whose political career was brought to an end by a homophobic comment heard over a television microphone, has died of lung cancer.

The Houston Chronicle reports:

"After unsuccessful mayoral bids in 1952 and 1954, Welch was elected mayor for the first time in 1963. Welch was mayor in 1967 when two days of battles erupted between police and students at predominantly black Texas Southern University. A police officer was killed, and about 500 Texas Southern students were arrested. The events created a rift between the administration and many of the city's blacks. Years later, Welch acknowledged that accusations of racism still bothered him. 'It hurt,' Welch said. 'It still hurts to be accused of racism. It's just a bum rap.' In 1973, he did not run for re-election, joining what was then the Houston Chamber of Commerce. But he came back in 1985 in an attempt to take the mayor's job from Kathy Whitmire. He lost the race after saying on an open television microphone that one way to stop the spread of AIDS was to 'shoot the queers.' He made the remark without realizing the microphone was on. Some gays responded with T-shirts that sported the slogan: 'Don't shoot, Louie!' After losing to Whitmire, Welch said he had lost 'the instinct to fight in the rough and tumble that campaigns have become.'"

Welch was 89.

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American Idol Losing its Homophobic Attitude?

Let's hope so. This audition is a good sign.

(thanks josh & josh)

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News: Asteroid, Dennis Quaid, Bullying, Oprah, Chile, Pope

Pope's New York itinerary released.

Remember the sculptor who created the Dead Prince Harry? Behold his latest work, the Oprah Sarcophagus.

Nearly 500 same-sex couples in the Czech Republic have registered their partnerships since it became legal in July 2006: "... legal registered partnerships were concluded by 353 homosexual male and 134 female couples. In 43 cases, one of the partners was a foreigner, especially from Slovakia, but also Azerbaijan, Taiwan, Israel, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Armenia, the Netherlands, the USA and Canada. Homosexual couples were prosecuted in the former Czechoslovakia until 1961. The law on registered partnership of same sex couples was passed by the Czech Chamber of Deputies in March 2006 when the Chamber overrode President Vaclav Klaus's veto by a narrow majority."

Bello men's fashion magazine to launch online tomorrow.

Australian chicken restaurant entrepreneur pleads 'not guilty' to murdering his gay partner: "Gerurdas Gerrit Heijne, 44, appeared in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court via videolink from Hakea Prison. His partner of more than 20 years, Frank Cianciosi, was found dead in the apartment on January 4, but police have not revealed how he died. Mr Heijne did not apply for bail."

The Brady Bunch: Results of a Patriots QB look-alike contest.

Obama's rebuttal to Bush's State of the Union address breaks YouTube records: "By Tuesday afternoon, 'Barack Obama's response to Bush's final State of the Union' was the most watched clip in the world, drawing a over 300,000 views in under 20 hours. The public has shown overwhelming and sustained interest in hearing from Obama directly. This is the third Obama video to shoot into YouTube's top three in the past 10 days -- past clips of naked celebrities and Scientology rants -- and the first video that was shot specifically for web viewers, rather than broadcasting documentary footage of a speech."

Inside the sex diaries of John Maynard Keynes.

Madonna becoming workout cyborg.

Anti-homophobia campaign launched in Australia: "Sergeant Scott Davis from the Police Gay and Lesbian Advisory Unit says police want people to speak up, and send a message to perpetrators that their actions will not be tolerated. The posters will be displayed throughout metropolitan Victoria and in all Victorian police stations."

T-shirt companies refuse to munch on Gay Bigfoot's banana.

Transgender student denied dorm room because he has not yet undergone sexual reassignment surgery: "Osborn was denied a male dorm room because, while his driver's license shows him as male and he is undergoing hormone treatment, he has not had gender reassignment surgery to complete the transition. Osborn and Walton contend that it should not be a requirement to undergo costly medical procedures if one is unable or unwilling to do so in order for the university to recognize Osborn as a "real" transgender person."

Dennis Quaid joins cast of GI Joe.

Gay Chilean website is actually aligned with homophobic Evangelical fundamentalists?

Asteroid coasts by Earth, just outside the orbit of the Moon: "Were TU24 to have struck land, it might have caused a magnitude seven earthquake and left a city-sized crater."

Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in Britain to launch new guidance on homophobic bullying: "The new guidance recommends that if a pupil makes persistent remarks, they should be removed from the classroom and staff should talk in detail about why such language is unacceptable. Similarly, in severe circumstances, schools should consider permanent exclusion for physical bullying. Much more needs to be done to prevent such bullying in the first place. Stonewall and Each advise encouraging positive role models. But Sue Sanders, co-chair of Schools Out, which campaigns against homophobia in education, says a big problem is that teachers find it hard to be out themselves. 'The government and local authorities need to celebrate the existence of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teachers,' she says. 'If teachers don't feel safe to be out, how the hell will our kids?'"

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