Gay 'Welcome Back Kotter' Actor Ron Palillo Dies at 63

TMZ reports on the death of Ron "Horschack" Pallilo:

We're told Palillo was found by his partner of many years Joseph Gramm around 4:00 AM. Gramm called an ambulance and Palillo was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

We're told the heart attack was very unexpected. Palillo was 63.

According to one of Palillo's colleagues at G-Star School of the Arts, Palillo had appeared to be in good health ... but was a heavy smoker. We're told he had been suffering from a bad cough and had even scheduled a doctor's appointment for today.

Palillo was known for calling out, "Ooh ooh ooh, Mr. Kotter" as one of the Sweathogs on the show ... which he appeared on with John Travolta from 1975 to 1979.

Does anybody know if he was out before his death?

RIP.

Horschack's classic move, AFTER THE JUMP...

'The Price is Right' Begins Search for its First Male Model

TVLine reports on the long-running game show's venture into male objectification:

The longest-running game show in history, CBS’ The Price Is Right, is launching its first-ever casting call to find a male model, with portions of the process airing as a web series. At the end of the search, one lucky looker will join Amber Lancaster, Gwendolyn Osborne, Manuela Arbelaez and Rachel Reynolds in helping players navigate the likes of Plinko and best appreciate eye-widening prize showcases.

The search begins Aug. 30 with an open call in Los Angeles, where hunky hopefuls will be interviewed by TPIR producers and the four female models. There, candidates will demonstrate verbal skills as well as the ability to pose and “properly showcase a product.”

Jon Stewart Flogs the Media for its Reaction to Paul Ryan: VIDEO

Jon Stewart mocked the media reaction to Mitt Romney's pick of Paul Ryan but couldn't help but be seduced by his blue eyes.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Van Vogue: VIDEO

The latest from bisexual rapper Azealia Banks.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

If Ever Oh Ever a Wiz There Was: VIDEO

Music producer and remix artist Pogo (Nick Bertke) sampled a bunch of sounds from The Wizard of Oz, remixed them, and then decided to lip dub the whole thing into a clip worth clicking your heels for.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Pro-Lesbian Super PAC Launches $50,000 Matching Challenge for Senate Candidate Tammy Baldwin

LPAC, the pro-lesbian Super PAC which launched last month has announced its first big move, a $50,000 matching donation challenge to benefit Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin.

Writes the group:

She is a champion of women’s rights, LGBT equality, and fights for poor and middle class Americans. And, she is under attack from anti-women, anti-choice, and anti-equality forces.

That’s why we, the LPAC Advisory Board, are offering up a $50,000 match challenge to you all, our Team LPAC supporters. Why? Because this race is hugely important to all of us.

Today Tammy’s opponents, four anti-gay, anti-choice men, are duking it out in the Republican primary to see who can be the most extreme. Tomorrow morning, Tammy will have a challenger, who will be able to spend 100% of his energy attacking her. Secret groups funded by the Koch brothers, the US Chamber of Commerce, and Karl Rove have already spent millions of dollars attacking Tammy. Because she stands up for women. Because she believes in economic justice. Because she’s a lesbian.
 
And she’s still standing strong. Polls are showing that she is in a dead heat against all her potential far-right opponents. Not only would Tammy’s win be a win for lesbians, for women, but for all fair, equality-minded Americans. This is must-hold seat for the pro-women Senate Democrats to keep control. In Washington, D.C., in state legislatures, and through ballot initiatives across the country, women’s rights are being taken away every day. Tammy’s voice and votes in the Senate will be instrumental in stopping this onslaught of attacks against women.

Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade writes about the four candidates vying to face Baldwin in today's primary:

The four main contenders — former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, hedge fund manager Eric Hovde, former congressman Mark Neumann and Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald — have almost uniformly adopted anti-LGBT positions, including support for a U.S. constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage throughout the country.

The exception is Thompson, who stopped short of backing a Federal Marriage Amendment, but said he supports the Defense of Marriage Act. Thompson also said he opposes workplace discrimination, but hasn’t announced support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

The latest polls give the lead to Hovde, a relative newcomer to the race who’s spent millions of his own money. According to a Public Policy Poll published Friday, Hovde leads with 27 percent support, followed by Thompson at 25, Neumann at 24 and Fitzgerald at 15.