News: Cooper As Armstrong, Palin's Media Future, 78, Body Image

Simply revolted over the idea of two men marrying, an Episcopal priest has decided to stop having sex with his wife in order to become a Catholic priest.

President Obama thanks Hillary Clinton during a joint interview that will air on 60 Minutes tonight. He added, "It has been a great collaboration over the last four years. I'm going to miss her, wish she was sticking around, but she has logged in so many miles I can't begrudge her wanting to take it easy for a little bit."

Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton's Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters topped the box office this weekend, but was still considered a disappointment with only an $19 million domestic haul.

The tweet in which Darren Criss plays with his keyboard.

And of course we all know how to play the plastic recorder.

Does a best picture win at the Producer's Guild Awards give Argo an Oscar advantage?

How valuable is your DNA information? Not very, according to New Scientist: "Having your genome open to public scrutiny obviously raises privacy issues. Employers and insurers may be interested. Embarrassing family secrets may be exposed.But overall, personal genetic information is probably no more revealing than other sorts. In fact there are reasons to believe that it is less so: would an insurance company really go to the trouble of decoding a genome to discover a slightly elevated risk of cancer or Alzheimer's disease?"

After being booted from Fox News, Sarah Palin is optimistic about her future in media: "As far as long-term plans, the door is wide open... I know the country needs more truth-telling in the media, and I'm willing to do that. So, we shall see."

Bradley Cooper as Lance Armstrong in a JJ Abrams-directed biopic?

Beyonce lives it up.

The Republicans continue to lose their grip on the West.

Same-sex desire in the fur trade: "William Drummond Stewart, a member of the lower Scottish nobility and the subject of this biography, came primarily to hunt and to experience the wide-open freedom of the northern Great Plains and Rockies (think modern-day African safaris). Stewart’s story, however, and as the subtitle of this book implies, has a twist: He was an openly gay man at a time when being gay was to risk ignominious public punishment (including hanging in some areas of the British isles) and the certain ruination of reputation and fortune."

Is Wyoming thawing on gay issues: "It remains to be seen whether gay rights supporters in the overwhelmingly Republican Wyoming Legislature can pass measures that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, create civil unions or even gay marriage. So far, nine of the legislature's 78 Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors of the various bills. Eight of the Legislature's 12 Democrats are on board with at least one of the bills. Committee hearings on two of the bills were scheduled for Monday."

French sailor Francois Gabart only needed 78 days to go around the world.

On gay men and body image.

125,000 Come Out To Support Marriage Equality In France: PHOTOS

Over 100,000 French citizens took to the streets of Paris today to show their support for marriage equality there.

The New York Times reports:

Demonstrators waved banners emblazoned with phrases like "Equality of rights is not a threat" and chanted: "What do you want? Equality! When do you want it? Now!" Another placard showed a version of the French government’s seal, but with two Mariannes kissing. Under the words "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" was the slogan "No more, no less!"

According to the police, the march attracted about 125,000 people, twice the number that took part in a similar demonstration in mid-December. Two weeks ago, a rally by those opposed to the proposal drew what the police said were 340,000 people into the streets of Paris.

...

In contrast to the opponents who demonstrated two weeks ago, many of the marchers on Sunday were relatively young and personally invested in the future of the law.

Nicolas Marquart, 37, a physiotherapist, made the trip from Strasbourg with his partner, with whom he is in a "civil solidarity pact," and another gay couple. "I'm here as a gay man, and because it would be nice, since we are still in the 21st century after all, to see our morals evolve. It would be a good thing to all have the same rights."

"Since we're in the 21st Century..." makes an excellent pro-equality slogan. The man below, meanwhile, prefers "God likes Men."

See a few more snaps of today's action AFTER THE JUMP.

Chris Hughes Has 'Serious Concerns' About Mark Zuckerberg's Friend Chris Christie: VIDEO

Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes sat down this weekend with ABC News' Abby Phillip to discuss a range of topics, including business partner Mark Zuckerberg's decision to hold a fundraiser for Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Hughes started by saying that what he loves about Zuckerberg is that he's so unpredictable, and then went on to explain that he has "serious concerns" about Christie because of the outspoken lawmaker's veto of a marriage equality bill.

"I, for one, have a lot of questions about Chris Christie, particularly because less than a year ago he vetoed a marriage equality bill in the New Jersey state legislature," he said. "For me personally, I got married to my husband last June, [and it] was just really personally frustrating."

...There are tens of thousands of couples in New Jersey that can't share their love and be recognized under the law because of that decision. I'm not a single issue voter, and I think most people aren't either, but for me personally, it would raise serious concerns about supporting someone like him.

Hughes was also asked about his plans for The New Republic, the long-running magazine he bought last year and currently edits and publishes, and according to Hughes, the only thing that will change is its scope.

"With the redesigned New Republic, we're trying to hold on to this hundred year old tradition of doing deep analysis on politics and culture. But we're also trying to broaden that and cover everything from technology to science to the world of ideas in a way that's really accessible," he said. "In a way that feels like it invites you in as a reader."

Watch Hughes speak about Christie, The New Republic and interviewing President Obama AFTER THE JUMP.

At Least 232 People Dead After Fire At Night Club In Brazil

Simply horrific news out of Santa Maria, Brazil, where pyrotechnics are blamed for a night club fire that left at least 232 people, mostly college students, dead. Most of the deaths are reportedly from smoke inhalation as as many as 2,000 panicked patrons tried to escape.

From USA Today:

The facility was hosting an event for a local university. Most of the attendees were students of that school, the Federal University of Santa Maria.

Television images showed smoke pouring out of the nightclub as shirtless, young male partygoers joined firefighters in wielding axes and sledgehammers, pounding at windows and walls to break through to those trapped inside. Teenagers sprinted from the scene desperately trying to find help — others carried injured and burned friends away in their arms.

"There was so much smoke and fire, it was complete panic and it took a long time for people to get out, there were so many dead," survivor Luana Santos Silva told the Globo TV network.

According to CNN's report, the club was an estimated 1,000 people over capacity.

Adam Levine Persuaded to Lose Shirt in SNL Opener: VIDEO

Andy Samberg and Cameron Diaz couldn't convince Adam Levine to prove his SNL hosting prowess by removing his shirt, but somehow the words of Jerry Seinfeld proved more persuasive.

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Gay GOP Official In New Jersey: 'Our Party Needs To Be Rebranded'

"As a gay man in a 26 year relationship, I felt that I did not belong in the Republican Party any longer."

So wrote John Traier, chairman of the Republican Party in Passaic County, New Jersey, in an op-ed about how the GOP at large needs to pitch a bigger tent.

Though he was elected to be chairman for his district and though he devoted countless hours to helping Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign, he still felt his sexuality sidelined him in an increasingly aging party. Others too have felt alienated from the party and their friends alike, he said. And the only way to bring them and others into the fold is to get with the times.

I see no way to be successful without the rebranding of the Republican Party in Passaic County.  In fact, our Party needs to be rebranded throughout the entire country… The Republican Party through policy and lack of a cohesive message has left many potential voters on the sidelines and frankly we will never be successful unless we change.
…
I had advocated and worked for our Republican nominee — Mitt Romney as I felt he would be a more effective President than our current one. At the same time, I felt that I was not welcome in the Republican Party.

As a gay man in a 26 year relationship, I felt that I did not belong in the Republican Party any longer. At a poignant moment during our Transition Team meeting, Rev. Nance told how her friends were annoyed that she was still a Republican and some would not talk to her. I knew exactly how she felt.
….
We need to make people feel welcome in our party — even if we do not agree on every single issue. This organization needs to be open to new people with new ideas. We have to put the welcome mat out for people who want to be part of a political organization that stands for something important and offers something different than the failed policies of the Democratic party.

Our county is changing on a very rapid basis. Our party in Passaic County and in New Jersey cannot survive unless we open our doors to ALL communities and break through the stereotypes that divide us. We need to work on finding the common ground that unites us, not on what divides us.

Traier of course went on to tout the GOP's favorite policies, like tax cuts, punishing criminals and "personal responsibility," ie: no government assistance, and urged his fellow Republicans to form an "activist party."