News: Thomas Roberts, Penguins, Jason Castro, Kylie Minogue

New York high court refuses to strike down state's recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriage: "The Court of Appeals declined yesterday to review the mid-level appellate court's decision to recognize the couple's Canadian marriage, the first such ruling by an appellate court in New York State. For now, that lower court decision remains binding across the state."

Thomas Roberts talks to The Advocate about the news industry's glass ceiling for gays: "It’s funny that people think I got fired from CNN. I left CNN on my accord: I resigned from my contract because of personal reasons. I never dealt with anything but respect and kindness. There’s a great misconception. I’ve worked my ass off, I’ve been fortunate, and luck doesn’t hurt either. If people don’t like that I’m gay or that I talk about being gay, I’m sorry. Because that’s not my problem."

American Idol's resident stoner Jason Castro has his own hot doll, complete with dreads, and it can be yours.

A-Rod faints as daughter is born.

Have any questions for Chace Crawford?

Filipino Archbishop defends right of gays to participate in Santacruzans: "If they are devotees, they are religious and they look decent, I believe they have the right to join in. I think it would be better for us to see gays who act formally and decently in the Santacruzan rather than young and beautiful women who are not clean and [are] immoral."

Gay penguin book And Tango Makes Three is "most objected to" library book in America for second year straight: "Other books on the ALA's top 10 list include Maya Angelou's memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, in which the author writes of being raped as a young girl; Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, long attacked for alleged racism; and Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, an anti-religious work in which a former nun says: 'The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake.'"

Three teenage girls admit to tagging school and vehicles with racial, vulgar and homophobic messages in Wisconsin.

Moldova hopes to hold its first Gay Pride ever: "Organisers of the Gay Pride in Moldova – 'Rainbow over the Dniester' – are hopeful of being able to stage a parade this year in the country’s capital, Chisinau. The Pride is the seventh to be organised, but in previous years the parade has been banned by the authorities. 'During three previous consecutive years, public authorities have banned the public manifestations on various pretexts,' said a spokesperson for GenderDoc-M, the Pride organisers. 'This year after we applied to the City Hall to inform the authorities about planned public manifestation within the Pride, we got the information, which gave us hope.'"

Kylie Minogue show hot out of the gates in Paris.

One benefit to having a fat ass.

Rhode Island lawmakers to debate bills that would allow same-sex couples married elsewhere to divorce in that state: "Lawmakers filed the divorce bill after Rhode Island's Supreme Court ruled in December that a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts cannot divorce in Rhode Island, where they live. Massachusetts is the only state to legalize gay marriage."

Looks like Dick Cheney's gone hunting again.

John Travolta is a subway terrorist.

White House admits it is missing email backups from start of Iraq war: "The White House acknowledged in a court filing last night that it no longer has backup tapes of email from between March 1 and May 22, 2003, a period that includes the beginning of the Iraq war. Yesterday's filing is the latest development in the ongoing White House emails lawsuit, in which two non-profits, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the National Security Archive (NSA), are suing to force the administration to recover any missing emails and institute a more effective email archiving system."

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Paula Abdul Critiques Song That Hasn't Yet Been Sung

Imho, the only moment from last night's American Idol worth repeating.

AFTER THE JUMP...

She must be taking psychic pills now!

For those of you who missed it, Paula proceeded to critique Jason Castro on both his performances even though the contestants had only done one song.

Abdul told The Insider: "It got very confusing ... the producers come up to us in the dark and said, 'We are not going to have you guys judge after each performer, we are going to have all the performers go once, then twice and at the end critique them.' I am feverishly trying to write notes for every performance...I was trying to give my critique for Jason Castro, and scribbled Jason's name, and that was David Cook's! ... We all just screwed up everything. This is live television. This is fun!"

(clip via dlisted)

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Gay Comic Panic Strip: American Idol

SIMON: You kissed me!

RYAN: Relax, it didn't mean anything.

SIMON: Well, I can't!

And yes, this is the authentic transcript.

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News: Mad Drag Queen, Thailand, Christian Siriano, Asteroids

San Francisco financial services firm reconsidering move to Oklahoma City because of Sally Kern's anti-gay remarks.

Drag queen who looks like Amelia Earhart targets Intimate Ideas, a lingerie store that refused to hire him — with his car!

Thailand's government ignoring surge in HIV rates among MSM: "Thai gays have essentially been left to sink or swim; and they're sinking."

Britney Spears now taking driving lessons from her kids.

Reduce your risk of prostate cancer: rub one out regularly.

Christian Siriano rips The Hills' Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port: "It’s really sad that if I didn’t win Project Runway, I probably wouldn’t have the sponsors I have now. I would have never been able to do what they have done because they all have disposable income, and yet their work still isn’t that great! I mean, it’s fun and flirty and young, but they’re not innovators. None of them will ever be an innovative designer. Buyers and editors are looking for longevity, and hopefully they will see that in me.”

AP: Same-sex couples in U.S. having trouble getting divorced. Rhode Island's Cassandra Ormison: "We all know people who have gone through divorces. At the end of that long and unhappy period, they have been able to breathe a sigh of relief. I do not see that on my horizon, that sigh of relief that it's over."

HGTV hosts in Canada Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan get married. Ryan: "After a year of living in Toronto, filming Home Heist, it became clear to us that it was time to tie the knot. Canada is such a progressive nation, so welcoming and open-mindedly liberal about gay marriage, that we felt thoroughly inspired."

One of the first Scottish couples to join in a civil partnership has been driven apart because of homophobic attacks: "Every time we went out young thugs would abuse us because of our sexuality and once we were set upon and attacked by three neds. It got worse after I moved to another house, in Irvine. For two months I was calling the police out about three times a night. Gangs of up to 15 youths were outside shouting abuse, throwing bricks and trying to break my door down."

Bravo's Step it Up and Dance has a contestant with a gay porn past (warning: NSFW)

First seniors home for gays and lesbians in Canada is proposed in Vancouver: "So far, the project is nothing more than a proposal, but already more than 30 people have plunked down a $1,000 deposit since it was first advertised two weeks ago, according to the U.S. developer. The plan is for a condo development featuring living units, a communal dining room, a fitness centre, a lounge and cabaret."

13-year-old German schoolboy corrects NASA on path of errant asteroid: "Nico Marquardt used telescopic findings from the Institute of Astrophysics in Potsdam (AIP) to calculate that there was a 1 in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth, the Potsdamer Neuerster Nachrichten reported. NASA had previously estimated the chances at only 1 in 45,000 but told its sister organisation, the European Space Agency (ESA), that the young whizzkid had got it right." (UPDATE: Hoax!)

American Idol's Michael Johns prefers to be an alert drunk.

Last week I posted about gay rights activist John Corvino, who had his appearance canceled by Michigan's Aquinas College, because he's gay. Students found a new, larger venue for him to speak at, which was donated for free.

South Africans reach out to gays in Zimbabwe: "The South African Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP), formerly known as the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (NCGLE), is concerned about the deepening political, economic and social crises in Zimbabwe. We express our full solidarity with the lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, women, workers and all the people of Zimbabwe. We add our voice in condemning the unjustified delay in the release of the 29 March elections. As Zimbabwean Independence Day approaches on 18 April 2008, Zimbabweans have nothing to celebrate in honour of their heroic liberation struggle and historic achievement of freedom and democracy."

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News: Thailand, Dick Cheney, Brazil Wedding, Diva Clinton

Jay Leno and Ryan Phillippe are still on good terms after the "gayest look" incident. Said Leno: "No, we talked about it before. We're friends. I mean, it's a talk show. That's what you do."

Same-sex weddings, civil unions, commitment ceremonies big business in New England: "Throughout the Northeast, competition has spiked among wedding sites, hotels, resorts and inns as the travel industry has realized that same-sex ceremonies can draw scores of guests, who turn these destinations weddings into weekend stays."

Ashlee Simpson is another straight woman who loves that gay guys love her man.

Red Cross in Thailand changes screening process for gay blood donors: "Gay-rights activists had complained that one question, which was meant to target people more likely to have diseases transmitted by sex and drugs, had effectively blocked all gay men from donating by only asking about same-sex relations. 'We didn't mean to hurt anyone,' said Soisaang Pikulsod, director of the Thai Red Cross National Blood Centre. 'It was just to ensure the highest possible safety of our patients.' The Red Cross will rework the form to include more questions about all types of sexual behaviour, gay or heterosexual, that could increase the risk of diseases such as AIDS, she said."

Kathy Griffin and Adnan Ghalib in most obvious paparazzi punk'd ever.

Dick Cheney has either a naked woman or an alien entity in his lenses. Or Lynne Cheney, in which case it would be both.

American Idol loses one of the guys [SPOILER].

Gay-friendly college fairs a budding trend: "Students are coming out at a much younger age. That process isn't beginning in college or after college like we may have seen 10 or 20 years ago. So these high school students who are out come looking for a range of things that show a college will generally have students like them, and a university with an inclusive mission."

Judge tosses Florida lawsuit filed by high school student denied the right to form a gay-straight alliance: "The former student, Yasmin Gonzalez, has graduated, so she's no longer affected by the school's decision to ban the club, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore said in a ruling Wednesday. Gonzalez's attorneys with the ACLU tried to maintain her stake in the case by seeking nominal monetary damages, but Moore ruled she isn't entitled to any money because she wasn't claiming violations of due process. 'We were surprised and disappointed by his interpretation,' said Rob Rosenwald, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. Rosenwald plans to ask the judge to reconsider. Attorneys for the school board declined to comment."

Brazil televises "tacky" gay wedding.

George Michael = God?

East Village Boys offer T-shirt that big shooters wear with pride.

TPM suggests "diva theory" behind Hillary's appeal: "Hillary is the diva, the fabulous woman who is fabulous just because she says so. She's the woman who is abused (by her husband), ridiculed (by the press), hated (by Republican mouth-breathers), yet she's still standing. She's like from some exploitation film where the heroine is beaten and barely raped before pulling a knife out of her sock and slicing the mean guy's balls off. Her supporters have stood by her and fought her battles with her - and sometimes for her - since the 1990s. The emotional connection runs too deep. R-e-s-p-e-c-t, she shakes her finger. Find out what it means to me. And the crowd eats it up." Can any shallower arguments be made?

Michigan's Aquinas College cancels speech by gay rights activist. President: "I'm not trying to keep people from seeing him. I'm trying to prevent the college from sponsoring an event that displays an attack on Catholic teaching values."

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News: Botox, Life Before Death, Shelter, Aladygma

An update on yesterday's post. Defense Secretary Robert Gates reversed decision and allowed Tammy Baldwin's partner Lauren Azar to travel on congressional trip after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi intervened.

Soul departed: "Life Before Death" photographic portrait project shows in London.

Like Ryan Seacrest, Madonna and Guy Ritchie sleep with their BlackBerries.

Thailand Public Health Ministry bans castration: "The Medical Council of Thailand last week also warned that castration is a health risk. Providing the operation for young boys was unethical and could damage hormone growth and physical development, it said. The warning came after Natee Teerarojjanapongs, the leader of the Gay Political Group of Thailand, called on the council to take action against clinics performing castrations on young ladyboys. Castration is a step towards a sex-change but is also a standard treatment for some kinds of cancer. Mr Natee said many parents of young boys keen to have their testes removed had complained about the influence of advertisements on the internet that say the surgery is inexpensive and the result similar to a sex-change operation."

ALADYGMA: Viral campaign suspected to be sequel to Cloverfield begins.

NYT on gay surf romance Shelter: "Coming out has rarely looked so pretty."

Arts Council England asks applicants for grants about their sexuality: "Individuals and arts bodies applying for money are invited to state if they or their board members are bisexual, gay, straight, lesbian or 'unknown'. Arts Council England insisted last night that the voluntary request would never be used to decide whether an artist or organisation should receive money for projects. A spokesman also denied reports that artists would have to answer the question for the rest of the grant application form to be valid." Sir Ian McKellen: "It sounds extraordinary, It shouldn't be on a form. It's quite inappropriate."

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List: Heroes star Hayden Panettiere to star in movie about gay boy love triangle.

Still recovering from cancer-related surgery, film critic Roger Ebert will begin writing reviews again. Ebert cannot currently speak: "But I still have all my other abilities, including the love of viewing movies and writing about them."

American Idol contestant David Cook hospitalized and released after heart palpitations.

Lab tests warn one form of botulinum toxin can move from the face to the brain: "Scientists injected rats' whisker muscles with botulism toxin. Tests of the rodents' brain tissue found that botulism had been transported to the brain stems, the researchers said in the Journal of Neuroscience published April 2." Human issues unknown.

The Collin County Commissioners Court scraps plans to discuss "job status" of City Council candidate Justin Nichol's employment as coordinator of the county’s teen court that were scheduled after revelations that he is openly gay: "Mr. Nichols, who is running for council against Pat Miner, said he hoped the matter would soon be resolved. 'I look forward to getting back to teen court and bringing my message back to the voters of Plano,' said Mr. Nichols, 23. The brouhaha started last month after the Dallas Voice, a weekly gay and lesbian newspaper, ran a story about Mr. Nichols’s candidacy that mentioned his sexual orientation. Though Mr. Nichols was openly gay before the article’s publication, he said the story and subsequent attention it drew spurred the request to discuss his job."

Gay-themed children's books pulled from British school concerned over "lack of consultation" with parents: "One of the library books was a fairytale about a king who couldn’t find a woman to love and eventually married a prince. This was for children aged five to read. The issue should have been, how do we stop bullying in general, and teaching about homosexuality can be a part of that. This was completely one-sided. Homosexuality is not a priority to parents, but academic achievement is. This just makes parents think 'What the heck is my child being taught at school?’"

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #268

CHELSEA CLINTON: Chelsea gets asked about Monica Lewinsky again and the pundits argue about whether or not it's a question she needs to answer.

THE WE CAMPAIGN: New ad from the Alliance for Climate Protection that is part of a $300 million campaign being promoted by Al Gore.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD!: Russian tennis player Mikhail Youzhny was so angry that he dropped a serve in the second set of his match yesterday at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami that he beat himself in the head with his racquet, drawing blood.

IDOL CONTESTANT DANNY NORIEGA: He's back. Was he gone?

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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News: Rick Astley, Zimbabwe, Fat Joe, David Cook, Karl Lagerfeld

Zimbabwe: Intelligence officers for the government of Robert Mugabe force opposition supporters to take down their posters and eat them. "Amnesty International cited a case on March 7, when three members of the Morgan Tsvangirai-led faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were ordered by intelligence officers to take down election posters. According to Amnesty, the officials forced the opposition supporters to chew the posters and swallow them."

Fat Joe and Suge White mock fellow hip-hop artists 50 Cent and G-Unit with 'Gay-Unit' mix tape: "Featuring a Photoshoped image of 50, Yayo and Banks tightly embraced, all three rappers are portrayed with smeared lipstick on the face, as Yayo was tattooed with a "I Miss Jail" on his right shoulder and Banks sporting a portrait of Curtis on his left shoulder with 'Delicious' tagged under." (image via Rod 2.0)

American Idol: Is David Cook an 'original', or just a really good cover artist?

University of Pittsburgh study: LGB youth report higher rates of drug and alcohol use. "The odds of substance use for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth are on average 190 percent higher than for heterosexual youth...What's more, for some sub-populations of LGB youth, the odds were substantially higher, including 340 percent for bisexual youth and 400 percent for lesbians, researchers found. 'Homophobia, discrimination and victimization are largely what are responsible for these substance use disparities in young gay people,' said Michael P. Marshal, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC, who led the study. 'History shows that when marginalized groups are oppressed and do not have equal opportunities and equal rights, they suffer. Our results show that gay youth are clearly no exception.'"

The second coming of Rick Astley: the "Never Gonna Give you Up" singer talks about the RickRoll.

Apparently they are remaking the 70's kids TV show Land of the Lost at the La Brea Tar Pits, but I don't know how you can ever replicate the wonderfully bad fake dinos and the Sleestaks...

Ellen Degeneres top television host in new poll.

'Domestic partnership' to become 'mutual commitment' in Salt Lake City? "Some legislators argued that the term 'domestic partnership,' at least in spirit, violated Utah's constitutional Amendment No. 3, which bans same-sex marriage and substantially similar civil unions. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker said Tuesday he will recommend to the City Council that the name be changed to the mutual commitment registry. The City Council likely will consider the recommendation at its April 1 meeting. If approved, the registry could be up and running as soon as April 7."

Ronald Haines, Episcopal Bishop who ordained lesbian in 1991, dies in Pennsylvania.

Karl Lagerfeld the subject of new documentary: "The film is Lagerfeld Gone Wild, with delights such as Lagerfeld discussing how gay people suck nowadays because they no longer outrage 'bourgeois social norms' and why prostitution should be legal. He's full of opinions."

Mario Lopez hawks abtastic new fitness book.

Vienna LGBT group announces poster competition to raise awareness about homophobia in football: "With the European championships to be held in Austria and Switzerland this summer, Qwien said it wanted to draw attention to homophobia in football. 'By launching a Europe-wide poster competition, we will make an otherwise taboo topic public' during the championships, it said. Posters had to be submitted by the end of May. The best 50 would be selected and then a jury - including Icelandic film director Robert Douglas, Life Ball organiser Gery Keszler, the president of Hamburg's FC St. Pauli football club Corny Littmann, pop singer Jimmy Somerville and Tanja Walther of the the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation - would pick the best three. The winner would be announced on June 4. The 50 best posters would be displayed "at a public venue" during the championship itself, which runs from June 7-29." (official site)

More gay looks for Jay Leno.

L.A.'s first openly gay police officer seeks new trial in discrimination suit: "Former Sgt. Mitchell Grobeson wants a rehearing of a discrimination suit that sought up to $4.4 million in damages. A jury ruled for the city last year. A Superior Court judge on Tuesday took under submission Grobeson's motions for a new trial and reinstatement to the LAPD. Grobeson did two stints with the LAPD in the 1980s and 1990s before retiring on a psychological disability. The LAPD settled a previous suit by Grobeson in 1993 by promising to improve its hiring and training of gay officers."

Remember Aquaman? Alan Ritchson a superhero again.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #262

WII DOG VS WII CAT: The pet playoff.

ELLEN PLAYS HARDBALL: Chris Matthews slamdances and chats with Ellen DeGeneres.

EARTH HOUR: Jeremy Piven and the WWF want you to go dark for one hour one March 29.

KRISTY LEE COOK: She can blow you out of your socks and you know it.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #260

ATLANTA TORNADO: Inside the Georgia Dome during Friday night's storm which spawned an F2 tornado in downtown Atlanta.

APARTMENT BOMB: An Air National Guard jet mistakenly dropped a 22-pound BDU-33 dummy bomb on an apartment complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma late last week.

JOHN MCCAIN'S BAGDHAD MARKET: Too dangerous to stroll through now

A GAY AMERICAN IDOL: CNN explores the possibility.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Music News: Madonna Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Plus Duffy, David Archuleta, Ferras

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

Along with John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen and the Dave Clarke Five, Madonna was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last night. When all was said and done, Justin Timberlake threw out a barrage of sexual innuendos and even a few jabs at Britney Spears ("The world is full of Madonna wannabes -- I might have dated a couple.") in his intro, Iggy Pop performed "Burning Up" and "Ray Of Light" and Madge herself laced a recounting of 25 years in the biz with several F bombs.

Justin's story about Madonna making him drop his pants and giving him a shot in the rear when he got sick while working on her new album Hard Candy (due out April 29) is one of the highlights making the rounds in the news reports of the event.

YouTuber MadonaGlamxxx posted the above clips along with the second part of Madonna's speech and Iggy Pop's performance, which ends with him meeting up with her in the kitchen of the venue to walk to the press room.

Madonna also paid tribute to Liz Rosenberg, who has been her publicist for her entire career: "Does anybody understand the insanity of being my publicist for the last 25 years? I think Liz was smoking a joint when I first met her. Yeah. I walked into her office and she very politely stubbed it out in the ashtray. I don't think she knew I thought she was smoking a joint, but it was a little bit obvious. Anyway, we hit it off right away. She was my kind of girl -- tough, irreverent and funny -- and we've had a long and amazing chunk of time together. After dealing with all the nutcases she's had to deal with and putting out all the fires she's had to put out, it's kind of amazing that she's not shooting up heroin."

Interestingly, one person not mentioned at all by the 49-year-old singer in her speech was her husband, Guy Ritchie, who was not present at the induction ceremony.

In other news, the apparent single cover artwork for "4 Minutes To Save The World" (or maybe just "4 Minutes") has been revealed.

British blue-eyed soul singer Duffy, whose single "Mercy" has held the #1 position on the U.K. pop chart for the past month, finally makes it to these shores. Sure, she's coming in on the heels of Amy Winehouse, but the song's slinky "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." refrain is practically the antithesis of the boozy "No, no, no!" in Amy's "Rehab." At the very least, check out "Mercy" since it's the free download of the week on iTunes. Her full album Rockferry, also currently #1 in England, gets a stateside release in April.

While reporting on a burgeoning backlash against him, the Los Angeles Times writes a valentine to 17-year-old American Idol contestant David Archuleta (pictured right): "His enormous, obvious-even-to-the-tone-deaf vocal gifts have at times made him look like nothing so much as that beloved of show-biz trope, the competition-crushing prodigy: Think Tom Hulce as Mozart in Amadeus."

Despite rumors, Apple not quite ready to take a bite out of The Beatles.

R.E.M.'s Accelerate to hit Facebook a week ahead of its release date.

THE WEEK'S NEW RELEASES:

Last month I posted a clip of 25-year-old singer/songwriter Ferras performing his song "Hollywood's Not America" on The Today Show. Truth be told, his album Aliens & Rainbows, out today, contains far better material. If you don't want to take chance on the whole thing (though it's only $7.99 on iTunes), check out the early-Elton John and Bowie-esque title track, along with the power pop numbers "My Beautiful Lie" and "Something About You."

Randy Jackson's Music Club, Volume One also surfaces today. It contains Paula Abdul's current single, "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow."

Snoop Dogg's ninth studio album, the 21-track Ego Trippin', was reported to originally contain collaborations with Bono, Mick Jagger and Madonna. None of those made it on the set.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #256

TERRY MCAULIFFE: The Clinton campaign chair appears on Real Time with Bill Maher.

DANNY NORIEGA: The sassy former American Idol contestant thanks his fans.

JOHN MCCAIN: McCain's daughter Meghan posted this video to her blog about a recent press day at the McCain Sedona ranch.

MAN IN THE ARENA: McCain's new spot. It has everything, even sparkly galaxies!

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #254

TIMES SQUARE EXPLOSION: A morning report on the IED that went off today in Times Square. A new video shows a suspicious bicyclist leaving the scene. CCTV video.

ANTI-LGBT HATE CRIMES 2008: Put together by Fight Out Loud.

DAVID COOK: His rendition of "Hello" from Tuesday night's American Idol. Lionel Richie responded to the cover, saying: "I'm putting that song out there tomorrow myself with David on it. That is a smash record that David did the other night. I couldn't believe it...David just played it as If it was his song from the beginning as if there was no Lionel Richie involved...he just killed it."

JANET JACKSON: Her new video for "Rock with U".

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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News: Patrick Swayze, Danny Noriega, Testosterone, Kelly Osbourne

Four openly gay Texas candidates advanced in yesterday's primary.

Patrick Swayze has FIVE weeks to live?!? Rep. confirms.

Boyfriend of Toronto gay bar owner Janko Naglic acquitted in murder trial: "The jury returned with its not guilty verdict around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday following a three-week trial that heard from an array of witnesses who testified about the deteriorating relationship between the accused, Ivan Mendez-Romero, and Naglic. On Tuesday night after the verdict, defence lawyer Laurence Cohen said he was "relieved," adding he'd never seen a jury in a murder trial return with a verdict so quickly. The jury retired around 4 p.m. Tuesday after Justice Gladys Pardu finished her nearly all-day charge. 'We did our best for Janko but ultimately we put it into the hands of the jury and we have to respect their decision,' Homicide Det. Sgt. Wayne Banks, the lead investigator on the case, said late Tuesday night."

Legally Blonde 3: Elle Woods goes to the United Nations.

Us Weekly editor Janice Min acknowledges the gay love.

Danny Noriega: Don't hate on my do-rag!

JC Chacez does Vegas.

Alan Duncan, first conservative MP to register for a civil partnership, explains how it all went down: "This is not a 'wedding'," he says. "You really just go into the register office and sign. There will be no Elton John-style stuff: no white suits, no John Inman, no flouncing about. It was on the beach in Oman, two weeks ago, during the parliamentary break. We were walking back after dinner. I did the asking but I think I knew what the answer would be. I said we had had a really good year and should we make it permanent? That was it....It is love - and in no way a political statement. It was entirely personal and mutual. The chemistry is great - we are always laughing. We are very similar: always punctual, tidy, organised; and he's very considerate. We have not had so much as a tense word, let alone an argument. We don't do huffiness. Apart from being very good-looking, James is very socially adept. He says he's really shy going into big social events, but the next thing you know, he's charming the person he's talking to."

Kelly Osbourne to release "camp" fitness DVD featuring drag queens...

Boyband mogul Lou Pearlman pleads guilty to $300m fraud scheme: "In a plea agreement, the music mogul has admitted running scams that defrauded investors and major banks for more than 20 years. Mr Pearlman entered a not guilty plea last year, but is scheduled to reverse that in court in Florida on Thursday. The charges carry a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $1m (£506,000) fine. Mr Pearlman, 53, is expected to plead guilty to two charges of conspiracy, money laundering and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding."

Heterosexual UK man files discrimination lawsuit citing years of anti-gay abuse: "Stephen English, 56, says he was called a 'faggot' even though he was happily married with three children. The harassment was so relentless, he claims, that he resigned after nine years as a salesman with a blinds company. He lost his claim for sexual discrimination at a tribunal and at an employment appeal tribunal but the state-funded Equality and Human Rights Commission has taken up his case and will pursue it to the Court of Appeal...The taunts started, he claims, when an area sales manager discovered that he had been to boarding school and lived in Brighton, which has a high proportion of gays in its population. 'He appeared to have assumed from these two facts that I had homosexual tendencies, despite the fact that I was happily married with three daughters,' he told the employment tribunal."

REPORT: Leaked Madonna track "4 Minutes to Save the World" not the version being released. Real version "way better"...

Testosterone level linked to depression in older men: "A study of about 4,000 men aged over 70 found those with lowest testosterone were three times more likely to be depressed than those with the most. Researchers suspect the hormone may affect levels of key brain chemicals."

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Simon Cowell Liked the Way David Hernandez 'Stripped it Down'

American Idol producer Ken Warwick told TV Guide that although he did not know of contestant David Hernandez' stripper past, it "won't make any difference" to his eligibility for the show.

Said Warwick: "The truth is, we're never judgmental about what people do to earn a living. They've got to put food in people's mouths. We've had strippers on the show before. Nikki McKibbon was one in [Season] 1. We're never judgmental about people who do things like that. If it were some sort of heavy porn, then maybe we'd have to take action. But certainly not on this...David Hernandez, whatever you say, is a nice guy. And he can sing. He's got a great voice. He deserves to be there, as far as I'm concerned...The thing is, at the end, the public will make the decision anyway. If there's a stretch of the public that thinks, "Oh, dear, he was a male stripper, so I'm not going to vote for him," then that's the luck of the draw. If the public doesn't like him, then they'll get rid of him."

Last night, you may not have heard what Simon Cowell murmured after Hernandez finished his rendition of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now".

Jabbed Cowell: "I liked the way you stripped it down."

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News: Brett Favre, Kentucky, Gus van Sant, Dallas, Danny Noriega

Gay Kentucky couple blocked from adopting child through state's foster care system: "Phillips and Parsley said they are outraged because they had already passed a criminal background check and a home survey by a Sunrise employee who was fully aware of their living arrangement. And they have attended two of five classes required for certification through the free program, they said."

Gus van Sant on filming his new film: Paranoid Park. REVIEW: Van Sant "makes another pretty, vacant movie about pretty, vacant boys..."

Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty posts video of himself smoking a cock.

Documentary explores Florida hate crime killing of Ryan Keith Skipper.

Gay porn films pulled from sale in the UK following barebacking investigation: "Two of the DVDs featured footage from a week-long shoot during which eight British models had sex with each other in multiple combinations without condoms. Four of those who took part were diagnosed as HIV positive soon after. One of the men told the BBC he was distressed that footage which he believed showed him becoming infected had been put on sale."

Green Bay Packers Brett Favre to retire. Sportrait flashback...

Lance and Ben document their romance.

Simon Cowell to produce Billy Eliot-Style musical on Britain's Got Talent winner, opera singer Paul Potts: "That particular day was one of the worst, the acts were just terrible, we were fed up and on comes this guy with a funny little suit and bad teeth who looked very nervous. I can remember looking at the other judges, with that 'here we go again' feeling. We had 2,000 people in the audience, and I'll never forget how much the room changed when he began singing." Video Flashback...

Steven Spielberg to launch social networking site for people interested in the afterlife: "The focus will be on users who’ve had or who are interested in sharing paranormal and extraterrestrial experiences. The new social network may also have original video content investigating alleged ghost and UFO stories."

Pink Speedo down under: Carson Kressley definitely not a fashion coward.

Dallas man claims he was assaulted at Station 4 nightclub: "Sid Gonzales, 43, said he suffered two broken bones in his wrist, a puncture wound to his hand and multiple bruises on his backside when two men assaulted him at about 11 p.m. Gonzales said he was near the main dance floor of the Dallas gay nightclub when two men and a woman walked over and stood nearby. Gonzales said he was 'a little buzzed' from alcohol but not intoxicated. He said he tried to be friendly and make small talk with the trio. But he said he was not trying to hit on the men, whom he described as straight-looking, well-dressed and college-aged. When Gonzales asked a few questions, the woman responded but the men said nothing and looked uncomfortable, he said. Gonzales said he reached out to shake hands with one of the men. The man grabbed Gonzales’ arm, twisted it in the air and slammed it against a knee. Gonzales said the first man also stabbed him in the hand with an unidentified object, while the second began kicking him in the backside."

American Idol contestant Danny Noriega wishes you a Merry Christmas.

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David Hernandez: Idol with A Stripper Past

So, American Idol David Hernandez' (above, right) forays into the world of male strip dancing for ''mostly male'' clientele have hit the New York Times "Arts" section (via the AP):

"The 24-year-old finalist from Glendale, Ariz., once worked as a stripper at Dick's Cabaret, appearing fully nude and performing lap dances for the club's 'mostly male' clientele, club manager Gordy Bryan said Monday...It's not clear whether a history as a stripper could disqualify Hernandez from the competition. In 2003, finalist Frenchie Davis was dismissed because of her appearance on an adult Web site; but last year, Antonella Barba remained in the competition after racy photos of her surfaced on the Internet...Bryan said he was aware that Hernandez was a vocalist, but that Hernandez never sang at the club. Bryan said he now believes Hernandez stopped working at the club because of his participation in 'American Idol.' Hernandez has never been referred to as a stripper or former stripper during the Fox singing competition."

Meanwhile, Queerclick (site NSFW) has dug up some shots (and video) of Hernandez hanging out with a buddy who's also known as "Ryan Steele" in his adult videos. The two performed in a quartet called The Vinyl Four.

I don't think any of this is grounds for disqualification, but it might make things a bit more interesting on the show if Hernandez offered up some of his prior 'talents'.

See the video of Hernandez with his quartet The Vinyl Four, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
David Archuleta Sings the Crap Out of "Imagine" [tr]

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David Archuleta Sings the Crap Out of "Imagine"

There's one clear front-runner in American Idol: David Archuleta. The teenager could win the whole thing. Unless, of course, Paula Abdul gets to him first. Last night a teary-eyed Paula told Archuleta: "David, you are ridiculous. I wanted to squish you, squeeze your head off, and dangle you from my rear-view mirror. You are, no, honest to god, that is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and one of the most moving performances I've ever heard."

And here's the latest gossip on a couple of the other men:

The folks over at VoteForTheWorst.com have dug up photos of David Hernandez slinging drinks at recently-closed gay Phoenix nightclub Burn.

And there has been some speculation going on as to whether or not rocker Robbie Carrico is wearing a rug:

"TMZ has learned the 26-year-old long-haired wannabe's mane is actually a wig and it's got "Idol" staffers flipping out. Sources tell us Robbie never talks about his matted down piece and that makes production members feel like it's the blonde elephant in the room. It seems Simon was right last night -- Robbie is a fake!"

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Paula Abdul: Simon Cowell Not Gay, Just Comfortable

Paula Abdul is apparently disgusted that people continue to scrutinize Simon Cowell's sexuality.

Says Abdul: "People say that all the time but no, he's not! His brother always jokes and says that he's gay but Simon has fun with it now. He's very comfortable in his skin."

Last November, in an interview with Britain's Daily Mail, Cowell said: "If I was, why hide it? It's not as if the music business would be an odd place for a gay man to work. And anyway, if I was trying to hide the fact that I was gay, I would be off playing rugby every Saturday, wouldn't I?"

I never thought he was gay.

Related
Simon Cowell: I'm Vain, But Not Gay [tr]
Report: Simon Cowell X-ed Sharon Osbourne Over Gay Claims [tr]
Simon Cowell Urges Ryan Seacrest: Come Out of the Closet [tr]

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