News: Ann Coulter, Indonesia, Piano, Marc Jacobs, Pat Buchanan

Piano found in perfect working condition deep in woods of Cape Cod: "The Baldwin piano, which had a matching bench, was set up as if someone was about to sit down and play, reported WCVB-TV in Boston. Despite efforts by police to locate its owner, or at least explain how it came to be in a conservation area, police Monday said no one has contacted them...The piano is so heavy that it took more than a half-dozen men to load it onto a truck."

Ann Coulter's mouth wired shut. Image from a conservative women fur calendar.

SICK: Indonesian province moves forward with microchip implant proposal for people with HIV/AIDS. "Since the plan was initially proposed, the government has narrowed its scope, saying the chips would only be implanted in those who are 'sexually aggressive,' but it has not said how it would determine who fits that group. It also was not clear how many people it might include."

Britney Spears rolls the Stone back.

Amy Winehouse back in the hospital.

Brazil's DOM magazine halting publication.

Westboro Baptist Church flee after being met by hundreds of student counter-protestors in Omaha: "Students threw hamburgers and bottles of lemonade and milk at several members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., students said after the protest. A video of the protest was” recorded by 16-year-old student Mason Hartwell that” showed one counterprotester on the ground, seated with his hands behind his back and flanked by two law enforcement officers."

For the Gaybies: Marc Jacobs-designed Bugaboo stroller. "What would you pay for this hot new limited edition stroller? What if we told you there are only 15 available? How about if you knew it was designed by Marc Jacobs? If $1500 was the number you came up with, you know your luxury sedans."

Hillsborough County, Florida swears in first openly gay commissioner: "Democrat Kevin Beckner took the oath of office before a standing-room-only crowd that spilled into the first floor at County Center. Like the two other commissioners sworn in, Beckner thanked his parents and supporters. He singled out a 96-year-old activist who collected 400 signatures to get his name on the ballot and another woman who campaigned for him while battling cancer. As he joined a commission that three years ago voted to ban gay pride displays on county property, he also recognized his partner of 10 years."

A-Rod to help stuff Madonna's turkey.

Some 16-year-olds have all the luck.

New iPhone app helps you calculate whether or not you might be in danger of getting a DUI or endangering someone should you get behind the wheel after a holiday party. If so, it will call a taxi for you. Of course if you're that gone, will you have the foresight to use it?

World's largest cruise ship hits the water.

New documentary explores gay rights: "The rebirth of the gay rights movement and the battle over legalizing same-sex marriage will be the focus of the new indie documentary 'A Non-Issue?' The doc will follow Dr. John Corvino, a philosopher, lecturer and author of 'The Gay Moralist,' as he crisscrosses the nation engaging and debating those most against gay marriage."

"Ex-gay" groups receiving government subsidies in The Netherlands.

A look back at Pat Buchanan in 1977.

SX interviews Matthew Mitcham: "In a world where everyone seems to be on the make, Matthew Mitcham is a refreshing change. Unlike some other athletes that come to mind, he’s not milking his Beijing experience like a frenzied bovine. He’s not selling his story to the highest bidder, for instance, but is instead speaking to the gay press, and a community that has strongly supported him. He’s not hitting the party circuit, but has slipped back comfortably into his training at the Sydney Aquatic Centre, practising the sport he loves, spending his spare time (what little there is) doing ordinary things like catching up with friends and family, and hanging out with his partner."

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News: Subway Deli, California, Cheyenne Jackson, India Adoption

Subway restaurant chain takes action after franchisee's donation to "Yes on 8" campaign revealed.

Wingnut blames California fires on Proposition 8 protestors.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepard again demonstrate their supreme lack of decency and brain power.

Return of the crackhive.

Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Bruno' crashes the set of NBC's Medium: "No one had a clue it was Sacha playing Bruno. It’s amazing he was able to infiltrate the set and pull this off."

Marriage Equality foes attempting to get anti-gay referendum on next ballot in Illinois: "Proponents of an Illinois constitutional amendment to restrict marriage to heterosexuals, buoyed by voter approval in three states on Nov. 4, say they’re gearing up to try again in 2010."

Cheyenne Jackson to star in musical about Mormons from the creators of South Park?

Gay rapper Deadlee responds to homophobic Trick Trick album: "My first thought is to get crazy and warn him that this f**got will kick his ass — but I am so on Cloud 9 with Obama winning, and the way he did it. Obama was called a terrorist, unpatriotic, and the entire time kept his cool, I so wish I was like that. I know who I am and my self worth that I really don’t give a f**k who or what a Trick Trick has to say. There is still a lot of hate against gays, and a Trick Trick just perpetuates the hate…so if Trick Trick really does plan on putting an AK to my head. I ain’t going out like that! Trick Trick will be the only b***h that ends up dead!"

Ryan Phillippe pumps up.

Gay Israeli couple conceive baby in Mumbai: " Yonatan and Omer Gher came to the city in January and the in-vitro fertilisation was successful through an unknown egg donor and sperms from Yonatan in the first attempt itself, infertility specialist Dr Gautam Allahbadia told PTI. The embryo was then successfully implanted in a surrogate mother selected by the couple and Evyatar (meaning more fathers in Hebrew) was born on October 12, Allahbadia said. Since the couple had to submit proof of their paternity (through DNA test) to the Israeli government, after completing all the necessary paper work, they left for Israel last night, the doctor said." More...

More for you Trekkies.

More layoffs at 'Focus on the Family': "Focus on the Family announced this afternoon that 202 jobs will be cut companywide — an estimated 20 percent of its workforce. Initial reports bring the total number of remaining employees to around 950. The cutbacks come just weeks after the group pumped more than half a million dollars into the successful effort to pass a gay-marriage ban in California. Critics are holding up the layoffs, which come just two months after the organization’s last round of dismissals, as a sad commentary on the true priorities of the ministry.

Twilight: Vampire brat pack film premieres in London.

Football players develop new tactic - the dropping of the pants.

Trans-national group of gay activists agrees on Slavic Gay Pride alternating every year between Moscow and Minsk: " The agreement came at the weekend when activists from GayRussia.ru and the Moscow Pride organising committee met for the first time with Belarusian groups Gay.by and Gayby.by, the Belarusian Initiative for Sexual and Gender Equality and the LGBT Rights Committee of the Belarusian Green Party. 'We were looking to cooperate with Belarusian gay activists this year, but until recently we believed that local activists were not yet ready for public events,' said Moscow Pride chief organiser Nikolai Alekseev."

Project to track LGBT hate crimes receives $80,000 in funding from Australian government.

Young X-Men character revealed to be gay.

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News: Rahm Emanuel, Sundance, Winehouse, Aurora Borealis, Xtina

Bitch, please: "Now that California voters have outlawed same-sex marriage, an LDS Church leader called Wednesday for members to heal rifts caused by the emotional campaign by treating each other with 'civility, with respect and with love.'...'We hope that everyone would treat [each other] that way no matter which side of this issue they were on,' said Elder L. Whitney Clayton, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Presidency of the Seventy."

Front pages from around the world flash Obama win.

Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears to appear with Madonna in concert tonight in Los Angeles.

Should the Sundance Film Festival continue to take place in the hate state of Utah? Americablog launches a purge.

Christina Aguilera does Roy Lichtenstein-style "Keeps Gettin' Better" ad for Target.

Los Angeles halts issuing of marriage licenses to gay couples. Ellen DeGeneres says she is "saddened" by Proposition 8 passage: ""Watching the returns on election night was an amazing experience. Barack Obama is our new president. Change is here. I, like millions of Americans, felt like we had taken a giant step towards equality. We were watching history. This morning, when it was clear that Proposition 8 had passed in California, I can't explain the feeling I had. I was saddened beyond belief. Here we just had a giant step towards equality and then on the very next day, we took a giant step away.."

Obama home street in Hyde Park, Chicago fortified. President elect to begin intelligence briefings.

Black church in Springfield, Massachusetts torched following Obama win: "A predominantly black church under construction in Springfield was destroyed by fire early yesterday, just hours after Barack Obama's landmark victory, triggering concerns that the building was purposely set ablaze in a possible hate crime. The blaze started at Macedonia Church of God in Christ at 3:10 and caused an estimated $2 million in damage."

Amy Winehouse celebrates husband's jailbreak with an attack on the paparazzi.

Metro Weekly profiles DJ and producer Richard Morel.

McCain's new role in the Senate? "One obvious focus will be the war in Iraq. After two years spent more on the campaign than in the Senate, McCain will return as the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee...Aides said they believed McCain would work well with Obama as president because much of his best work in the Senate had been done with Democrats, including a landmark campaign finance law he crafted with Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold and an unsuccessful effort with Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy to pass comprehensive immigration reform."

Spotlight on Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, who accepted the position earlier today: "As the No. 4 Democrat in the House and an architect of the Democratic majority, Mr. Emanuel knows Congress from the inside out after winning his seat in 2002. In the Clinton administration, he was aggressive, frequently profane and instrumental in shaping domestic policy on issues like health care, welfare and trade. He earned the nickname Rahmbo for his determination and take-no-prisoners approach — an advantage when trying to bring a thorny issue to resolution, but a style that can be off-putting to those accustomed to gentility." Robert Gibbs probable pick for press secretary?

Alaska: Webcam presents live images of Aurora Borealis.

The Democratic mess in the New York state senate: "Hoping to quell reports that his job was in danger, Malcolm A. Smith, the Senate Democratic leader, had scheduled an organizational meeting among Senate Democrats in Albany for this afternoon to resolve the leadership question. But the four potentially rogue Democrats are not planning to attend, a spokesman for them said Tuesday night."

Character on Brazilian soap opera comes out of the closet.

Boy crushed in garbage truck compactor survives: "Police say the 14-year-old ran away from a boot camp-style school for teens Monday and hid in a recycling bin filled with cardboard. The bin was picked up by a Waste Management truck and dumped into the vehicle's rear compactor. Waste Management spokeswoman Lynn Morgan says the truck continued on its collection route, compacting cardboard several times. The boy wasn't discovered until the truck dumped its load at a recycling processing center. He was semiconscious and was taken to a hospital, but police say his injuries aren't life-threatening."

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News: Alfred E. Neuman, HPV, The Killers, Sarah Palin, Hate Crimes

Hate crimes down in 2007, except for those based around sexual orientation. Anti-gay bias crimes saw an increase of 6%.

Top McCain adviser calls Palin "a whack job."

This gallery contains nearly 100 parodies of the famous Shepard Fairey 'Obama Hope' poster. But the artist told BoingBoing that by far his favorite is the cover of the current issue of Mad magazine: "I loved Mad as a kid. I think Mad’s satire heightened my understanding of irony and hypocrisy. I’m very excited to be a part of Mad’s history."

New video: Christina Aguilera thinks she's Catwoman now.

Sarah Palin's favorite consignment store 'Out of the Closet' served with "cease and desist" order from The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which runs a thrift store by the same name in California and Florida: "We are grateful to Governor Palin for bringing the infringement of AIDS Healthcare Foundation's trademark on our eighteen year-old 'Out of the Closet' name to our attention. In addition to raising funds for the care and treatment of thousands of people with AIDS in the US and around the globe, several AHF 'Out of the Closet' sites also serve as free HIV and STD testing centers..."

Cindy Crawford does Amy Winehouse for Halloween.

In June 2007 I reported that Gus van Sant and Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black had attached themselves to Tom Wolfe's book The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, for a feature film. FOX Searchlight has now picked up the project.

Joe Lieberman: McCain "will live to 85, at least."

The first track-by-track review of the new Killers album, Day & Age.

Lance Bass fights Prop 8 battle in guyliner.

90210 star Dustin Milligan says no to gay jokes: "My personal views on homosexuality and bisexuality and sexuality in general are so far from the dark place where these kinds of hateful terms come from and are not at all reflected accurately by such a statement. Especially now, when same-sex marriage is such a big issue in the US, I feel the days when jokingly calling someone a 'homo' or saying 'that's gay' are simply over." (via afterelton)

Nobel Laureate Dr Harald zur Hausen urges HPV vaccine for boys.

HELP: Im a gay married Mormon in the closet...

Gay MP in the UK attacked as he delivered balloons to his parents on their 50th anniversary: "Adam Price, the Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, and a friend were treated in hospital after the assault by four youths in Worcester on Saturday. Mr Price's spokeswoman, Heledd Fychan, said he received facial cuts and was unable to attend the party. 'A gang of youths set upon him randomly. They had no idea who he was. It was an unprovoked attack. He is a bit battered and bruised and has a black eye, but no broken bones.'"

Three Democratic operatives on what Obama needs to do to close the deal.

Jonas Brothers to make film debut in movie about farting dog.

Government orders Atlantis Dubai to free whale shark.

Matt Damon stumps for Obama.

London getting a new gay theatre: "...that's what's happening in Victoria, where the Shameless theatre company is taking over the 50-seat fringe theatre above The Stag pub in Victoria and rebranding it as the Above the Stag Theatre. Artistic director Peter Bull says the company plans on plays and musicals, focusing on new work loosely based around gay themes. The inaugural production will be American Briefs, a series of short works by US-based playwrights..."

UK Sunday Observer: 24% of British think gay sex should be criminalized?

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News: Rome Kiss, Daniel Radcliffe, Dubai, Levi's, Bruce Cohen, India

Tribute to Del Martin to be held at San Francisco City Hall on October 1.

Two men arrested for kiss outside Roman colisseum ordered to trial: "On Tuesday a Rome court ordered a trial for two men arrested in July 2007 outside the Coliseum. Michele F., 36, and Roberto L., 28, contend they were caught sharing a passionate kiss; the arresting officers from the carabinieri say they were engaging in oral sex. Defense lawyers have asked for the charges of lewd public acts to be dropped, having sought in vain to get access to footage from nearby security cameras that they say would show the kiss was just a kiss."

Debut: Daniel Radcliffe bares it on Broadway.

Anti-gay rights groups accuse New Jersey commission on civil unions of pro-gay bias: "The Civil Union Review Commission came to be after the state Legislature voted to establish civil unions in early 2007. The 13-member commission, which holds monthly meetings, is mandated to monitor civil unions and measure any problems that may arise."

Hey Xtina, Lady Gaga wants her look back.

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz joins fight against same-sex marriage ban ballot measure: "I don’t see how this amendment protects anything. Even worse, its vague language could actually take away important existing benefits like health care from Floridians."

March in Chicago this weekend will mark 10th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death, draw attention to anti-gay hate crimes.

Amy Winehouse rages in London, runs around with missing shoe.

Sharks attacking one another in obscenely large shopping mall aquarium in Dubai.

Indian government reaffirms its position supporting the criminalization of homosexuality: "On Friday, the Centre will oppose a petition filed by gay rights activists in the Delhi High Court seeking decriminalisation of homosexual acts between consenting adults. 'We are going to take a stand against scrapping of section 377 of IPC (punishment for indulging in unnatural sex). I will stiffly oppose the plea,' Additional Solicitor General PP Malhotra told reporters. The court had sought the government’s view on a petition filed by Naz Foundation, an NGO supporting gay rights. The development follows differences between the health ministry and the home ministry on the issue. The health ministry said the law pushes HIV people underground 'which makes such risky sexual practices go unnoticed'. The home ministry said society disapproves of homosexuality, so it should be treated as a crime."

Transgender model Isis speaks: "I'm just crossing my fingers hoping opportunities come from this. I went to college for fashion design so I hope that takes off for me. Hopefully you'll see me on the runway, in major campaigns and on the big screen - I want to be in movies!"

Senate hearing draws attention to need for same-sex partner benefits.

Ewan McGregor presents producer Bruce Cohen with Outfest Award. NBC exec Ben Silverman outs his gay mom.

Lindsay Lohan's rep: there was no gay confesion.

British host Alan Carr says he'll never tell his parents he's gay: "I was used to being called all sorts of names but I didn’t actually think I was gay. It just didn’t click. The word gay is bandied around so much when you’re a kid. If you go to the library you get called gay, if you wear a certain kind of trainers, they call you gay . . . if you wear lip gloss and heels they call you gay. I just don’t get it. Obviously I did end up realising they were right, although I’ve never really sat down and talked about that with my family. I’ve never told my dad I’m gay but I hardly think I need to now. It would be like closing the door after the horse has bolted."

AfterElton talks to Brothers and Sisters showrunners about plans for Kevin and Scotty.

New Zealand MP: I used to be the only gay in the Parliament.

Levi's joins fight against Prop 8: "The San Francisco-based jeans maker said Thursday it will co-chair with Pacific Gas & Electric a group trying to drum up opposition to Proposition 8 in the business community. Chief Executive Officer John Anderson said the move is consistent with Levi's long history of supporting civil rights causes. The company ended racial segregation of its California factories in the 1940s and was the first Fortune 500 company to offer health benefits to the domestic partners of its unmarried employees. In July, PG&E donated $250,000 to the campaign to defeat the gay marriage ban and announced it hoped to persuade other corporations to do the same. Because PG&E is a public utility, though, taking a controversial political stand is less risky for the company than it might be for businesses with greater competition."

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Boy George Releases 'Yes We Can' Video for Obama

Boy George has released the video for his "Yes We Can" track in support of Barack Obama. Bowie alter ego Ziggy Stardust, Amy Winehouse, and Divine all appear for some unknown reason as well...

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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News: Convergence, Mark Spitz, Gaydar, 90210, Barney Frank

STUDY: Gaydar is real.

Mark Spitz says he could take Michael Phelps: "I know everything there is to know about how to beat Michael, and he would know how to beat me. We'd probably tie."

90210's Brenda Walsh: Did you miss her?

Barney Frank to review FDIC policy that excludes same-sex couples: "Frank, one of two openly gay members of Congress, is chair of the influential House Financial Services Committee, which oversees legislation and government regulation of the nation’s banks and other financial institutions. 'He will talk to the FDIC to see if they have the authority to do something about this administratively or whether a legislative remedy is needed,' said Steve Adamske, Frank’s press spokesperson."

One of the first Native American tribes to legalize same-sex marriage has a wedding on the way: "The Coquille Indian Tribe on the southern Oregon coast recently adopted a law recognizing same-sex marriage, despite an amendment that Oregon voters approved to the Oregon constitution in 2004 to prohibit gay marriage. As a federally recognized sovereign nation, the tribe is not bound by the Oregon Constitution."

ENDA co-signs DOMA: "A little-discussed provision of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would allow employers to give health insurance coverage and other benefits to married opposite-sex couples and deny those same benefits to the partners of their gay and lesbian employees who are legally married in Massachusetts and California."

T.R. Knight and Mark Cornelsen offer up some PDA.

Chad Allen joins General Hospital: Night Shift for three episodes Michelle Obama and Colorado first lady Jeanne Ritter use Denver Post editorial to launch 'Delegate Service Day': "With the help of Volunteers of America, Democrats Work and Metro Volunteers, delegates from across the country will volunteer with dozens of community service projects in and around Denver. Volunteers will tackle projects ranging from building houses for veterans, to assembling care packages for troops overseas, to bringing meals to home-bound seniors and cleaning up public parks."

Curious who the new Bachelor is?

Florida town of Ponce de Leon sides with school principal who outed student and went on gay 'witch hunt': "When a high school senior told her principal that students were taunting her for being a lesbian, he told her homosexuality is wrong, outed her to her parents and ordered her to stay away from children. He suspended some of her friends who expressed their outrage by wearing gay pride T-shirts and buttons at Ponce de Leon High School, according to court records. And he asked dozens of students whether they were gay or associated with gay students."

Leaves of grass: Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick have a moment alone.

New Amy Winehouse album influenced by The Wizard of Oz: "And according to a report in the Sun newspaper, the singer has sampled the 'Wicked Witch of the West' in a new track. 'She loves the surreal look, sound and score. One of her new songs heavily samples the theme tune,' a source told the newspaper. 'And the soundtrack and score will be a theme running throughout the record.' The unnamed source described the song as 'really interesting, if a little bizarre,' adding: 'I suppose that’s what you would expect from her at the moment.'"

John Barrowman working on new album called Music Music Music.

Convergence: Intel and Yahoo working to bring the web to television seamlessly with current programming. "TV watchers can access a news story, sports score or weather forecast from the Web by clicking an on-screen icon with the remote control, Intel Senior Vice President Eric Kim said today at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. The software will be given for free to TV-service providers. A drop in the price of computer-processors brought on by increasing competition has sent Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, seeking growth with consumer-electronics devices. For Yahoo, owner of the second most-used Internet search engine, offering content on TV may yield more viewers for its Web ads."

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News: AIDS, Amy Winehouse, Olympics, Matt Lucas, Liberia

"Elite" HIV wife may hold key to AIDS vaccine: A woman who has never shown symptoms of infection with the AIDS virus may hold the secret to defeating the virus, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. Infected at least 10 years ago by her husband, the woman is able somehow to naturally control the deadly and incurable virus -- even though her husband must take cocktails of strong HIV drugs to control his. She is a so-called 'elite suppressor,' and studies of her immune cells have begun to offer clues to how her body does it, the team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said. 'This is the best evidence to date that elite suppressors can have fully pathogenic virus,' said Dr. Joel Blankson, who led the study."

Spanish Olympic basketball team under fire for 'slant-eye' photo.

Amy Winehouse seeking revenge on charts for being dumped by James Bond producers: "I do think they could have waited a bit. If they want a worldwide hit I have them all up here (pointing to her beehive)."

Annie Lennox talks AIDS from the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City: "There have been around 25,000 people who have come to take part in this extraordinary event. A conference like this gives tremendous focus and profile on the issue of HIV/AIDS...There are representatives from all walks of life. HIV is a very complex issue, and it effects people in all kinds of different ways. So to be a representative of those people, whether they're gay and lesbian men and women - whether they're transsexuals, or mothers, or children - whoever it happens to be - it's deeply moving just to take a moment to look at who's here. It's like a microcosm of the world, in actual fact."

McCain forced to remove attack ad with Wayne's World clip. Doesn't think he's gone negative.

Australia Capitol Territory says civil partnerships exceed expectations: "Attorney-General Simon Corbell says 23 gay or lesbian couples have already registered their partnerships."

A psychiatrist who Provincetown being re-branded to go after heterosexuals?

Clay Aiken leaves the hospital with his boy.

In June I reported that Little Britain creator Matt Lucas and his partner Kevin McGee were seeking a divorce. Well, it looks like they've made up, for the moment.

A chat with Olivia Newton-John.

The NYT visits Graydon's Carter's Waverly Inn: "The reservations system has miniprofiles on clients: the number of times they have eaten at the restaurant, (Mr. Menicheschi, the publisher, supposedly is near the top of the list with more than 200 meals) whether they complained about the food, whether they yelled at a waiter or ever wrote an unflattering word about Mr. Carter. No, not really on the last one. Has anyone been blacklisted? Mr. Carter won’t say, but Mr. Varda admits that there is one group. 'B-list stars who call the paparazzi from inside the restaurant,' he said. 'They are not invited back.'"

Anti-gay professor indicted in Israel: "Hillel Weiss, who helped found his nation's religious peace movement, has been indicted on two charges of inciting violence and intimidation after two very crude outbursts, including one about the abominable gays..."

The little girl who sang at the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies was a fake. Music designer Chen: "The reason why little Yang was not chosen to appear was because we wanted to project the right image, we were thinking about what was best for the nation. The reason was for the national interest. The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression."

Madonna on track to adopt a baby girl from Malawi.

Study shows sexual abuse of male soldiers common in Liberia: "More than 40% of female combatants said they had experienced sexual violence, compared with less than 10% in the general population. Surprisingly, 33% of male combatants said they had been similarly abused. 'Mental health policies need to address males as victims of sexual violence,' Lawry says."

Ready for Mantyhose?

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Music News: Nas Protests Fox News, Plus Fleetwood Mac, Miley Cyrus, Lady GaGa, Pink

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

Calling Fox News a "propaganda machine," rapper Nas stood outside the Manhattan offices of the network yesterday and held a protest that was organized by ColorOfChange.org against what is believed to be a racist smear campaign against the Barack Obama campaign.

You can watch an MTV News report in the video below, but here is the gist of Nas' speech: "We already knew that Fox is not a news network; they are a propaganda machine. But their racist attacks have gone way too far. Calling Michelle Obama 'Barack's baby mama'—tell me, is that acceptable? Is that racist? Bill O'Reilly saying a 'lynching party' for Michelle Obama might be legit if she has the wrong political opinions. Is that acceptable? Is that flat-out racist?

"Is this hate-mongering and fear-mongering at its worst? ... Fox's pattern of race-baiting and fear-mongering regularly focuses on black leaders, black institutions and ordinary black people. Like when they used the solemn occasion of Coretta Scott King's funeral to call black leaders racist — that's not acceptable. It's offensive to black Americans, and it's offensive to all Americans."

Following the protest, Fox issued the following, somehwhat defiant, statement: "Fox News believes in all protesters exercising their right to free speech, including Nas, who has an album to promote."

Looks like there are still "7 things" people love about Miley Cyrus, despite all the recent scandals the 15-year-old has endured. Billboard notes that while Nas has the #1 album this week, Cyrus has a slight lead with Breakout over Sugarland's latest to grab the top position on next week's chart after first day sales of 110,000.

Jive announced yesterday that Pink's fifth album (not yet titled) will be released October 28, and will be preceded by the single "So What," which will be available digitally mid-August. "So What" was written by Pink and produced by Max Martin," who also twiddled the knobs on her hits "U + Ur Hand" and "Who Knew."

Does Amy Winehouse's dad prefer the troubled singer's waxwork to the real thing? "We're going to take this Amy home with us and send the real one back," he said, possibly joking. "This one does what she's told—and she doesn't move." He then added: "She's put on a lot of weight. She's eating and concentrating on her new album, so she's doing pretty well."

Fleetwood Mac to tour in 2009, sans Christine McVie (and Sheryl Crow).

New laws in Russia are set to ban emo.

Saint Etienne will release a new version of "Burnt Out Car" as a single in September, as well as three different versions of London Conversations: The Best Of Saint Etienne—one of which will be "a 3 disc set in a beautiful book cover with a dvd of all our promo vids."

You may recall Lady GaGa's performance of "Just Dance" at the Miss Universe competition from two weeks back. She also wrote the New Edition duet that will appear on the upcoming New Kids On The Block album: “I wrote a song on the album and I’m a featured singer on a song called 'Big Boy, Big Girl.' The album will surprise people. It’s completely futuristic – new, now and contemporary. There is nothing jaded or old about it. It’s them doing 2008.”

THE WEEK'S NEW RELEASES:

The Deluxe Fan Edition of country duo Sugarland's third album, Love On The Inside, featuring a cover of Dream Academy's '80s hit, "Life In A Northern Town." Billboard reports that after first-day sales of over 100,000 copies, Love On The Inside is neck-and-neck with Miley Cyrus' Breakout to debut at #1 next week.

Futurism, a DJ set from Danny Tenaglia.

Donkey, the second album from Brazilian act Cansei De Ser Sexy (also known as CSS).

Partie Traumatic, the debut from Black Kids, one of Rolling Stone's "one's to watch in 2008."

"So Much Better," a single from MTV's Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search For Elle Woods winner Bailey Hanks.

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Amy Winehouse: Back to Wax

A wax figure of Amy Winehouse was unveiled today at Madame Tussaud's in Central London.

The singer herself was not there to see the strikingly sober version of herself, but her parents Mitch and Janis were.

Earlier this month, Winehouse expressed dissatisfaction that she was being turned into a waxwork.

Said the singer, in perhaps the most prescient quote of the year: "I thought you had to be dead almost before they made a wax of you."

Previously
Wax Beckhams Open Kissing Booth at DC's Cherry Blossom Festival [tr]
Wax Barack Obama Wins Presidency [tr]
Camilla Parker-Bowles Goes in for a Full Body Wax [tr]
Waxy Leonardo DiCaprio Makes Its Debut [tr]

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Amy Winehouse, Michelle Obama Invade Fire Island Pines

Amy Winehouse and Michelle Obama were among those attending the annual Fire Island Pines Invasion over the Fourth of July holiday. The event was documented by Pines Punch.

The history, or so they say: "According to legend, in 1976 a Cherry Grove man in drag (Teri Warren) was denied service at the Botel, a Pines restaurant & bar owned by John B. Whyte (who died at 75 on March 22, 2004). Upon hearing about this blatant discrimination against one of her sisters, the newly crowned Homecoming Queen of the Arts Project Cherry Grove, PANZI (Thom Hansen) took it upon herself to lead a small group of 9 brave Cherry Grove girls in a water taxi into the Pines harbor one hot afternoon for what they expected to be a confrontational welcoming by the Pines men. On the contrary, the Pines men were so surprised and entertained by this “Drag Queen Invasion” in the middle of the day that they welcomed them all to drinks at the Blue Whale bar for what now is a yearly celebration and tradition."

Invasion [pines punch]

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News: Kucinich, Friedkin, Naugle, Gyllenhaal, Lieberman, McAvoy

A second gay candidate joins race for Mayor Naugle's seat in Fort Lauderdale: "Political newcomer Earl Rynerson, owner of a tile store, joins former City Commissioner Dean Trantalis as an openly gay mayoral hopeful. Rynerson said he wants to polish the city's image, which he said was tarnished by Naugle. Naugle last summer uttered a quote that was heard across gay America: 'I use the word homosexual. Most of them aren't gay; they're unhappy.'"

Jake Gyllenhaal stumbles out in London.

Nigerian bisexual woman faces deportation from Canada, fears persecution: "She fears for her life. If she goes back with her children, she has no one there. Her family has shunned her because she is bisexual. She doesn't have any money and nowhere to go. If she's arrested [her children] will be without a mother. They'll already face extreme discrimination because they were both born out of wedlock, and in fact, Samuel has already endured a lot of harassment while growing up there."

ABBA come together for Mamma Mia premiere in Stockholm for first time in 22 years.

AUSIELLO: Producers on The New Adventures of Old Christine plan to marry off Julia Louis Dreyfus to Wanda Sykes!

The windows to Amy Winehouse's soul.

William Friedkin's The Boys in the Band to get DVD release on November 11.

Planning on picking up an iPhone 3G on Friday? Here's a map of AT&T's 3G coverage in the U.S. According to a Digg commenter, here's the code: BLUE = Full Coverage, RED/ORANGE = Decent Coverage, ORANGE = Meh Coverage, LIGHT ORANGE = Enjoy EDGE.

Church of Ireland may hold gay unions if homosexuality proven to be biologically determined: "If such comes to be shown, it will be necessary to acknowledge the full implications of that new aspect of the truth."

"Dude, look at your pants. Look at your bag. Obviously this is not your kind of place." Homophobic, or just edgy?

Details attempts to atone for past covers with James McAvoy's blue eyes.

MacBecks: Musical planned about David and Victoria Beckham...

Hagee YouTube suppression to rub off on Joe Lieberman?

East London couple turned away from wedding venue owned by Jehovah's Witness: "For the past 13 years I have been with my soul mate, I have never been discriminated against or been judged as they did to us."

Jaws: Australian town on alert after sighting of 22-foot Great White Shark in lake with outlet to the ocean.

Obama to give DNCC address at Invesco Field at Mile High. SF Chronicle on the rise of the Obamacon...

Killer of gay porn producer spilled details, sought legal advice from fellow inmate.

Honed down: Kucinich to bring single article of impeachment against George W. Bush. "Few in the House of Representatives have any intention of doing anything with the last 35 articles of impeachment Kucinich set before them last month, so the former presidential candidate appears to be lightening the load. Kucinich sent a letter to colleagues Tuesday asking them to support a single article of impeachment, to be introduced Thursday, which accuses President Bush of leading the country to war based on lies."

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Music News: Jay-Z Burns Oasis At Glastonbury, George Michael, Annie, Kurt Cobain, Sam Sparro, Labelle

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

Jay-Z headlined England's famed Glastonbury festival on Saturday, a controversial move given the rock-heavy bill the event usually touts. Perhaps no one was more vocal about their disdain for Hova as headliner than Noel Gallagher of Oasis: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you start to break it then people aren't going to go. I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance."

In turn, the rapper and music mogul clearly wowed the crowd with his opening song choice: a cover of "Wonderwall."

On a bit more tame note -- well, lately, at least -- George Michael brought his 25 Live tour to The Forum in Los Angeles on Wednesday. It was the first time he's played L.A. since 1988.

Just before the final encore, in which he performed "Freedom '90," Michael was surprised by Bo Derek, who walked on stage to give him a birthday cake as his band played "Happy Birthday." The London-born singer is 45.

Enough about Jay-Z...what were the reviews like for Sam Sparro's appearance at Glastonbury?

Word on the street has it that Norwegian pop blondie Annie, of "Chewing Gum" fame, has got a new EP out. Towleroad vehemently looks down upon illegal filesharing, but something tells me that if you typed in "Annie" and "EP" into a search engine, you might be taking the first step to finding out more information on this bit of noise.

This Delicate Film We've Made, a live concert DVD containing the last night of Darren Hayes' 2007 tour, will be released from his own Powdered Sugar Productions on July 22.

Creole Lady Marmalade! All three original members of seminal '70s funk-glam trio LaBelle are set to reunite for their first album together since 1976. The group will also perform this Saturday during the Essence Festival -- where else -- down in ol' New Orleans.

London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum will unveil a statue of Amy Winehouse later this year: "We are really pleased to be creating Amy; she is a real icon in mondern British music, a continual award winner and an internationally recognized star widely requested by our guests.

So imagine if a bunch of Alanis Morissette fans got together online and did karaoke to try to win free concert tickets...

Did you know you can now purchase Converse sneakers from Nordstrom with writing from Kurt Cobain's journals on them? This seems like something to get up in arms over, but if Courtney Love says it's ok, then... Oh, well. Whatever. Nevermind.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler finally admits he checked into rehab to recover from more than just foot surgery: "I don't know about (guitarist) Joe (Perry) but I was off and running and I didn't like the me that was me. This was a month ago, so I just put the brakes on and checked into detox and just pulled the plug on all of it."

TODAY'S NEW RELEASES:

Where The Light Is, a live CD/DVD from John Mayer recorded at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater.

High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens' second solo effort, Identified.

R.E.M.'s iTunes-only set, Live: From London.

Love To Make Music To, from L.A.-based electronica producer Daedelus.

New singles from The Faint ("The Geeks Were Right"), LL Cool J ("Baby") and Lee Ann Womack ("Last Call").

Guilt, a new EP from Sheffield indie band The Long Blondes.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #318

PRESSING THE FLESH: Beefcake & politicians at NYC Pride.

PUNCH DRUNK: Troubled Amy Winehouse cracks, slaps fan.

NOTHIN’ MORE TO SAY: Frenchie Davis belts “One Night Only” at Chicago’s Gay Pride.

AS THE WOILD TOINS: A fun preview of Cyndi Lauper’s appearance on As the World Turns this Thursday, July 3.

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News: Quentin Tarantino, Ugly Dog, Bulgaria, Michelangelo

First-ever "Rainbow Parade" set for Czech Republic: "he National Party (Národní strana) sees the event as a 'pressure on the majority, pressure that is disgusting and awkward, pressure leading to social acceptation of the children being adopted by homosexual couples.' Members of the party are prepared to protest against the march. Police are evaluating potential risks in order to determine what security measures will need to be applied."

Quentin Tarantino accepts Filmmaker on the Edge award from the Provincetown Film Festival. John Waters: "You helped reinvent John Travolta as a man and I reinvented him as a woman."

DAD: