Michael Phelps: The Big Merman

Annie Leibovitz recently shot Julianne Moore for the latest portrait in the Disney Dream Portrait Series as The Little Mermaid. But more importantly, she had Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps play the part of a Merman. Now that's the movie I wanted to see.

See the portrait AFTER THE JUMP...

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News: Mario Lopez, Louis Vuitton, Sydney, Tom Ford, Brazil

Robert Goulet dies at 73, awaiting lung transplant at hospital.

Does Annie Leibowitz's Louis Vuitton ad contain a hidden message from Gorbachev about poisoned Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko?

Being Mr. Gay Brazil requires Representative Barney Frank on Larry Craig: "I don’t think he should have been arrested, but it’s more likely than not that he was interested in sex. You have a right to privacy but not hypocrisy. During the period that I was closeted for seven years, I was always a gay rights supporter. I think it’s a fundamental violation of principles to vote one way and act another."

Following rash of gay bashings, a "safe space" opens on Oxford Street in Sydney: "Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said the City had agreed to lease a recently vacated shop front in a Council-owned building to ACON for use as a night-time Safe Space for the gay community. '“Following discussions with ACON, the City has agreed to provide the premises free of charge for ACON to use on a nightly basis,'” Ms Moore said. '“The Safe Space will act as a refuge for people who feel threatened or abused.” Residents continue to report assaults, robberies and anti-social behaviour associated with large late night licensed premises. There are ongoing reports of serious problems and people tell me that they fear for their safety.”'"

Ass-tastic: Mario Lopez lets it all hang out for Halloween.

Wentworth Miller holds on tight!

Two pink triangles from the Holocaust being auctioned in the UK: "They are expected to fetch hundreds of pounds when they go under the hammer at the Mullock's Auctioneers at Ludlow Racecourse on Thursday. Also being sold at the auction are other rare items including a description of a Spanish flu pandemic that killed millions and an apologetic letter from composer Edward Elgar."

Jesse Helms documentary comes to DVD, and includes never-before-seen interview with Matthew Shepard.

Frequent Towleroad commenter David Ehrenstein writes on "Obama's Gospel Mistake" in the L.A. Times.

Harper Lee to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Tom Ford is buying mineral rights to the land beneath his Galisteo, New Mexico ranch in order to block oil drilling: "Ford paid the state Land Office about $84,000 earlier this year to purchase the mineral rights to more than 1,400 acres, according to Land Office records. The purchase came in response to Tecton Energy's controversial proposal to drill eight exploratory wells on 65,000 acres, or 101 square miles, in the Galisteo Basin where it has acquired mineral rights." All drilling above ground is expected to continue.

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Roger Federer Trades His Tennis Racket for a Sword

Disney Parks updated their Disney Dreams portrait series today with three new images shot by Annie Leibowitz. You may remember the David Beckham as Prince Charming that came out last January. This time, tennis's #1 Roger Federer plays King Arthur.

In addition to the Federer image, there are two more new shots. In one, Julie Andrews portrays the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio with Abigail Breslin as a Fairy-in-Training (Disney knows their target audience, eh?). In another, Rachel Weisz plays Snow White.

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David Beckham Plays Prince Charming for Walt Disney [tr]

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John Mayer Falls into The Gap

John Mayer has rented out his tattooed arms and sultry gaze for The Gap in a minimalist campaign from Annie Leibovitz which will reportedly feature 11 other personalities including Sarah Silverman, Lucy Liu, and Ken Watanabe.

No word on whether The Queen has taken part, but with capes and crowns not in this season, the line is most likely not 'dressy' enough for HM.

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Now John Mayer Chimes in on Isaiah Washington [tr]

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #154

MITT ROMNEY: New spot. He's deeply troubled by the culture which surrounds us today.

THE QUEEN: The BBC covers its recent apology to the Queen after they suggested she stormed out of the Annie Leibovitz photo shoot.

VICTORIA BECKHAM: Part one of the critically-ravaged TV special Victoria Beckham: Coming to America. The other parts are here.

CAZWELL: His new video "Watch My Mouth".

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here!

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John Edwards on Men's Vogue

John Edwards gets the Annie Leibovitz treatment, flaunting his dashing self (and a haircut of undetermined cost) on the July/Aug cover of Men's Vogue.

From the profile:

"Edwards paces the small platform, explaining how he'll fight corporate farming, funnel capital to rural schools and businesses, and expand broadband access to out-of-the-way places. The rural South is where he's from, after all—the town of Robbins, North Carolina, population 1,200. In America, he says, 'people like me can come from nowhere, the son of a mill worker…and now be running for president of the United States and pay $400 for a haircut!' The Iowans erupt in laughter, a great gale of relief. 'You like that, do you?' Edwards says, grinning. A white-haired 56-year-old named Marilyn, who had noted beforehand that $400 haircuts are 'harder for people from the Midwest to understand,' turns and gives a furtive thumbs-up. 'He's good!' she whispers. Indeed he is. By the time he's updated the crowd on his wife Elizabeth's battle with cancer and uttered his can't-lose, heat-seeking campaign line—'It's time for Americans to be patriotic about something other than war!'—Edwards has won over the room, totally and completely. Asked about the haircut by the Iowa press afterward, Edwards, hand on hip, eyes squinting in the sun, says, 'My whole life has been spent standing up for people who have no voice, and I'll do that as long as I'm alive. It's a ridiculous amount of money for a haircut. I'm actually embarrassed by it.'"

Slideshow here.

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