News: Robyn, 'Ex-Gays', Jack Spade, AXM, Madonna, Atlantic

Palin as President.

British gay mag AXM goes web-only.

ABC News on oral sex and throat cancer: "Men are 35 percent more likely than women to develop HPV-related oral cancer, according to the study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. But both men and women are susceptible. While scientists don't know yet how sexual orientation factors into the equation, they know the No. 1 risk factor is a high number of sexual partners."

Madonna lashes out at "emotionally retarded" Guy Ritchie at concert.

Trial underway for "gay gang" accused of spreading HIV at sex orgies: "The three accused, all HIV-positive, are charged with drugging gay men at sex orgies, raping them, and injecting them with blood contaminated with HIV. They are aged 39, 49 and 50. The three, including a nurse, are accused of intentionally spreading the deadly virus at sex parties they promoted on the Internet. They face charges of aggravated assault, rape, and illegal possession of drugs and face up to 21 years in jail."

Justin Timberlake looking for a hole.

GOP congressman Tom Davis jokes about pro-Obama voter suppression.

Pentagram on their redesign of The Atlantic: "In the end, the redesign team came back to a nameplate that was an adaptation of a design that had appeared on the magazine for more than 35 years in the mid 20th century...The designers weren’t tempted by its nostalgic characteristics; rather, they were struck by how it managed to look both contemporary and timeless. Based on the 18th century typeface Bodoni, it featured an italic A that was distinctive and perfectly captured the idiosyncratic character of the magazine."

Killings and hate crime trigger public meeting in Portland, Maine.

Bamboo Nation: An Open Letter to My Gay Friend; or Gay Marriage Is Not About Marriage. "I've been looking over our online chat transcript from last night to see if I was overreacting when I decided to abruptly end our conversation. With the benefit of hindsight, I can say that I acted rationally and, in addition, I am deeply disappointed in you."

Florida Governor Charlie Crist: GOP may be exaggerating voter fraud in Florida. "Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday that he has confidence in Secretary of State Kurt Browning, who says there's only been a scattering of isolated incidents. Crist said in the closing days of any campaign 'there are some who sort of enjoy chaos.' There may be more of that going on than fraud, he said."

She Is: Beyoncé to release double> album.

London Times article on "ex-gays" which Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out says is one of the best he's read: "Ridgecrest Retreat is a white, antiseptic blot in the blue-green Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Masquerading as one of the hundreds of 'homosexual strugglers' who visit the Exodus campus, I arrived here after registering online for six days of evangelism psychotherapy."

Robyn goes "Cobrastyle".

Accessory brand Jack Spade to launch men's fashion line: "The Claiborne-owned brother label to the $90 million Kate Spade brand has also tapped former Paul Smith and Original Penguin alum Cuan Hanly as its new vice-president and general manager. Hanly, who has been on board for four weeks, is charged with spearheading the new men’s collection and enhancing Jack Spade’s retail plans. First on Hanly’s to-do list has been the creation of a capsule collection of men’s outerwear, shirts and sweaters for spring 2009."

Top Ten Kristen Wiig moments on SNL.

Michael Lucas and his partner Richard Winger to be married.

Is the T-Mobile G1 an iPhone killer?

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News: Stock Plunge, Dinosaurs, Jetpack, New Hampshire, Paul Newman

Bailout REJECTED, stocks plunge!

Project Runway saved? NBC wins first round in 'fierce' court battle.

Man jetpacks across English Channel.

October surprise: a Levi Johnston-Bristol Palin wedding?

Does Sarah Palin believe man and dinosaurs existed at the same time? "After conducting a college band and watching Palin deliver a commencement address to a small group of home-schooled students in June 1997, Wasilla resident Philip Munger said, he asked the young mayor about her religious beliefs. Palin told him that 'dinosaurs and humans walked the Earth at the same time,' Munger said. When he asked her about prehistoric fossils and tracks dating back millions of years, Palin said 'she had seen pictures of human footprints inside the tracks,' recalled Munger, who teaches music at the University of Alaska in Anchorage and has regularly criticized Palin in recent years on his liberal political blog, called Progressive Alaska."

Newsweek's Sam Harris on Palin freaknomenon: "The problem, as far as our political process is concerned, is that half the electorate revels in Palin's lack of intellectual qualifications. When it comes to politics, there is a mad love of mediocrity in this country."

At Sarah Palin's Ground Zero visit, she accepted and carried with her a book about gay celibate priest Mychal Judge, who was the first recorded death on 9/11.

365 days of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The New York Times comes out against Proposition 8. Board of Rabbis of Southern California come out against the measure. AP declares battle the War of the Rings.

Karen Ocamb: Paul Newman taught me how to clean fish.

Brand Beckham smells up New York City.

Canadian talk show host Kevin O'Keefe comes out covering series on gay parents: "I figured it's a series on gay parents, and it's for National Coming Out Day. I can't pretend I don't have a vested interest in this topic, so I felt I had to say 'I am gay'."

NYT on the current state of being gay in Hollywood: "...for most gay actors, Hollywood is not a warm and fuzzy episode of 'Will & Grace.' Today, it is certainly more acceptable to be openly gay. But these actors must still answer wrenching questions: Just how candid do you want to be? Would you be happy appearing only in comedies, or being pigeonholed as a character actor? And what does the line 'You’re just not right for the role' really mean? Jasika Nicole, 28, an F.B.I. agent on 'Fringe,' a new Fox drama, said that as bigger parts became available, her manager, John Essay, sat her down and asked how public she wanted to be about being a lesbian. Some roles could be lost, he told her, as would some fans."

New claim: Britney sex tape for sale.

The worst gay person ever performs a session with BBC2.

Utah gay rights activist Laura Milliken Gray moving out.

GOP candidate with no chance to win quits party in order to dedicate his campaign efforts to passing Proposition 8. Jeff Taylor: "Proposition 8 has always been my main core issue."

Apple to make iTunes and iPod accessible to the blind.

Barbra Streisand: Is this a democracy or a monarchy???

New Hampshire lawmakers to face gay bills upon return to session in January: "Portsmouth Democrat Jim Splaine, who sponsored the state’s winning civil unions law, is now backing a bill to legalize gay marriage. He says winning enough votes will be tough but he thinks the conversation needs to start. Meanwhile, Deputy Republican Leader David Hess is sponsoring a proposed repeal of part of the civil unions law. He wants to strike out the language that recognizes another state’s same sex marriage as a civil union in New Hampshire."

Former Real World cast member Dan Renzi interviews former Project Runway contestand Jack Mackenroth.

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Apple Introduces Gayest Set of iPods Ever

When grouped together, of course. Via Apple's 'Let's Rock' event, happening right now in San Francisco. These are the new Nanos.

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News: Pajamas, Salman Rushdie, Ipod, Zac Efron, Meat Eating

Gay marriage ban unanimously approved in Cayman Islands.

NY fashion week menswear trend: pajamas?

Piece of what? Britney Spears cleans up at VMAs.

All of Daniel Radcliffe on stage in Equus (nsfw): the smuggled phone-cam shots.

Russian prosecutors want to ban 'extremist' cartoon South Park from playing in the country: "South Park, a cartoon aimed at adults and featuring a group of nine-year olds in a Colorado ski town, has courted controversy from its 1997 debut, parodying celebrities, politicians, religion, gay marriage and Saddam Hussein. Basmanny regional prosecutors office spokeswoman Valentina Titova said investigators filed a motion after deciding an episode broadcast on Moscow television station 2x2 in January 'bore signs of extremist activity.'"

UN suggests "one meat-free day a week" to help combat global warming: "The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are generated during the production of animal feeds, for example, while ruminants, particularly cows, emit methane, which is 23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide. The agency has also warned that meat consumption is set to double by the middle of the century."

Salman Rushdie reports on the transsexuals of India: "'The MSM sector is getting so strong,' Laxmi says. 'But we are not simply MSMs. We are not even simply TGs [transgendered persons]. We are ... hijras. I am carrying a whole culture with me. It's that collective aspect, the hijra culture, that is important. We cannot sacrifice it. We are different.' The hijras of Bombay and the rest of India are held to be the community most at risk of HIV infection. There have been improvements in organisation, outreach, education and self-help, but for many hijras, their lives continue to be characterised by mockery, humiliation, stigmatisation, fear and danger. Laxmi of Thane and the 'peer educators' of Malwani may be success stories, hijras who have taken charge of their destinies and are trying to help their fellows, but many hijras are mired in poverty and sickness."

Focus on the Family's James Dobson is mum after McCain campaign aide tells Log Cabin Republicans: “Your organization is an important one in the fabric of our party.”

Apple admits British man invented iPod, and uses him to win a patent lawsuit.

Zac Efron to make West End debut in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat?

POLL: Romania remains extremely homophobic. "According to the poll, more than half of the Romanians do not want to have HIV infected persons within their group of friends. Moreover, close to 40 per cent of them would not agree with having HIV infected persons among their neighbours. 39 per cent of them prefer not to work alongside persons infected with HIV or diagnosed with AIDS. The Romanians have the same attitude when it comes to sexual minorities. Most of Romanians discriminate against them in public places, on employment or in the education system, and close to 70 per cent of Romanians perceive homosexuality as something bad. More than a third of the respondents consider that homosexual relationships should be sanctioned. More than half of the respondents claim that homosexuality should be punished by restricting certain rights and almost a third consider that homosexuals should be jailed. More than 60 per cent of Romanians think that homosexuals should not be able to marry or adopt children."

VMA's: Miley Cyrus almost gave Katy Perry what she wanted.

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News: Bionic Eye, 'Celeb' Ads, Tammy Baldwin, Underwear

LGBT groups demand action on Michael Causer gay bashing death in Liverpool. Outrage! activist: "It was going to happen sooner or later and I am stunned how the local media here in Liverpool have downplayed coverage of this story which I feel is due to the lack of a vocal LGBT community in Liverpool."

Chace Crawford on gay rumors: "I just don't even want to speculate on that. It's just one of those things that rolls off my back. There's not one seed of truth to it, so it'll just go away in the end. I have actually met Perez Hilton a couple of times. He's normally very nice. But if he covers an untrue rumour, then I have to accept that it will become one of those things people will speculate about."

Just when you think you've heard it all (warning: graphic).

Tina Brown to unleash The Daily Beast after fictional newspaper of Evelyn Waugh's Scoop.

"Celeb" ads hurting Obama in the polls — response too soft?

Behind the scenes of the Paris Hilton John McCain spoof. Director: "I was literally in my car and thought Paris must respond. It's her duty as a citizen. Within three hours I was on the phone with her and she was into it. Our next goal is a town-hall-style debate between Paris, McCain and that sea creature that washed up in Montauk."

McCain and the age issue: "Some older people may have mild cognitive problems without meeting criteria for dementia. Mild cognitive impairment might affect attention, language, judgment, memory, reading, or writing. It may be noticeable to the individual or to other people, but it does not severely impair activities of daily living."

Scientists unveil first step to the bionic eye.

Apple pulls $999.99 "I am Rich" iPhone App that did nothing, but someone actually bought it while it was still available.

Shia LaBeouf may lose a finger.

Two Spoons: Play about gay dads to open in New York in September.

Made in Brazil and Kenneth in the 212 check out National Underwear Day.

Jerry Falwell died poor.

Kansas lesbian loses primary after last -minute anti-gay smear campaign by opponent: "Inga Taylor, a Victory-Fund endorsee, had outraised and out-organized her opponent, Gail Finney. But Finney and her supporters launched a late mail, e-mail and phone campaign highlighting Taylor’s sexual orientation and contributions to her campaign from the Victory Fund."

Great piece from AfterElton featuring broadcast news pundits and their thoughts on gay issues.

"Ex-gay" wingnut James Hartline claims lesbians rampaged during San Diego Pride march: "Calling itself San Diego Dyke March, the group of approximately 300 lesbians so disturbed a number of residents in the community of North Park, that one fearful churchgoer who resides in the area has alleged that a number of other church members were forced to keep their children indoors to avoid being exposed to the disgusting activities of the women. During the march, one shirtless woman exposed her bare chest."

Ryan Phillippe sweats bullets.

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin: Why I am backing Barack.

Attorney for Knoxville anti-gay church shooter Jim Adkisson lays groundwork for insanity plea: "Stephens said Tennessee law requires that the case get to the criminal court level before the defense receives money to pay for a mental evaluation. 'It is my burden to prove that he was insane at the time of the commission of the offense, Stephens said outside court. 'It is absolutely critical a mental health expert see him now at this critical stage.'"

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News: Orca, Tim Gunn, Mafia, DVR, Snake, Ted Kennedy

Great news for gorillas!

Teen charged with witness intimidation surrounding fatal gay bashing death of UK teen Michael Causer.

David Beckham could wallpaper his home with the number of covers he's been on.

Ted Kennedy tapes message for DNC Convention in case he can't make it.

55-year-old New York man jailed for seducing men in India: "A 55-year-old American has been sentenced to five-year rigorous imprisonment for inducing several young fishermen into homosexuality in the tourist town of Mahabalipuram in 1998. Magistrate of Tirukazhukundram court pronounced the sentence on July 27 after finding Miles Patrick, a resident of New York, guilty of inducing young fishermen into homosexuality by showing pornographic films and giving narcotics." (via queerty)

Oprah is rolling in it.

Utah town in uproar over lesbian wedding announcement: "It's not a legally-recognized marriage in the state of Utah. So to run it as such, I find offensive. That's no different than running somebody else who decides to live together without benefit of marriage."

Internal email: Steve Jobs says MobileMe launch "not up to Apple standards."

Mafia poet reportedly gang-raped by fellow mobsters: " The alleged assault on the 20-year-old-man, a convicted foot- soldier for a Catania-based crime-family, has been brought to light by his lawyer, Antonio Fiumefreddo. 'Writing poetry is considered stuff for an 'iarruso,'' said the lawyer, referring to a Sicilian slang word meaning buttocks, but also used as a derogatory term for homosexual men. Speaking on an internet current affairs programme, Klauscondicio, Fiumefreddo declined to name his client, who he says was sodomized by eight men in 2006 and is still in jail."

Tim Gunn: Holler at your Boy!

World's smallest snake discovered: "Blair Hedges, an evolutionary biologist at Pennsylvania State University, discovered L. carlae on the island of Barbados. 'I turned a small rock and found it hiding underneath.' Hedges has something of a knack for finding tiny critters. In 2001, he discovered the world's smallest gecko. And in 1993, he was part of the team that stumbled across the world's smallest frog."

Project Runway designer Jack Mackenroth addresses Louisiana Department of Public Health's orientation program for HIV/AIDS prevention workers.

Madonna tour costumes revealed.

Oldest Orca in the Southern resident Puget Sound pods believed dead: "She is believed to have been 98 years old and was the matriarch of a line that extended five generations...K-7, believed born in 1910, was an important symbol. When she was born — to parents undoubtedly born in the 1800s — the local orca population was possibly over 120. In her lifetime, she survived bullets from fishermen that saw orcas as competition for salmon. She survived the marine park era, in which 50 whales were captured or died during capture. She survived despite depleted salmon stocks and increased marine pollution. The population rebounded from 71 in 1973 to 99 in 1995, then plummeted to 79 six years later. The population rebounded to 80 in 2002, 83 in 2003, 85 in 2004 and 89 in 2005, but has seesawed around 88 since then."

More of Jesse McCartney than you've likely seen before (NSFW).

Judge rules that Cablevision can introduce remote DVR: "The Network DVR lets Cablevision's digital subscribers record and play back TV programming -- just as with a TiVo and other DVRs -- only the content is stored on remote servers and not on the hard drives of individual set-top boxes."

Justin Timberlake to host the Oscars?

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Music News: Frankmusik, Rihanna, NKOTB, Beatles iPod

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

Frankmusik is the electro-music project of 22-year-old London remixer Vincent Frank, an upcoming artist in his own right who recently finished a U.K. tour with Sam Sparro and Alphabeat.

In an interview last month with Click Music, Vincent spoke about working with Stuart Price (who is currently working on the Killers' third set) on his debut Frankmusik album: "Because the album's not coming out until March 2009, I've got Stuart Price working on the record. I could namedrop the fact that, you know, he did Madonna's last album... but I don't need to... sorry. [laughs]. He's very, very, very talented, and very successful, and I think he sees a bit of me in him, when he was younger. He's very inspiring to work with, and there's no ego, and there's no bullshit, like a lot of big producers can have, when you go into their studio, and take up their time - this is very much an us project. He's gone to America to do The Killers' album, when he comes back in July, we'll be working on mine for about three weeks.

In the meantime, a track called "In Step" is available from U.K. iTunes. (Here on the U.S. store, you can download the tracks "Perfect Symmetry" and "Time Keeps Movin'" by Baby Origami and Frankmusik.)

This is the recently released video for "In Step":

Emo poster children Fall Out Boy record a duet with rapper T.I., which bassist Pete Wentz describes as sounding like "something from The Nightmare Before Christmas."

Rihanna to be the face of Gucci's new UNICEF charity campaign. In the meantime, the pop diva appears on the cover of In Style's August issue, where she talks about her own look, and being inspired by Grace Jones: "It has evolved without my even noticing it. Lately I’m obsessed with Thierry Mugler…Grace Jones inspires me…she has extraordinary style and she’s fearless. I love designer Martin Margiela: Kanye West told me about him. I also like Dsquared, Chloé, Zac Posen—he makes flattering lines."

First New Edition and now Michael Jackson: If reports are to be believed—and at this point, nothing's shocking—the onetime King Of Pop is recording a duet with New Kids On The Block. "It's very exciting, says 38-year-old Kid, Donnie Wahlberg. "It's one big party and everyone wants to join us."

Bloomingdales will offer a limited-edition Beatles iPod during the holiday season, stocked with every song from the band's back catalog. Of course, by limited, I mean there will only be 100 available. The Fab Four's songs are still unavailable on iTunes, but Bloomingdales recently acquired the rights to Beatles images from Apple Records.

Any bedroom DJ can become Mariah Carey's top MySpace friend.

After not appearing on television since 1975, legendary rock act Rush to do The Colbert Report. Says Stereogum, "The best part of all this, of course, is that thanks to Stephen's tendency to interview bands post-performance, we'll finally get to stop wondering if Geddy Lee speaks like an ordinary guy."

It's not out stateside till Friday, but Mamma Mia! has already topped the U.K. box office in its opening weekend.

THE WEEK'S NEW RELEASES:

The ninth studio album from Nas, Untitled. Somewhat controversially, the set was originally to be called Ni**er.

Madonna's "Give It 2 Me" remix EP.

John Mellencamp's folk rock album, Life, Death, Love And Freedom, available on iTunes and at a Starbucks near you (as it's on the Hear Music label).

Australian diva Delta Goodrem's U.S. debut, Delta.

Former American Idol contestant Ace Young's self-titled set.

Rockin'! It's Foreigner's No End In Sight: The Very Best Of...

New singles from the Jonas Brothers ("Pushin' Me Away"), The Cure ("Down Under"), Pat Green ("Let Me") and Lil Mama ("What It Is").

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #325

OREO: John McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Group says Obama "fits the Oreo sterotype." More from Media Matters.

REWRITING HISTORY: The DNC responds to McCain surrogate Carly Fiorina's remarks on Meet the Press over the weekend that McCain doesn't march in lockstep with Bush on Iraq.

iPHONE: KTLA reporter learns not to mess with fanboys in the iPhone line.

NICK ADAMS: An interview with Mario Lopez bicep rival Nick Adams.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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News: South Carolina, Mormons, Driving Test, Rafael Nadal, Atlanta

Italian man wins $157,700 in damages in driving test lawsuit: "When 26 year-old Danilo Giuffrida told doctors he was gay at his medical examination for military service, they passed the information to the transport ministry, who told him he must repeat his driving test or have his license withdrawn due to his 'sexual identity disturbance.' Giuffrida agreed to re-take his test, passed it for a second time, but the ministry renewed his license for just one year rather than the usual 10 years because of his homosexuality."

Man who created 'Men on a Mission' Mormon beefcake calendar faces excommunication from the Church of Latter Day Saints by council of elders...

Mayor of Nice, France holds press conference to show off birth certificates of the latest members of the Brangelina Bunch, Knox and Vivienne.

Carry on: The new season of Project Runway has eight out gay men.

Report: Retailers shunning Victoria Beckham's men's jeans line. "The delay comes just months after the denim range was relegated to the bargain basement bins of several US boutiques while many announced they would no longer carry it because of poor sales."

Gay Atlanta upholstery/design store owners targeted by vandals: "Beginning late last month, someone has returned to the couple's upholstery and design business in Buckhead over and over, using spray paint or permanent markers to write anti-gay messages on their windows, according to an Atlanta police report."

South Carolina has pulled a gay tourism campaign created by an overseas contractor unaware of the state government's homophobia. Agency investigating ways to discipline employees who signed off on it. Greenville County GOP State Sen. David Thomas: "From my own perspective, it's bad for the state to make such statements about the state, to assert that South Carolina has gay beaches. . "I think that sends a cross message when we're saying, 'Come to South Carolina for its family-friendly beaches.'"

The L.A. Times takes a look at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center's HIV/AIDS web soap meant to educate young men about prevention.

Apple claims sales of one million iPhone 3Gs in first weekend, 10 million downloads from App Store.

Australia: Pope to apologize for sex abuse by priests.

Rafael Nadal: buff on the beach.

HGTV Design Star host Mikey Verdugo is an out gay police officer with a gay bondage porn past. Here are the photos (very NSFW)...

Prince Harry following in the footsteps of Diana...

120,000 take to the streets for Gay Pride in Vienna: " Thirty-degree heat and sunny weather ensured record attendance for the 13th edition of the march, which like almost all other events this year in Austria had a football theme, even two weeks after the end of Euro 2008. 'No more offsides!' organisers urged, calling for legalised gay marriage and an end to discrimination, although daring high heels, rather than soccer boots, were the choice of footwear on the Ring boulevard where the Fan Mile recently stood."

Ewan McGregor out of Africa.

The world's oldest known blogger, 108-year-old Olive Riley, died on Saturday: "An Australian woman described as the world's oldest Internet blogger has died at the age of 108 after posting a final message about singing "a happy song" in her nursing home. Olive Riley 'passed away peacefully on July 12 and will be mourned by thousands of Internet friends and hundreds of descendants and other relatives,' a note on her website said. Riley had posted more than 70 entries on her blog from Woy Woy on the east coast since February last year, sharing her thoughts on modern life and her experiences living through the entire 20th century." Watch a video of Riley here.

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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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News: Howard Dean, iPhone, Lance Armstrong, Reggae, Ryan Gosling

Russian gay activists to picket Iranian Embassy in Moscow. Nikolai Alexeyev: "We need to continuously remind the state authorities that the death penalty must be abolished."

Line forms a week early for 3G iPhone...

Ryan Gosling makes an excellent case for the white T-shirt.

Larry Craig's bathroom stall to return to spotlight: "Thousands of members of the international media will have to walk past it when they land at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul at the end of the summer. Many will feel obligated to stop and file a story. For the party that bills itself as stronger on family values than the Democrats, it likely will prove an unwelcome distraction."

UK Study: employees who are "out" at work perform better.

Half Blood Prince: First look at new Harry Potter film.

Lance Armstrong gets a beard.

Signorile on Arthur Finkelstein, the gay Republican behind Jesse Helms: "Conservative, then-closeted, Republican political operative Arthur Finkelstein helped engineer Helms' racist campaign against African-American Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt in 1990, as Helms was vilifying gay sexuality, blocking AIDS funding, stalling prevention and attacking queer artists. (See the ad below that was aired at the height of the campaign and which resulted in Gantt going from a a lead in the polls to defeat on Election Day). Had Jesse Helms not had the handiwork of Finkelstein, who worked for Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and various right-wing senators, he might have lost that race. Instead, we had another decade of his antigay grip on the Republican Party, as he blocked HIV prevention measures and thousands more died."

SALON: Transgender man delivered a baby, but failed to deliver respect.

Nicole Kidman gives birth to a Sunday on a Monday.

Obama campaign plane makes emergency stop due to mechanical problems.

"No Homo" the latest catchphrase to sweep NFL locker rooms: "LenDale White says to Vince Young: 'Vince, you’ve got great nips. No homo.' Did you catch the subtle twist there? LenDale has said something that on any other day might be considered gay, but, and this is key, he’s inoculated his heterosexuality by appending, no homo at the end. No homo also works at the front of the phrase but then it’s much less enjoyable because the other party has been keyed into the homosexuality of the statement that’s to follow. Hence, 'No homo. Vince you’ve got great nips.' No dice there."

Reggae music label plans "Straight Pride Parade" in Brooklyn to protest ban of gay murder music artist Stapler.

Howard Dean holds holiday fundraiser in Provincetown: "From a small podium Dean spoke of the enormous progress that has been made in terms of civil rights — for instance, the number of states that have had referendums on gay marriage — despite eight years under 'one of most oppressive presidents' the country has ever known and a Supreme Court he characterized as 'a disgrace. It’s interesting,' he said. 'Sometimes you have to just sit back and look. The grassroots have changed dramatically.'"

NBC to buy The Weather Channel for $3.5 billion. Hurricane Bertha forms in the Atlantic...

Matt Damon checks into the Green Zone.

Michael Ausiello: Hit TV show planning big gay twist.

Getting away with it: Kylie Minogue breaks royal protocol as she is bestowed with the Order of the British Empire...

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Steve Jobs Unveils 3G iPhone

It's official. Quicktime stream of keynote.

Check out the liveblog from the WWDC 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 #228

COREY WORTHINGTON: The wild Melbourne teenager (and his "famous glasses") who threw a party for 500 teenagers that has received attention the world over. Worthington arrested.

SIX FEET UNDER: Perhaps the reason John McCain didn't prevail in Michigan was because he was looking for votes at funeral homes. Really.

STEVE JOBS: Yesterday's Macworld keynote address in 60 seconds.

LOST: Interested in watching the ABC drama which starts up on January 31st but haven't watched the first three seasons? Here they are in eight minutes, fifteen seconds.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Music News: Sarah Cracknell And The Feeling Banking On Hits In '08, Plus Radiohead, Juno, Apple, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey

Please welcome Robbie Daw, who will be penning weekly music posts for us here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own pop music site called Chart Rigger.

While everyone's currently bedazzled by Radiohead's In Rainbows and the new Janet Jackson video, here are a couple alternatives you might have missed when their clips popped up over the busy holidays.

Mark Brown featuring Sarah Cracknell - "The Journey Continues": Built around a piece of classical music composed by Elena Kats Chernin that's currently being used in commercials by U.K. insurance firm Lloyd's, DJ and dance label head Mark Brown wisely chose Saint Etienne frontwoman Sarah Cracknell to sing over the haunting track. It's already become a radio hit abroad, ahead of its February 4 single release. We stateside folk can download "The Journey Continues" from 7 Digital. Incidentally, The Sun reports that the video is made up of 30,000 still photographs. Cracknell herself makes a Hitchcockian, blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance during the second verse.

The Feeling - "I Thought It Was Over": Last month I posted a fan-made YouTube clip of the first single off The Feeling's upcoming sophomore album Join With Us, but here now is the official video. Openly-gay lead singer Dan Gillespie Sells has some fun with tongue-in-cheek wordplay during the chorus. While Interscope put out the band's debut album here in the States last year, there's no word yet on a domestic release for Join With Us yet. The album is ou