Damien Hirst Unveils New Formaldehyde Menagerie

Damien Hirst is holding an auction in September of more than 200 new pieces at Sotheby's:

"The auction is predicted to raise £65m, comfortably setting a new world record for the artist, and blazing a trail which other artists will watch with interest, of bypassing the gallery and dealer system and going straight to auction."

The auction will feature many of his trademark natural works in formaldehyde, including The Dream (above) a white foal with a long slender horn, in white framed tank, The Kingdom (below) a tiger shark in a black framed tank...

"The top lot, estimated at up to £12m, is The Golden Calf - a title continuing Hirst's interest in religious themes, referring to the false idol set up and worshipped by the Israelites before an enraged Moses berated them for idolatory. The piece is a tank made of glass and gold-plated steel, holding a real calf with solid 18 carat hoofs, horns and golden disc on its head."

Two more shots AFTER THE JUMP...

The Immaculate Heart - Lost, a bull's heart split by a dagger, and The Incredible Journey, a zebra in a white framed tank.

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News: Rea Carey, Justice Dept, Olympics, Monet, Barack Obama

Conservative Orange County Register says high court's decision on marriage was justified.

MAG: What's on Obama's iPod.

Matt Damon's summer look: flab with pornstache.

Rea Carey to succeed Matt Foreman as executive director of Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

REPORT: Justice Dept. politicized hiring practices to favor Republican candidates: "'Many qualified candidates' were rejected for the department’s honors program because of what was perceived as a liberal bias, the report found. Those practices, the report concluded, 'constituted misconduct and also violated the department’s policies and civil service law that prohibit discrimination in hiring based on political or ideological affiliations.'" FLASHBACK: DOJ Looking into Possible Firing of Atty Over Sexual Orientation...

Ad campaign for Dexter in Portugal features severed limbs in butcher cases and knifed corpses on the street!

British soldiers see 13 UFOs in sky above barracks: "I was on duty in the guard room when the other boys outside began shouting. I went out to see what the commotion was about and could see thirteen craft in the skies. They were zig-zagging, but I filmed two before they disappeared. They were like rotating cubes with multiple colours. I made a full report to my commanding officers and gave them my footage. The other lads were as amazed by it as I was."

Monet water lily painting goes for $80.5 million at Christie's, doubling previous record for the artist.

Washington D.C. city councilman and former mayor Marion Barry says he would support a bill legalizing same-sex marriage there.

Bill Clinton offers support to Obama; Obama asks donors to raise money for Clinton.

Orlando Bloom reveals his back end in the Canary Islands.

Justin Timberlake's 'Play' fragrance may smell clean but his feet are filthy.

Out swimmer Andrew Langenfeld to compete for a spot on the Olympic team in the 100-meter butterfly.

NYC Chelsea nightclub 1 Oak reacts to reports yesterday that they covered up a gay bashing at the venue. Page Six: "Club sources say the night was not promoted as a 'gay night' and that the attacker was re strained by security but broke away. The victim said 1Oak owner Scott Sartiano insisted on giving him a car to the hospital instead of calling an ambulance. A rep for the club said, '1Oak is committed to providing an environment of safety and security to patrons every night. This incident was handled by security and staff immediately and this type of inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated at 1Oak.'"

Art Fag City talks to Nayland Blake about who they'd all like to fuck.

Anti-gay assault suspect under arrest in Minneapolis: "A gay Twin Cities man, the apparent victim of a hate crime, was badly beaten last Saturday. He claims a stranger approached him near 6th and Cedar Ave. South in Minneapolis, and asked if he was gay. The victim answered yes proudly, and the suspect hit the man in the face, yelling that he hated homosexuals. Abdirizak Mohamed has been charged with assault in the fourth degree with bias—a hate crime with enhanced penalties."

Michelle Obama to give keynote address at Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council Gala DNC fundraiser on Thursday in New York.

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Harvey Milk Items Up for Auction at Christie's

Christie's has a few Harvey Milk items on the block in their June 25 "Pop Culture" sale. They include the Autographic Kodak Jr.camera that was displayed at Milk's Castro camera shop which comes with a couple Polaroids and the snapshot of Milk and the storefront (above). Other items include Milk's keychain, a Hopalong Cassidy wristwatch owned by the activist, and several portraits. Jockohomo has more details...

Check out one of the portraits, AFTER THE JUMP...

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News: Dolly Parton, Murakami, Polar Bears, Purse, Phillip Bloch

Recently out Degrassi star Adamo Ruggiero to host Canadian talent show The Next Star.

Takashi Murakami sculpture of anime dude ejaculating goes for $15 million at auction: "The winning bid was submitted to Sotheby's by telephone, probably because no one likes to buy this sort of thing in person, even if it's at a classy art auction."

Don't mess with Dolly! Howard Stern alters Parton's audiobook to make her say some disgusting things.

Bee Gees musical to disco up London's West End: "The Bee Gees are still staying alive and, post-Saturday Night Fever, readying another stage attack with a compilation musical based on their greatest hits. Brother Robin Gibb confirmed the status of the project this weekend while unveiling a green plaque at the former London home of the band’s manager and producer Robert Stigwood, where they wrote songs including 'Chain Reaction' and 'Heartbreaker'."

It's a slow news day at the BBC.

Wonder Twin messes activate!

Polar Bears declared a threatened species: "Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne cited dramatic declines in sea ice over the last three decades and projections of continued losses, meaning, he said, that the polar bear is a species likely to be in danger of extinction in the near future. But Kempthorne said it would be 'wholly inappropriate' to use the protection of the bear to reduce greenhouse gases, or to broadly address climate change."

Robert Downey Jr. showcases the season's hottest accessory.

Stylist Phillip Bloch forcibly removed from Madison Square Garden over mistaken marijuana incident: "Bloch, who had earlier lit a cigarette but quickly stubbed it out unnoticed, had been talking to a group of pot-smoking teenagers in the row behind him who were passing a pipe among themselves. 'The whole stadium smelled like pot, and the kids behind us were smoking. I'm sitting there having fun, laughing,' said Bloch. 'Then I get an order to go with this man. They say, 'You're leaving, give us your ticket.' I held it up, they took it. At that point they grabbed me by my arms to take me out, so I threw my hands up and said, 'You've got to keep off me. I'm no threat.'' Page Six witnessed three security guards then spin Bloch around and pin him against the corridor wall."

Chris Carmack's new movie should ensure plenty of shots like this.

Gay kiss heats up South African soap opera: "The protagonists were Stone (played by Zenzo Ngqobe) and Thula (Wright Ngubeni). Thula’s unemployed mother is bedridden by HIV/Aids, and to make ends meet he is selling his body to a married man. Not even his best childhood pal, Charlotte (Stone’s girlfriend) played by Nosipho Nkelemba, knows about the big secret. When Stone confronts Thula about the prostitution, there is an exchange of words and Stone suddenly kisses his friend, Thula. Both are left staring at each other in shock. The kiss did not last longer than five seconds, but is as big a talking point as After Nine – a locally produced short film on black gay men, screened on SABC1 last year."

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News: Courtney Love, Provincetown, Mario Lopez, Woodpecker

Archbishop Desmond Tutu honored by International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in San Francisco. Tutu: "How sad, how tragic, that the Church be so concerned with this issue when God’s children all the world over are suffering. I ask for your forgiveness for the way the Church has ostracized you."

Sotheby's photography auction off to strong start.

Is Courtney Love rehearsing for a Valley of the Dolls remake?

The artist known as Prince has joined the line-up for this year's Coachella Music Festival.

More on the gay Yale impostor!

Anti-gay Christian group in Maine launches referendum aimed at banning same-sex marriage and gay adoption: "The referendum also would eliminate sexual orientation as a protected class under the Maine Human Rights Act and would take away funding that supports civil rights teams affiliated with the state Attorney General’s Office. Michael Heath, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, said that if the Secretary of State’s Office approves his petition, he’ll begin recruiting organizers to gather signatures. Putting a referendum on the state ballot requires about 55,000 signatures, or 10 percent of the turnout for the last gubernatorial election."

First gay bar outside of Ireland's major cities opens in Strabane, Northern Ireland. Rainbow Project leader: "What the opening of this bar is saying is that, yes, our small towns have a gay community too and they are welcome and they are valued. I have been a gay rights activist for 25 years and when I started out, gay people were moving away in their droves because they were deemed socially unacceptable. But now we have this development and it is one of the biggest steps I've seen for the gay community. What it is saying to us is stay, there is something here for you."

Hey bird lovers: woodpecker with freakishly large beak photographed.

Rosie O'Donnell fighting tabloid claim that she abuses her kids.

Gay domestic abuse survivor Pedro Velazquez Fernandez to speak at rally in Des Moines, Iowa: "I feel like when I'm getting to know somebody, I can't trust him. I hate to say it, but I think ... love doesn't exist."

New York magazine has 21 questions for Simon Doonan.

Singapore cable operator fined for showing lesbian kiss: "Singapore's Media Development Authority, which regulates and censors media and the arts, said on Wednesday it fined StarHub S$10,000 ($7,246) for airing a commercial for a song that featured 'romanticised scenes' of lesbians kissing and portrayed the relationship as 'acceptable'. The music video of the song, titled 'Silly Child' by Mandarin singer Olivia Yan, shows an intimate kissing scene before one of the women rejects her boyfriend at the end of the clip. 'This is in breach of the TV advertising guidelines, which disallows advertisements that condone homosexuality,' the media authority said."

New ferry route launches between Gloucester, Massachusetts and Provincetown.

Mario Lopez about to hit the Broadway stage in A Chorus Line.

Gavin Newsom punks protestors with seismic bait-and-switch at San Francisco Olympic torch procession: "'I am very upset,' said Rosie Salis, 51, who came in from Foster City to see the relay. 'There were lots of people here with their kids. They had to wait for four or five hours, and it's very disappointing.' Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, a vocal critic of Newsom's administration, was equally unhappy, as was the local ACLU chapter. 'Gavin Newsom runs San Francisco the way the premier of China runs his country - secrecy, lies, misinformation, lack of transparency and manipulating the populace,' Peskin said. 'He did it so China can report they had a great torch run.' Newsom emphatically denied those accusations. 'We felt it was in everyone's best interest that we augment the route,' Newsom said. 'I believe people were afforded the right to protest and support the torch. You saw that in the streets. They were not denied the ability to protest.'"

Was the universe that came before our own its identical twin?

Parents in Eau Claire, Wisconsin upset that a teacher told five health classes that she's gay: "At least one parent said Rowe had no business talking about her sexual preference. The parent agreed that Rowe is an outstanding teacher, but she should stick to the curriculum."

Poll shows Clinton-Obama "dream ticket" beaten by McCain-Rice ticket in New York state: "According to the poll, McCain/Condi would earn the votes of 49% of registered voters in New York State compared with 46% for a Clinton/Obama ticket, and the same 49% against an underwhelming 44% for an Obama/Clinton ticket."

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Vanity Fair's 'Green Issue' Madonna Globe is Up for Auction

Anybody need the largest paperweight ever, or maybe that Atlas costume for next Halloween?

The globe, which took 10 days to complete, is made of plaster and marble dust with a recyclable polystyrene core, according to the magazine. It's going up for auction today with proceeds to benefit Madonna's Raising Malawi Charity. Madonna signed the globe as well and drew a heart over Africa.

And if you missed that video the other day, it's AFTER THE JUMP...

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Hillary Clinton Sexualized as "Kissing Bandit" on Rare Baseball Card

The Upper Deck company recently produced a set of "Presidential Predictor" baseball cards featuring presidential candidates and other political figures, tying each to a famous (or somehow, pivotal) figure in baseball.

Pictured below are Barack Obama as a White Sox fan, John McCain as Ted Williams, and former candidates John Edwards as Archibald Wright "Moonlight" Graham and Rudy Giuliani as baseball-deflecting fan Jeffrey Maier. More explanation here.

Upper Deck has apparently pulled their likeness of Hillary Clinton (above) from the deck, although at least one slipped through, and it's now up for sale on eBay.

Says the description:

"Hillary Rodham Clinton and Morganna Roberts, baseball's infamous 'Kissing Bandit,' share a similar life strategy: go after what you want and get it! Clinton, the former First Lady and current Senator from New York, continues to generate headlines with her reforms, initiatives and current bid for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. Morganna, a trendsetter who loved media attention, made her mark with mad dashes onto baseball fields across America in the 1970s and '80s. Curvaceous and daring, she would target one particular player and plant a kiss on his cheek. She would then be escorted off the field by security personnel. Two of her recipients included Pete Rose in '71 and George Brett in '79. Like Clinton, she saw something she liked and went after it."

Said an Upper Deck spokesperson: "Our goal with the program was to have fun and be entertaining and not to be offensive. There was some concern by some of the people that it might be offensive, and we didn't want to go down that path. So we pulled the card."

The big-breasted depiction of Clinton, in shiny short shorts, has a current bid of $2000.

Here are a few of the other cards:

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Banksy and Nick Walker a Hit at Bonham's Street Art Auction

A well-known Banksy print depicting a strip of chimpanzees wearing sandwiches boards that say "Laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge" sold for $446,000 in London yesterday at Bonham's first "urban art" auction. It had an estimate of between $300,000 and $400,000 dollars. His print of Kate Moss, an Andy Warhol pastiche, was snatched up for more than three times its estimate.

Bloomberg reports: " Bonhams said that a crowd of more than 500 people crammed into its Bond Street saleroom to see the 74-lot auction raise about a million pounds with fees, compared with a lower estimate of around 550,000 pounds. Only one lot failed to sell. 'It felt like a momentous occasion,' said Mike Snelle of the East London gallery, the Black Rat Press. 'This auction signified a real acceptance of street art....The real story of the auction,' Snelle said, 'was that there's more to street art than Banksy. The real star of the night was Nick Walker.' Walker is a 39-year-old graffiti artist who lives in Banksy's home city of Bristol. His spray-paint-on-canvas work, 'Moona Lisa,' (below right) dating from 2006 -- showing La Giaconda exposing her bottom --- sold for a record 54,000 pounds with fees, against an estimate of 3,000 pounds to 5,000 pounds."

Previously
Homeland Security Meets Judy Garland in Santa's Ghetto [tr]
Santa's Ghetto and Banksy Arrive in West Bank Town of Bethlehem [tr]
Prankster Artist Banksy Caught in the Act in East London [tr]

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Own Novak Djokovic's Sweaty Pit Stains for Just Under $5000

Attention tennis fans and athletic clothing fetishists, here's a chance to own the discarded item which afforded us all these great shots.

The person who caught one of Nole's shirts that he threw into the stands during the final of the Australian Open is selling it on eBay. The big selling point here seems to be "full of sweat!"

Previously
Djokovic Wins Australian Open, Vows Never to Wear Shirt Again [tr]
Novak Djokovic Upsets Roger Federer to Head into Aussie Open Final [tr]
Terra Cotta Tennis Warriors Unveiled in Shanghai: Federer, Nadal, Davydenko, Djokovic, Roddick, Ferrer, Gonzalez, Gasquet [tr]

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News: Mars, Lynne Spears, Uruguay, Justin Timberlake, Magna Carta

Same-sex marriage supporters turn out to testify in Vermont: "Members of the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection heard only statements of support for moving past civil unions to same-sex marriage during the two-hour hearing at Montpelier's Statehouse. It was a startling switch from the legislative hearings on civil unions in the same building seven years ago, which attracted hundreds of divided Vermonters who passionately argued both for and against a legal recognition of same-sex couples."

Anderson Cooper taking suggestions for AC360 voiceover intro personalities. Coop: "While we have not made a final decision, I thought I'd let you know about our four finalists, and if there is anyone else you think should be considered, please let us know. In no particular order, the four people we are considering hiring to introduce 360 everynight are: Fran Drescher, Clint Eastwood, Paul Reubens (aka Pee Wee Herman), Cher. Personally, I'm arguing for Fran Drescher, but I'm keeping an open mind." (via popnography)

With Britney Spears a bigger mess than ever, and her younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears now knocked up, their mother Lynne Spears makes the family's ONLY recent wise decision and decides to put the parenting book she wrote on hold — indefinitely.

< 710-year-old copy of the Magna Carta sold at auction for $21.3 million by David Rubenstein, of The Carlyle Group: "Bearing the seal of King Edward I and dated 1297, it is one of 17 known copies of the historic tract that defined human rights as the foundation for liberty and democracy as it is known today. It is one of two that exist outside Britain; the other is in Australia."

New Zealand warehouse worker fired for posting note on social networking site Bebo that said "work sux" and working until midnight was "gay like the management". Sux for her.

Justin Timberlake shows off his helium heels for Super Bowl ad.

American Gladiator Alex Castro has a gay porn past: "Before he joined the cast of NBC's recently relaunched American Gladiators and began wielding gigantic Q-tip shaped battle thingies, Alex Castro, the drop-dead gorgeous massive mound of muscle, was wielding more "personal" and impressive clubs as a highly-paid gay porn model."

Mars closest to Earth and brightest in recent and coming days: "In addition to being at its closest to Earth December 18, Mars will be more-or-less at its brightest on Christmas Eve. December 24, Mars will be at opposition (perfectly opposite the Sun, with the Earth on the other side). December 23, Mars will likely attract the most attention, as it rises extremely close to the Moon, and will even be occulted (or blocked-out) for viewers in the West - A prime digital camera opportunity, either way."

Japan's top government spokesman: UFOs exist.

Gay cops on both coasts embroiled in lawsuits. In L.A., a jury is set to hear closing remarks in a suit alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation, and in New York, an officer acquitted after being targeted in an undercover sting by the NYPD has been fired by the city. Asked his lawyer: "Why does the NYPD want to humiliate and embarrass themselves in front of a jury about what they did to him? All the 12 jurors who found him not guilty were livid and outraged at what the New York City Police Department did to one of their own."

Augusten Burrough's new book cover revealed.

Last month I reported that Uruguay was set to legalize civil unions. Now, with the Senate's approval, it has been done: "Under the new law, gay and straight couples will be eligible to form civil unions after living together for five years. They will have rights similar to those granted to married couples on such matters as inheritance, pensions and child custody. Uruguay's Senate passed the bill unanimously after the lower house approved it last month, a congressional spokesman said. The country's center-left president is expected to sign it into law. Several cities, including Buenos Aires and Mexico City, already have gay civil union laws on the books. Uruguay's law would be the first nationwide measure in Latin America, which is home to about half the world's Roman Catholics."

Ryan White's former attorneys publish letter responding to Huckabee's statements on AIDS.

Larry Craig secures $1.6 million earmark for dude ranch.

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News: Robbie Williams, Saturn, Neo-Nazis, Andy Roddick's Banana

Neo-Nazi group targeting gay politicians: "Openly gay Chapel Hill (NC) Town Councilman Mark Kleinschmidt is the target of a bunch of online neo-Nazi thugs who have compiled a list of out gay elected officials, or as one put it, 'List of Open and Unapologetic Faggot Politicians.'"

Gay gossip cabal: "Whatever Paris Hilton is, she came by it honestly."

Watch Barbara Walters "most fascinating" segment on David and Victoria Beckham.

Brazilian President announces LGBT summit: "President Luiz Inazio Lula da Silva of Brazil has announced the country’s first National Conference of Homosexuals, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals, a controversial event that will be held in May 2008 with the explicit endorsement of the government’s Special Secretariat for Human Rights. According to officials, the event will seek to develop directives that allow public policies and a national plan that promotes the rights of homosexuals to be implemented. The conference will also work on strengthening the “Brazil Without Homophobia” program."

Britney Spears has a new man in her life: Jesus Christ.

Fugitive anti-gay shooter arrested in Atlanta: "A fugitive task force arrested a 30-year-old man on charges he shot at two young men while making derogatory comments about homosexuals outside a predominantly-gay Midtown bar in October. Tommy Lee Gresham, 30, of Cobb County is facing a charge of aggravated assault, Atlanta police Officer Darlene Harris said. The Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested him Tuesday afternoon after a Cobb County police officer spotted the wanted man and followed him home. Greshman, nicknamed 'Stretch,' is accused of shooting at two young men Oct. 19 outside the WETbar, located on Spring Street, after he followed them from a nearby gas station. Neither man was seriously hurt; one had a graze wound and the other was hit by ricocheting shrapnel, Harris said."

Hey bidders, those of you who miss out on David Beckham's half-eaten corncob from Wellington, New Zealand may still be able to get in on Andy Roddick's half-eaten banana from the Davis Cup!

Protests cause Grenada to re-think not allowing gay cruises to dock there: "Several hotels received visitor cancellations after the Toronto Star reported last week that the country was questioning whether to allow entry to gay cruise ships, tourism minister Clarice Modeste-Curwen said in a statement yesterday. Some protesters also wrote the Canadian government asking that aid be cut to Grenada's Port of St. Georges where cruise ships dock, she added. 'This does not augur well for our tourism sector.' She said: 'We will continue to welcome all visitors and we will work, along with our population, to ensure that their time and ours will be enjoyable. Grenada respects the rights of all persons of all persuasions and lifestyles.' Left unmentioned was that homosexual relations remain illegal in Grenada. The government's position was reached 'following several days of consultations on the matter involving tourism officials and various stakeholders,' the minister's statement said."

UFO Moons: "Two of Saturn's small moons look eerily like flying saucers, new observations by the Cassini spacecraft reveal. The moons, which lie within the giant planet's rings, may have come by their strange shape by gradually accumulating ring particles in a ridge around their equators. The Voyager spacecraft discovered the moons, called Pan and Atlas, in the early 1980s. Pan, which is 33 kilometres wide, orbits Saturn within a gap in the planet's A ring called the Encke Division (scroll down for image), while the 39-km-wide Atlas orbits just outside the A ring. Both moons have a flattened shape, being wider than they are tall. But their uncanny resemblance to UFOs only became clear recently, when Cassini viewed them with its powerful cameras."

New NowNext takes a look at the funniest gay rumors of 2007.

Robbie Williams to return to Take That after all? Mom: "On the question of him doing something with them, I feel that will happen. It would be something he wanted to do. I'm thrilled that out of all the negative stuff that happened, there's now something great happening. Take That were excellent when they were all together and they are excellent now."

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Reserve Met on David Beckham's French Fry!

David Beckham's recent visit to New Zealand has inspired a flurry of online auctions featuring items that crazed fans have scavenged in the football player's wake.

The Herald Sun reports: "In an effort to attract bids, the seller notes on the Trademe online auction site that the bottle is still one quarter full. 'Mostly backwash I would imagine,' the seller says in answer to a query...Other goods up for sale include cutlery Beckham apparently used, and a photocopy of a signature Beckham made on the boarding pass he used while travelling from Australia to New Zealand."

Reserve has been met on a French Fry that he failed to gobble. Next bid: $5.00 The seller writes: "Warning, as this chip has been on the floor it is not suitable to eat only a souvenir."

Also available: A Coke bottle (with Coke left!) and Beckham's half-eaten corncob.

The corn cob is at $81!

And if anyone was wondering, CRAZY is also for sale, and apparently, free.

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Hugh Grant Banks $17 Million Profit off Liz Taylor

Christie's contemporary art auction set records for 12 artists last night including Lucian Freud, Jeff Koons, and Richard Prince.

Andy Warhol's 1963 Andy Warhol portrait failed to meet its presale predictions, netting a paltry $23.5 (under its predicted sale price of $25 million) and a $17 million profit for its seller Hugh Grant (the auction house, of course, took its commission), who paid $3.6 million for it in 2001 at Sotheby's.

According to Bloomberg, "Christie's top lot last night was a sultry 1955 blue-and- orange canvas by Mark Rothko, 'Untitled,' which sold for $34.2 million, above the $30 million high estimate...Richard Prince's drippy red 'Piney Woods Nurse' (2002), from his series of masked nurses ripped from the pages of pulp fiction, sold for $6.1 million, almost triple the $2.2 million high estimate. Prince's works have been selling all week and, not coincidentally, he has a retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum...Freud achieved a record for a 1992 painting of his daughter entwined with her husband. Estimated to sell for up to $20 million, it made $19.4 million. Lucian is a grandson of Sigmund Freud...Jeff Koons's 'Diamond (Blue),' a 7-foot-tall stainless- steel sculpture resembling a faceted stone in a setting, sold for $11.8 million. It was a record for the artist even though the price didn't reach the $12 million-$20 million presale estimate."

Recently
Rothko, Warhol Set Records at Christie's Art Auction Blow-out [tr]

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Banksy Originals go on the Block

Ten original works by Banksy are set to be auctioned on Wednesday. They're expected to raise $600,000.

The AP reports: "The piece expected to top the bidding is 'Avon and Somerset Constabulary,' an image of two police officers peering through binoculars. It's estimated to sell for $120,000 or more. Also included is a screen print titled 'Di Faced Tenners,' showing several 10-pound notes with the face of Princess Diana in place of Queen Elizabeth II."

Check out the rest of the lots here.

In an interesting turn of events in Vancouver, law enforcement officials are adopting Banksy's subversive style in order to deter thieves from stealing cars in the city. The stencil work below was tagged on a wall by local police.

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Brangelina Spend Bank on Banksy at London Gay Bar

A sale of contemporary art at London's Shadow Lounge held by gallery owner Steve Lazarides drew a crowd of nearly 100 collectors, including absentee bidders Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who swept up one of the works by Banksy, perhaps the "Rat with Roller" graffiti image seen above which was loaded on to a truck and shipped off after the show.

The Shadow Lounge auction is one of many alternatives to the simultaneous Frieze Art Fair which features auctions by major houses Christie's and Sotheby's. Shadow Lounge is normally a dark, smoke-filled gay bar filled with shirtless men and go-go boys.

The Times Online reports: "Conceived as an irreverent shot across the bows of the art establishment, The Soho Auction is the brainchild of the photographer-turned-gallerist Steve Lazarides. Mr Lazarides has flourished in the past few years thanks to his representation of artists including Banksy and Antony Micallef, the emerging talent from Brighton whose show in Los Angeles this summer sold out for $6.5 million (£3.2 million) in two hours. 'The idea is to inject a little anarchy back into the staid, serious business of buying art,' Mr Lazarides said. 'It will be an evening of booze and burlesque, with the odd bit of extremely desirable art thrown in.'...The sale in question includes three Andy Warhols (combined guide price, £390,000), a Basquiat collage (£800,000), three new Damien Hirst paintings (£925,000) and works by Banksy, the celebrated anonymous graffiti artist."

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Damien Hirst Pill Cabinet Sets Auction Record

Damien Hirst's "Lullaby Spring" is now the most expensive work by a living artist ever sold at auction, picked up by an anonymous collector for $19.2 million at Sotheby's. It consists of 6,136 hand-crafted cast pills.

According to the Associated Foreign Press, "The 2002 work, which is part of a series of stainless steel cabinets that are an allegory for the four seasons, was expected to sell for up to four million pounds, and beat the previous record of 17.4 million dollars for a work by Jasper Johns sold at Christie's in New York last month."

Another piece in Hirst's pill series "Lullaby Winter" (below) sold for $7.4 million at Christie's last month.

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George Michael, Addicted to Art, Pills, or the Two Together [tr]

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Rothko, Warhol Set Records at Christie's Art Auction Blow-out

Andy Warhol's "Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)" missed the record for post-war art at auction yesterday by a margin of $1.12 million. The Warhol sold for an astonishing $71.72 million, nearly double its estimate, but couldn't catch the hot item of the night before, Mark Rothko's "White Center (Yellow,Pink and Lavender on Rose)" which went for $72.84 million.

The buyers of both the Warhol and the Rothko are unknown, but New York magazine has some speculation on the Rothko piece: "Indeed, internal speculation is that two of the four bidders, if not the winner, were Russian. (Rothko was actually born Marcus Rothkowitz in Dvinsk, Russia, in 1903.) Sotheby's had given a hard sell on the painting to buyers who bid on behalf of an art-collecting suite of Russian vodka, metals, and oil oligarchs. Sotheby's auctioneer Tobias Meyer had even argued, perhaps implausibly, that the filmy abstract painting was about 'the immigrant experience.'"

Some background on the Car Crash piece: "[Warhol] painted the Green Car Crash by repeating a photo of a bizarre accident published in Newsweek. During a police chase, a fleeing car crashed into a telephone pole, overturned and hurled the 24-year-old driver against a spike in the pole. The multiple images show him limp and impaled. The painting last appeared at auction in 1978, when it fetched about $72,000 at Christie's London."

Another Warhol, "Lemon Marilyn", which has been in the hands of a single owner since it was acquired in 1962, went for $31 million.

All-in-all, Christie's took in $385 million, the second-largest amount for any auction in history.

Said Christie's honorary chairman and auctioneer Christopher Burge: "The market wasn't just hungry, it was ravenous."

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Art Market on Fire: Auctioned, Sold, and Stolen [tr]

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News: Larry Birkhead, Gay Firefighter, Harry Reid, Banksy

In addition to having to suffer through ongoing homophobic jokes, a Vancouver firefighter claims he was passed over for promotion because he is gay: "I have been told by others in the fire department that the chief has said, `I would not want someone like that in an officer's position."

Chimp: Banksy self-portrait expected to fetch £30,000 at auction.

Two men in San Francisco New Year's Eve attack on Yale singing group The Baker's Dozen plead not guilty to charges of assault and battery.

Justin Timberlake in the studio with Madonna: "The last album was a credible disco record and Madonna wants to give hip-hop the same treatment this time. It’s not all hip-hop though, there are a lot of producers from a lot of genres in there. It could be her most ambitious project yet."

Walt Disney's passport for sale on eBay.

Meth use among gay men spiking in Los Angeles: "Roughly one of every 10 men who have sex with men reported using meth within a six-month period, according to a 2005 study cited by the L.A. County Department of Public Health in a report this week. That frequency is about 20 times greater than in the general population."

Our long national nightmare is (hopefully) over: Larry Birkhead is the father of Anna Nicole's child.

Tens of thousands protested the U.S. presence in Iraq on the war's fourth anniversary. The right wing tried to downplay its size by circulating a cropped photo.

Harry Reid talks tough on Bush White House invitation, attitude toward Congress: "The president is inviting us down to the White House with preconditions. Things are not OK in Iraq. As the Pope said on Easter Sunday, a slaughter is taking place in Iraq. The Pope further said nothing good is coming from Iraq. The president must realize that. He has to deal with Congress. We are an independent branch of this government, and by our Constitution we have equal say that he has. And he's got to listen to us. Because we are speaking for the American people; he isn't."

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News: Francis Bacon, Provincetown, Darren Hayes, Blue Whale

Italian bishops cause furor by ordering Catholic legislators to vote against gay rights legislation: "The long-awaited note, issued on Wednesday by the Italian Bishops Conference, was significant because it specifically targeted politicians as they consider a law to give homosexual and heterosexual unmarried couples more rights. While not specifying any punishment by the Church, it says Catholics could not hide behind "the principle of pluralism" or compromise on what it called the ethical needs of society. The note said Catholic politicians had 'the moral duty to clearly and publicly voice their disagreement and vote against any proposed law that would recognize homosexual couples'."

Francis Bacon painting "Study from Innocent X" could set auction record for a postwar artist.

The Cliks cover Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River". "The group is the brainchild of singer Lucas Silveira, a transgendered male, who started to write songs in 2005. After multiple personal crises, Silveira climbed back up and started to come to terms with his individuality. 'They say when it rains, it pours, and that essentially happened to me before the creation of this album.'"

Birmingham, Alabama City Council rejects resolution that would have made it part of the Partnership for Inclusive Communities, an initiative of the National League of Cities, because the resolution includes rejecting discrimination based on sexual orientation: "The resolution itself is a sanguine, feel-good political statement, supporting inclusiveness and condemning all kinds of bigotry and intolerance. The NLC’s website lists the numerous other cities that have already passed the resolution, including Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and Raleigh. In addition, several cities in Alabama have already passed the resolution — Selma, Aliceville, Valley and Talladega."

Ever wanted to swim next to a blue whale? Here's your chance, sort of...

Darren Hayes gets back behind the microphone in New York City.

Marc Jacobs to open 730-sq-ft store in Provincetown: "[President Robert] Duffy is especially fond of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, and Jacobs stores nationwide are selling T-shirts to benefit it. The 730-square-foot Provincetown store will sell women’s and men’s collections and items tailored to the location. Those will include 10 specially designed T-shirts, flip-flops, sunglasses, bathing suits, tote bags, umbrellas, and even surfboards and motorcycle helmets for those who ride around the town on Vespa scooters. Children’s products also may be added. 'Everybody thinks it’s all gay men in Provincetown, but there’s a lot of families, there’s a lot of young single people, and there’s a lot of young families with children,' Duffy said. 'The town can handle it. I just know we have a customer there.'"

Just days after a decision by New York's Jewish Theological Seminary to admit gays and lesbians, Jerusalem's Schechter Rabbinical Seminary says they won't.

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Ted Haggard Massage Table on eBay

Now you can own Mike Jones' lavender massage table where all the hot Evangelical action with pastor Ted Haggard went down. As a bonus, Jones will autograph it for you and send you a signed copy of his book when it comes out in June. The book is titled I Had to Say Something. And we're so glad you did, Mike.

The proceeds go to charity. "All proceeds benefit 'Project Angel Heart', which provides people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses nutritious home-delivered meals."

T'ain't the prettiest thing but if you're into roleplaying it could prove quite useful.

Ted Haggard Massage Table [ebay]

Haggard's massage table for sale on eBay [rocky mountain news]

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Banksy Reacts to Sotheby's Record Auction Haul

What interests me most about the artwork of Banksy is the current frenzy surrounding it. I've been slagged off quite a bit in the comments recently for continuing to document the phenomenon. It's not the actual art that appeals to me so much but the way in which it comments on pop culture and the art world and the way that culture continues to feed it.

Like Warhol, Banksy tends to throw a lot of fuel on the "what is art?" debate.

On that note, Banksy has responded in a very Banksian fashion (see illustration above) on his website to the sale of several of his works at Sotheby's.

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Banksy Works Continue to See Bank at Auction

Sotheby's is holding what many are calling London's largest art sale in history this week. On Monday the auction house brought in in a whopping £94.9 million in an auction of modern and impressionist works.

Today, the Banksy I posted about in January, "Bombing Middle England" (pictured above), was scooped up for £102,000, a record price. The painting depicts three people lawn bowling with bombs. I'm not sure if the two gloved gentlemen were included, but that would have been a nice bonus. Banksy works set records across the board, although one failed to sell. It was the only piece that bore a signature. More go on sale tomorrow.

In other Banksy news, a couple of homeowners in Bristol, England (which is Banksy's birthplace) have refused to sell their house to a set of prospective buyers because the new owners wanted to destroy a Banksy mural pictured below) that was painted on an exterior wall several years ago.

The owners value the work so much that instead, they've decided to sell the 5' x 25' mural, and give the house away with it.

The sale is being handled by the Red Propellor Gallery, and more shots of the mural can be seen there.

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Art Thieves Make off with Banksy and Building

Last November, I posted about a door in Liverpool featuring one of street artist Banksy's famous stencil pieces that had to be put under lock and key after a group of men posing as workmen tried to pry the door from its hinges in an attempt to steal the sought-after artist.

Well, it appears another group of thieves succeeded in pr