Barack Obama Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Committee has awarded its 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama:

"[The President won the prize for] 'extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,' especially his work to reach out to the Muslim world and to eliminate nuclear weapons around the globe."

The WaPo reports: "The announcement, less than nine months after Obama took office, sparked immediate questions from reporters in Oslo about whether the Nobel committee was acting prematurely in rewarding a world leader who has outlined a lofty and ambitious agenda but has not yet made many concrete steps toward realizing it. But Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the five-member Nobel committee, said 'we have not given the prize for what may happen in the future. We are awarding Obama for what he has done in the past year. And we are hoping this may contribute a little bit for what he is trying to do.' In making the announcement, the committee said Obama has "created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play."

The committee specifically cited Obama's speech about Islam in Cairo. The White House was not notified about the award before the 5 am announcement and has not commented.

UPDATE: RedState has smeared the choice as "an affirmative action quota."

Neil Patrick Harris Presides Over 2009 Emmys

Neil Patrick Harris (arriving with his partner David Burtka) did a smash-up job of delivering the 2009 Emmy Awards telecast last night. Here's a winner's list.

I've posted two of NPH's Emmy numbers (the opening, and a cameo from his web alter-ego Dr. Horrible), AFTER THE JUMP...

2009 Primetime Emmy Nominations Announced

Primetime Emmy nominations were announced this morning. Major category nominations and link to full list, AFTER THE JUMP...

Neil Patrick Harris Hosts 2009 Tonys - Winners List

Neil Patrick Harris hosted the 2009 Tony Awards last night. Billy Elliot took home 10 Tonys in a largely predictable show. Here are the winners in the main categories:

Best Play- God of Carnage
Best Musical- Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Revival of a Play- The Norman Conquests
Best Revival of a Musical- Hair
Best Actor in a Play- Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King
Best Actress in a Play- Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage
Best Actor in a Musical- David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish (Three actors all playing the same character) Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Actress in a Musical- Alice Ripley, Next to Normal
Best Featured Actor in a Play- Roger Robinson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Best Featured Actress in a Play- Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit
Best Featured Actor in a Musical- Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Featured Actress in a Musical- Karen Olivo, West Side Story
Best Director of a Play- Matthew Marchus, God of Carnage
Best Director of a Musical- Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Choreography- Peter Darling, Billy Elliot The Musical
Best Book of a Musical- Billy Elliot, The Musical
Best Original Score- Next to Normal

Clips after the jump of Poison frontman Bret Michaels' near-beheading, as well as Neil Patrick Harris' excellent closing number, and the show's opening number, which Harris called the most expensive (and perhaps gayest) number the Tonys has ever produced and featured Liza Minnelli, Dolly Parton, and Elton John.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Neil Patrick Harris: Top 10 Signs You've Hired a Bad Tony Awards Host

Neil Patrick Harris appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to deliver his 'Top 10' in advance of his gig hosting the Tony Awards this Sunday.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Tony Kushner, Adam Lambert and Queen, Colin Farrell, Cannes

SIENA POLL: New Yorkers split 46-46 on same-sex marriage.

Queen wants Adam Lambert as new frontman?

Head of Equality Utah to leave organization: "Mike Thompson, Equality Utah's executive director is leaving the 5-year-old organization after four years at the helm. His last day is Friday. The Oklahoma native is heading west to San Francisco -- a city he has wanted to live in for a long time -- to do what he does best: Build up fledgling nonprofits."

BRAVO developing Real Housewives of D.C....

Variety on Tony Kushner's new play: "Opening night was postponed a week, with Kushner reportedly rewriting down to the wire, and early previews had pushed past the four-hour mark -- none of which necessarily presaged disaster but certainly fueled curiosity. The resulting three-act drama is a success -- sprawling, yearning, at times emotionally violent, it is also packed with a level of complexity, sophistication and understanding that distinguishes it as a potentially important new American work."

PAPER: Gay issues splintering churches...

Boy George enjoys his freedom.

UCLA Williams Institute study shows marriage matters: "A significant majority of the 558 gay men and women surveyed said that since marrying, they feel more committed to their spouses, more accepted in their community, and more likely to be open about their sexual orientation at work. The survey indicates that there is something universal about the legal protections and social advantages afforded by the institution of marriage..."

Conservatives apoplectic over 'Harvey Milk Day' in California.

Jared Leto is a Jesus with shades.

Back in January 2008 I posted that Colin Farrell was planning to serve as best man at his brother's civil partnership. It's still on.

Anna Wintour really is the devil.

Morrissey turned 50 last Friday.

Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon wins Palm d'Or at Cannes: "Haneke's drama depicts a series of violent, secretive incidents among the families of the local pastor, baron, doctor and tenant farmers. The local schoolteacher investigates the mystery. Shot in gorgeous black-and-white by cinematographer Christian Berger, "The White Ribbon" is one of two major Cannes prize-winners already picked up by Sony Pictures Classics for distribution in the U.S. The other, the absorbing French prison drama "A Prophet," won this year's Grand Prix, the second most important award at Cannes."