News: Charlie Sheen, Fiscal Cliff, Huguette Clark, USPS

Rhode Island activists and lawmakers are "guardedly optimistic" they can pass marriage equality in the next legislative session there.

There are still no deals on the so-called fiscal cliff. Though the Republicans are reportedly willing to give up on tax breaks for the rich, they want to create regulations that will result in lower social security benefits for millions of Americans, a proposal Democratic insiders are calling a "major setback."

After President Obama took issue with GOP obstructionism, House Speaker John Boehner said the commander-in-chief should "lead, not cast blame. The president’s comments today are ironic, as a recurring theme of our negotiations was his unwillingness to agree to anything that would require him to stand up to his own party."

Terrible: "Potential heir to $300 million Clark copper fortune found dead, homeless"

The cash-strapped USPS may start selling magazine subscriptions.

The Hobbit dominated the box office for the third weekend in a row, pushing Django Unchained to number two and Les Misérables to number three.

While 2012 showed that it's easier for gay actors to come out, some are still encouraged to hold out lest they jeopardize a big budget blockbuster. "With a studio and all the amassed forces behind an actor in a role, an actor is not always a man or a woman who has total command of his own world," The Advocate's Matthew Breen told Bruce LaMera.

Miley Cyrus said her gay fans are her favorite and she's particularly excited to perform in London because the city's positively overflowing with men who like men. "My favorite place to perform is London, because I have never seen more gay people in my whole life," said the singer.

YouTube stripped major record labels like Sony/BMG and Universal of billions of inflated video views.

Family lunch for Chris Hemsworth.

Channing Tatum is excited to be in St. Barts.

10 athletes who came out in 2012.

"Even though public opposition to same-sex marriage and gay rights is rapidly eroding, the locker rooms and clubhouses of the country's four major sports leagues remain among the last bastions of homophobia in the U.S."

Jennifer Tyrrell, the Ohio mother stripped of her "Den Mother" Cub Scout title because she's a lesbian, is now blogging. From her first post, "Rebel Who Found Her Cause": "If you would’ve asked me at any point in my life if I thought I would be an anti-bullying/equality advocate, I would have laughed hysterically. In fact, a frequent victim of bullying as a child, I became full of rage and set on vengeance."

Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster who describes marriage equality proposals as an "Orwellian plot," is urging voters to write to their MPs and oppose same-sex nuptials. "I urge everyone who cares about upholding the meaning of marriage in civil law to make their views known to their Members of Parliament, clearly, calmly and forcefully. Please do so as soon as possible," he wrote.

Charlie Sheen claims a lisp that has gone unnoticed by anyone for the past three decades of his career caused his "maggots" to sound like "faggots" in the following sentence, "How we doing?...Lying bunch of maggot assholes, how we doing?" Watch the video, he definitely didn't say "maggot."

Angus T. Jones Apologizes for Trashing 'Two and a Half Men'

Two and a Half Men star Angus T. Jones has released a statement apologizing for statements he made in a video touting his Christian religious awakening and calling his show "filth" and urging viewers not to watch it.

Writes Jones:

I have been the subject of much discussion, speculation and commentary over the past 24 hours. While I cannot address everything that has been said or right every misstatement or misunderstanding, there is one thing I want to make clear. Without qualification, I am grateful to and have the highest regard and respect for all of the wonderful people on Two and Half Men with whom I have worked and over the past 10 years who have become an extension of my family.

Chuck Lorre, Peter Roth and many others at Warner Bros. and CBS are responsible for what has been one of the most significant experiences in my life to date. I thank them for the opportunity they have given and continue to give me and the help and guidance I have and expect to continue to receive from them. I also want all of the crew and cast on our show to know how much I personally care for them and appreciate their support, guidance and love over the years. I grew up around them and know that the time they spent with me was in many instances more than with their own families. I learned life lessons from so many of them and will never forget how much positive impact they have had on my life.

I apologize if my remarks reflect me showing indifference to and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed. I never intended that.

As for Jones' status on the show:

Jones wasn't at the studio lot for a rehearsal on Tuesday. He's not scheduled to appear on the two episodes that are being filmed before the end of the year, said a person close to the show who spoke on condition of anonymity because Warner Bros. and CBS haven't commented publicly on Jones. His character has recently joined the Army and his airtime has been cut down.

And Charlie Sheen has commented on the Jones controversy, telling People, "With Angus's Hale-Bopp-like meltdown, it is radically clear to me that the show is cursed."

News: Sidney Lumet, Betty White, iPad, Earth's Gravity

Rare pink diamond is expected to go for as much as $12 million at Christie's in New York.

Sidney Lumet, who directed such film classics as Dog Day Afternoon and Network has died at the age of 86.

Betty White advises movie stars to be grateful for their great careers: "I cannot stand the people who get wonderful starts in showbusiness, and who abuse it. Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen, for example, although there are plenty of others, too. They are the most blessed people in the world and they don’t appreciate it."

Real Housewives Of New Jersey‘s Dina Manzo gets her own reality show.

Egyptian protests in Tahrir Square begin anew.

Donald Trump will pick a fight with just about anyone so long as it gets him the attention he deserves.

Charlie Sheen gets booed off stage again.

Scientists create a very cool-looking map of Earth's gravity field.

Time magazine on what it takes to be a gay icon.

Nashville grants gays more rights: By a vote of 21-15 the Nashville City Council passed an “anti-discrimination” ordinance on April 5 making it illegal for companies that do business with the city to discriminate in their hiring policies based sexual orientation or gender identity.

Snooki and The Situation will each rake in $100K for each episode of Jersey Shore.

Dave Franco joins the cast of the upcoming 21 Jump Street movie.

iPad problems: "Apple has confirmed that a "small number" of Verizon iPad 2 users are having connectivity problems."

Charlie Sheen: Topless Torpedo of Truth?

Celebuzz documents Charlie Sheen's 'Torpedo of Truth' show in Chicago on Sunday, which was apparently far more successful than one on Saturday in Detroit( which saw mass walk-outs and refund demands), and featured at least one shirt exchange.

Us reports: "After Saturday's Detroit disaster, Sheen and his team revamped the format of the show -- ditching the rapper, rambling monologues and bizarre video clips that so irked his fans. Instead, the Chicago show employed an MC who reined in Sheen, and peppered him with questions about his headline-generating antics."

People reports:

"It was a loud and raucous show throughout, with fans screaming questions, compliments and insults, including 'You suck!' and 'Shut it!' At one point, a large, hairy man in the audience took off his lime green polo shirt and tossed it onstage. A wiry Sheen, who threw a tour T-shirt back – his chest is ripped, and tattooed – sported the XXL-sized gift shirt the rest of the night, though it was too big and, he complained, way too hot." 

News: Michele Bachmann, Shanghai, Madonna, Indonesia

Michele Bachmann has raised over $2 million for her very likely presidential run.

Madonna's charities have run into a lot of bad luck recently. The FBI is investigating her Success For Kids organization for "several irregularities and suspicious activities."

It appears as if the Internet will continue to play a crucial role in President Obama's re-election campaign, just like it did in 2008. Next week, he will reportedly officially announce his intentions to run for a second term - via an email to his supporters.

Lindsay Lohan to portray Sharon Tate in new film?

New study reveals that "older lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in California are more likely to suffer from chronic physical and mental health problems than their heterosexual counterparts, a new analysis has found. They also are less likely to have live-in partners or adult children who can help care for them."

Gay rights groups to lobby at Vermont's Statehouse in Montpelier on April 12, LGBTQ Visibility Day.

A gay British man has returns home after spending six months imprisoned and tortured in Saudi Arabia because of his homosexuality.

Police in Shanghai have detained about 50 people in the largest raid of a gay bar in that city in years.

It looks like Cam Gigandet's hair had a bad run-in with a bottle of peroxide.

The Earth continues to shake: tsunami warning issued after 6.7 quake off the coast of Indonesia.

James Marsden + bunnies = big box office.

Openly gay Olympic speed skater Blake Skjellerup part of New Zealand's anti-bullying day: "When I was in high school I was bullied for being gay. It left me feeling isolated and depressed. I felt like I had no one to turn to. I was lucky I had my sport to focus on, a lot of gay young people don't have that."

Charlie Sheen got booed on the opening night of his so-called Torpedo of Truth tour.

Watch: Charlie Sheen Makes Surprise Appearance on Jimmy Kimmel

Charlie Sheen planted a wet one on Jimmy Kimmel's "moist" lips last night, after bursting in on an interview with Mark Cuban.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...