Towleroad Guide to the Tube #284

HEAD OVER HILLS: Belinda Carlisle's gay son lets it be known who his mother is supporting for president.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BARACK: Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

CHRISTIAN SIRIANO: Behind-the-scenes of last week's Ugly Betty appearance.

OIL: John McCain reveals the real reason for the war in Iraq. More here.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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News: Kevin Rudd, Jesus, Christian Siriano, Patrick McHenry, Mariah

Clinton advisor Mickey Kantor statement on Indianans unearthed: "Look at Indiana...it doesn't matter if we win. Those people are shit. How would you like to be a worthless white ni**er?" Kantor denies... UPDATE: Director Pennebaker says clip doctored...

Barack Obama pledges to stop fighting between Lauren and Heidi on The Hills.

Christian Siriano hosting virtual prom.

Australian PM Kevin Rudd signals that he may block a move by the nation's capital to legalize civil unions: "The Prime Minister warned today that he would never agree to gay marriage, which would require amendments to the Marriage Act. The act expressly states that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. While the ACT government, led by chief minister Jon Stanhope, argues its civil partnerships are different to gay marriage, the Government is concerned it too closely mimics marriage. Mr Rudd now holds the power to disallow any ACT laws that he deems to replicate marriage, just as the Howard Government did during its final term. Despite previously arguing it was a matter for the states, the Prime Minister said today that no other state was proposing laws similar to the ACT."

Mariah Carey marries Nick Cannon in the Bahamas.

Banksy, who has curated an underground graffiti exhibition in London in a tunnel which opens tonight, tells Reuters: Creating graffiti "better than sex, better than drugs."

Tom Ford makes debut as costume designer for Santa Fe opera The Letter.

Massachusetts publishes 120-page anti-bullying guide for schools. Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach: "Our kids deserve to grow up in an environment that is free from harassment and violence. The consequences of bullying can last a lifetime, but all too often it is treated as a rite of passage."

Brazilian gymnast takes his talent to the street.

Never has a shirt on: Lipstick Jungle's Robert Buckley is the new Matthew McConaughey.

Jesus is coming in 2015, look busy.

North Carolina congressman Patrick McHenry behaving conservatively.

Man charged in killing of Florida gay activist Scott Graham: "A man has been charged with murdering West Palm Beach, Fla., gay rights activist Scott Graham, who was found dead in his home on April 16, The Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday. Ricardo David Fuenes-Valle, 20, was arrested on Tuesday near Tampa by Hillsborough County deputies and U.S. marshals. He is being charged with first-degree murder. Investigators found the suspect on Tuesday after they were told that Fuenes-Valle was planning to rob Graham or burglarize his home to steal jewelry and money, West Palm Beach police captain Pat Maney told the Post. Witnesses said Graham was last seen on April 14 with Fuenes-Valle. 'We don't really have a motive at this point,' Maney said in the article. 'We are working under that assumption.'"

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News: Tori Spelling, Paw Paw, NYC Nightlife, ACT UP, Jason Mraz

New York may soon no longer be the city that never sleeps.

Jason Mraz on his new album and why he surrounds himself with gay people: "To me it’s not an issue of gay or straight; it’s just a coincidence that the people I hang out with happened to be … gay folk. And I, as a writer, have always written from a feminine side. I take yoga, and I practice my spirituality, to balance my heaven and earth, to balance my masculine and my feminine, you know? And I think what I find hanging out in the gay community, there’s more of a balance in the masculine and feminine qualities in the lifestyle than in a typical straight relationship or just in a straight person."

Tori Spelling anoints herself a gay icon: "I'm a huge fan of gays. They love me; I love them. They consider me kind of a gay icon, which they've labeled me as."

Justice Department confirms inquiry into whether U.S. Attorney Leslie Hagen was fired because she is a lesbian: "Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie A. Hagen was informed in 2006 that her contract working on Indian affairs in the Justice Department's Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys would not be renewed for a second year — despite receiving the highest possible performance reviews. When NPR first reported Hagen's case earlier this month, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) asked the Inspector General's Office and the Office of Professional Responsibility to confirm that they were looking into Hagen's case."

Jake Gyllenhaal stands underneath an umbrella - ella - ella.

Leslie Jordan, who stars in the upcoming Sordid Lives, headlined a fundraiser on Monday night for NYC's Harvey Milk High School scholarship fund.

Harvey Milk City Hall Memorial Committee seeks donors to help fund cost of unveiling event on May 22, what would have been Milk's 78th birthday. More on the Memorial here.

In other Milk news, what is recognized as the first public tribute to Harvey Milk after his death, a mural painted on the side of the Duboce Park recreation center named in his honor, will soon be painted over. The city plans to paint a different work (also honoring Milk) on the rec center's east-facing wall, and place another memorial inside the building's lobby.

A FIRST LOOK at Project Runway winner Christian Siriano's appearance on Ugly Betty.

Next week, Law & Order: SVU will feature pro football player who is outed when his lover is murdered. This Bailey Chase, the player.

Animated Disney hunks become underwear models

Martha Stewart remembers her Chow, Paw Paw, who died last Saturday.

"Fearless" exhibit of openly gay athletes opens at San Ramon Valley High School in San Francisco's Bay Area.

Robert Downey Jr. sucks a mean thumb.

Jay Blotcher recalls the lessons he learned on the front lines of ACT UP. He'll be appearing tomorrow at NYU with other ACT UP alums at NYU's Cantor Film Center: "This wasn’t some haphazard group—our media committee had members that were publicists at major firms. Michelangelo Signorile, my predecessor as media coordinator, applied showbiz-PR tactics to ACT UP and got us a lot of attention."

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News: Mad Drag Queen, Thailand, Christian Siriano, Asteroids

San Francisco financial services firm reconsidering move to Oklahoma City because of Sally Kern's anti-gay remarks.

Drag queen who looks like Amelia Earhart targets Intimate Ideas, a lingerie store that refused to hire him — with his car!

Thailand's government ignoring surge in HIV rates among MSM: "Thai gays have essentially been left to sink or swim; and they're sinking."

Britney Spears now taking driving lessons from her kids.

Reduce your risk of prostate cancer: rub one out regularly.

Christian Siriano rips The Hills' Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port: "It’s really sad that if I didn’t win Project Runway, I probably wouldn’t have the sponsors I have now. I would have never been able to do what they have done because they all have disposable income, and yet their work still isn’t that great! I mean, it’s fun and flirty and young, but they’re not innovators. None of them will ever be an innovative designer. Buyers and editors are looking for longevity, and hopefully they will see that in me.”

AP: Same-sex couples in U.S. having trouble getting divorced. Rhode Island's Cassandra Ormison: "We all know people who have gone through divorces. At the end of that long and unhappy period, they have been able to breathe a sigh of relief. I do not see that on my horizon, that sigh of relief that it's over."

HGTV hosts in Canada Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan get married. Ryan: "After a year of living in Toronto, filming Home Heist, it became clear to us that it was time to tie the knot. Canada is such a progressive nation, so welcoming and open-mindedly liberal about gay marriage, that we felt thoroughly inspired."

One of the first Scottish couples to join in a civil partnership has been driven apart because of homophobic attacks: "Every time we went out young thugs would abuse us because of our sexuality and once we were set upon and attacked by three neds. It got worse after I moved to another house, in Irvine. For two months I was calling the police out about three times a night. Gangs of up to 15 youths were outside shouting abuse, throwing bricks and trying to break my door down."

Bravo's Step it Up and Dance has a contestant with a gay porn past (warning: NSFW)

First seniors home for gays and lesbians in Canada is proposed in Vancouver: "So far, the project is nothing more than a proposal, but already more than 30 people have plunked down a $1,000 deposit since it was first advertised two weeks ago, according to the U.S. developer. The plan is for a condo development featuring living units, a communal dining room, a fitness centre, a lounge and cabaret."

13-year-old German schoolboy corrects NASA on path of errant asteroid: "Nico Marquardt used telescopic findings from the Institute of Astrophysics in Potsdam (AIP) to calculate that there was a 1 in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth, the Potsdamer Neuerster Nachrichten reported. NASA had previously estimated the chances at only 1 in 45,000 but told its sister organisation, the European Space Agency (ESA), that the young whizzkid had got it right." (UPDATE: Hoax!)

American Idol's Michael Johns prefers to be an alert drunk.

Last week I posted about gay rights activist John Corvino, who had his appearance canceled by Michigan's Aquinas College, because he's gay. Students found a new, larger venue for him to speak at, which was donated for free.

South Africans reach out to gays in Zimbabwe: "The South African Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP), formerly known as the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (NCGLE), is concerned about the deepening political, economic and social crises in Zimbabwe. We express our full solidarity with the lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, women, workers and all the people of Zimbabwe. We add our voice in condemning the unjustified delay in the release of the 29 March elections. As Zimbabwean Independence Day approaches on 18 April 2008, Zimbabweans have nothing to celebrate in honour of their heroic liberation struggle and historic achievement of freedom and democracy."

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Christian Siriano: 'Fierce' is Out, 'Expired' is In

Project Runway winner Christian Siriano appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson Wednesday night, and sounded the death knell for his trademark "fierce". He has a new word, however.

FERGUSON: You've been saying fierce a lot. I've got to talk to you about that.

SIRIANO: Yeah, I know.

FERGUSON: It's time.

SIRIANO: It's kind of time. It's going. My new one is 'expired'. And, I mean (looks at Ferguson's suit) sometimes the pinstripes just a little expired.

FERGUSON: Can I suggest a word?

SIRIANO: Yeah.

FERGUSON: Snazzy.

SIRIANO: Snazzy.

FERGUSON: Hey girl, that's snazzy.

SIRIANO: Victoria Beckham, you're snazzy. It doesn't really work.

Watch the entire clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

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News: Gayest Looks, Christian Siriano, Blackmail, Marc Jacobs

My Gayest Look: A site for Jay Leno. Submit yours!

A view of the jungle shot by an elephant who carries around a hidden camera in a log.

Britney Spears may soon have her own sitcom!

Straight cops at University of New Mexico claim discrimination by gay superiors: "The two complaining officers, with a combined 24 years of experience with the UNM police department, filed a complaint with the state Department of Workforce Solutions arguing that they are being treated unfairly because they are straight and their superiors are gay. Lieutenant Michael Young contends that his job as administrative lieutenant was taken from him by Police Chief Kathy Guimond, whom Young claims is gay, and given to Lieutenant Patrick Davis, who is also gay. Young also claims another gay superior, Commander Debbie Kuidis, with Davis were given higher evaluation ratings by Chief Guimond and greater pay raises."

Karl Lagerfeld bodyguard smacks down paparazzo: "A paparazzo lurked from out of the shadows and started snapping away at them, and out of nowhere, one of Lagerfeld's guys just threw him to the ground." I wonder if it was Sebastian?

Scott Heim talks to the SF Chronicle about his latest novel, We Disappear: "What's true and what isn't - that's such an obsession with so many readers. If you say it's totally fictional, or you don't fess up to things, they tend to feel like they've been cheated or something. But if you say, 'Oh yeah, it's from experience,' then they kind of have this idea that you don't have an imagination."

David Beckham earns his 100th cap in a pair of golden booties.

The booties so impressed Beckham's son Romeo, that he dug for some gold of his own.

Keith Richards discusses Mick Jagger's sexuality: "It was camp. Yeah. It was all… I really have no idea if anyone ever shoved it up the shitter."

Kids coming out earlier than ever: "We're working not for tolerance, but for acceptance. I don't care if it's race, gender or sexual orientation. We need to accept the uniqueness of each and every one."

Student ambassadors train against school violence: "The training session was dedicated to Lawrence King, the Oxnard junior high school boy who last month was shot and killed, allegedly by a classmate, purportedly for admitting he was gay. The Oak Park ambassadors, who maintain anonymity for safety reasons, wrote their comments on a poster in memory of the 15-year-old victim: 'Lawrence, what happened to you is extremely unfair. Everyone deserves a chance in life no matter what sex, religion, sexual preference, anything. Your story will teach many people to be better people.' And, 'You are told to forgive and forget but the reality is you don't do either.'"

Marc Jacobs hits L.A. with new man.

Melbourne, Australia teacher fined $3,000 for blackmailing former lover with a sex video: "Hicks became aware that the victim was a 'closet homosexual' who had a wife and daughter who were not aware of his activities, Judge Michael McInerney told the court. 'He was discreet, or discreet as one can be if you pick up someone in a public toilet,' he said. The court was told that during one of their liaisons, Hicks - who also was married, had a child and was bisexual - recorded them on his mobile phone participating in a sex act. Hicks later approached the victim and told him he had a video of them and that he wanted $3,000 or he would show it to the victim's wife and put it on YouTube, the court heard."

Project Runway winner Christian Siriano designed the dress that Kimberley Locke performed in on last night's American Idol.

Leona Lewis is the first UK female artist to top the U.S. charts in more than 20 years, since Kim Wilde's 1987 cover "You Keep Me Hangin On".

Anti-gay domestic partner bill dies in Kentucky senate: "The Kentucky Senate’s Health and Welfare Committee voted to defeat a bill yesterday that would have barred state universities and other public agencies from providing health coverage to employees’ domestic partners. Furthermore, committee member David Watkins (right) scolded the bill’s sponsor, Vernie McGaha, for introducing it, calling the legislation divisive and ignoring the state’s biggest health problems like smoking and obesity, according to The Courier Journal."

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Christian Siriano and Andy Cohen Gay Up Rockefeller Center

Project Runway winner Christian Siriano and Bravo exec Andy Cohen have some coffee talk about the new season of Top Chef, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via slog)

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Pete Wentz: Christian Siriano Wants His Look Back

Fierce hot mess tickety-tack trannies...

(via TMZ)

Previously
Pete Wentz Testing Seth Green's Sex Drive? [tr]
Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz: Part of Me Wishes I Was Gay [tr]
How Gay is Pete Wentz? [tr]
Pete Wentz Grooming Tips: Guyliner [tr]
Pete Wentz: Monday Morning Jedi [tr]

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News: David Hernandez, Syphilis, Hulk, James Dobson, Greece

Provincetown acting police chief Warren Tobias retiring. Town decides not to appoint him permanently, which is a good thing, considering the department's poor record on hate crime incidents.

Stripper from Dick's out on American Idol.

If you're into Edward Norton and roided out green men who tear their shirts off, you may like this trailer.

Syphilis rates surge, especially among gay and bisexual men: "Since 2000, when the national syphilis rate sank to a low of 2.1 per 100,000 people after a decade of progress in the 1990s, the rate has soared by 76 percent, the CDC reported. Homosexual and bisexual men accounted for 64 percent of syphilis cases in 2007, up from about 5 percent in 1999. CDC officials expressed concern not only because the recent increases in this bacterial sexually transmitted disease follows years of declines, but also because syphilis can elevate a person's risk of being infected with the AIDS virus and the odds of giving it to someone else."

NYT: Sex diseases in gay men escaping detection because people are ignoring regular testing. "Dr. Kristen Mahle’s study found that among gay men who showed no symptoms of gonorrhea, more than a third of rectal infections with the disease, and more than a quarter of throat infections, were missed because many were not tested at all anatomical sites of recent exposure. Dr. Eric Tai’s study surveyed non-H.I.V.-positive gay men in 15 cities from 2003 to 2005 and found that only 39 percent reported having been tested for syphilis, and only 36 percent for gonorrhea."

Tranny hot mess: The next Ugly Betty guest star?

Focus on the Family's James Dobson worried that all the Christian bigots are dying out.

Pair of lesbians in Greece hope to become first same-sex marriage there by exploiting a legal loophole: "The two will try to tie the knot under a 1982 law that does not specify that a civil union must involve a man and a woman, said Evanguelia Vlami of Greece's main homosexual association, Olke. The ceremony is to take place in the Kessariani quarter of Athens by a mayor who belongs to the radical left-wing Syriza party, Vlami said. 'I have no objection to celebrating this union so long as the law is respected,' the mayor, Spyros Tzokas, told the Ta Nea daily."

Adam Sandler kicks sand in a bear's face at the beach.

Chace Crawford: fresh as a country lane after a spring shower.

Washington governor Chris Gregoire signs bill expanding domestic partner benefits: "The measure adds domestic partners to sections of laws where previously only spouses were mentioned, including areas referring to probate and trusts, community property and homestead exemptions, and guardianship and powers of attorney. 'This bill is about protecting and helping Washington families,' Gregoire said before signing the bill. 'It simply gives these families the same rights as everybody else. It's the right thing to do.'"

Catholic bishop alleges 'gay conspiracy' against the Church, longs for the good old days when gays were thrown in the clink: The Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Devine, says a 'homosexual lobby' has aligned itself with minority groups, including Holocaust survivors, to gain persecuted status. He said there was a 'huge and well orchestrated conspiracy' taking place in the 'gay movement', which the Catholic Church neglected 'at our peril'...In an attack on openly gay actor Sir Ian McKellen the bishop said: 'I saw actor Ian McKellen being honoured for his work on behalf of homosexuals, when a century ago Oscar Wilde was locked up and put in jail.' He made the comments during a lecture on 'Christian faith and inconvenient questions' in Glasgow on Tuesday and has since stood by them, 'These groups are defending their position, I am defending mine', he said. 'It is all about a lifestyle alien to the Christian tradition. There is a giant conspiracy against Christian values, an agenda here.'"

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Sarah Jessica Parker: Project Runway Winner 'Gifted, Intimidating'

In the first in a series of interview clips from Josh Koll and Josh Helmin of Josh & Josh are Rich and Famous with the cast members of the upcoming Sex and the City movie, Sarah Jessica Parker reveals how she became a judge on Project Runway, and what her thoughts were about the show's winner, who was revealed last night.

"Being a judge was the hardest secret I’ve ever had to keep in my life because I shot it way last spring," said Parker. "One of my best friends in the entire world is Andrew Cohen (Watch What Happens on Bravo) and he had asked me for a number of years to be a judge. I had always declined because the best part of that show is being in the audience. And first of all, what would I be doing there anyway? You know how people go on talk shows and they have nothing to talk about? But then I started this clothing line and Andy kept creating these scenarios for me to come on the show.

For those of you who haven't seen the finale yet, we'll spare you and talk about who won, and Sarah Jessica Parker's thoughts on the winner, AFTER THE JUMP...(SPOILERS)

As many of you know, Christian Siriano was revealed as the winner last night.

In the episode which Parker guest judged, she chose an outfit by Victorya Hong for her Bitten line. She did have some interesting words for us in our recent interview about Christian, however.

Said Parker:

"The work room is not at all what I pictured. I had it all turned around in my head. It’s a much smaller space—television always expands things, for better or worse. Just being with those designers was remarkable and seeing what they could do with fifteen friggin’ dollars.

"The hardest part—and Andy will tell you this—was the judging. I found it very uncomfortable. I have always found that people flourish when you’re constructive, and not snarky. I think Michael Kors is really good—he’s hardcore—he’s a designer and a businessman and he cuts to the chase, but I’m just not equipped.

"The thing with Christian haunted me for days. I kept writing to Andy and said, 'You’ve got to tell him how much I love him,' but at the end of the day it was just not the right piece for the collection. On the show you don’t get to see all the nice things I said to Christian about his work. He’s so talented. I really admired him, but he’s also a very intimidating young man. He’s really gifted."

Sex and the City: the Movie is in theaters May 30.

Bravo TV has an interview up with winner Christian Siriano.

Below, a recent clip released by Project Runway of Christian Siriano and Tim Gunn doing a "walk-off".

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