News: Alan Tudyk, Pope Benedict, Provincetown, Christina Aguilera

Bush thanks Pope Benedict XVI for an "awesome" speech. Approval rating at 28%.

Armani Exchange holds London briefing.

Somebody is way too young to be flipping the bird. Did he learn it from his mother or his father?

Study: Same-sex marriage in Iowa would be a boont o the economy. "The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimates that same-sex weddings and related tourism would lead to $160 million in spending over the next three years. The total economic activity related to same-sex marriage would give the state an extra $5.3 million per year in tax revenue, the study says."

Earthquake rocks Illinois: "A 5.4 earthquake that appeared to rival the strongest recorded in the region rocked people awake up to 350 miles away early Friday, surprising residents unaccustomed to such a powerful Midwest temblor. The quake just before 4:37 a.m. was centered 6 miles from West Salem, Ill., and 66 miles from Evansville, Ind. It was felt in such distant cities as Chicago, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, 350 miles north of the epicenter, but there were no early reports of injuries or significant damage."

Chace Crawford on his perfect companion: "I don’t have any real guidelines for any particular girl. If they ring your bell, they ring your bell."

Alan Tudyk tapped for gay role in new pilot from Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan that centers around the partnership between two writers, based on them. One is straight, one is gay.

University of Massachusetts hosts Drag Ball: "Students were decked out in their drag finest, men in wigs and gaudy prom-inspired eveningwear and women suited up with matching fedoras and suspenders. The Drag Ball kicked off with an entertaining introduction from host Envy Chanel, winner of Miss New England International Plus 2008. The feisty bundle of joy donned an outfit nothing short of noticeable. 'I bought you disco ball arms, Asians on the body, and slippery black boots," she playfully cooed.'"

LOGO claims broadcast of first gay-targeted High-Definition TV show.

Matthew McConaughey channels Jesus.

Rich of FourFour honors the best vagarm in history.

New writers colony sprouts in Provincetown, in Norman Mailer's old house: "Joan Didion, William Kennedy, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Gunter Grass have consented to be on the board. Four universities have expressed interest in partnering with the project. Mailer's third-floor studio, just as he left it, will be preserved as a museum. The home's four bedrooms will be used to house visiting distinguished writers and scholars. The first floor will be an area for lectures and conferences. Writers who are accepted will receive a stipend and be housed in other locations in town. There will be slots for writers of fiction and non-fiction, as well as those working on scripts for stage and film. Funds have already been pledged, and Schiller hopes the colony will be launched next year."

Domestic partners: Salt Lake City begins registration of gay couples.

The Gay Recluse honors the smokin' hot statuary of Washington Heights in NYC.

Florida same-sex marriage foes kick off ballot initiative in West Palm Beach. Sidney Lanier, a retired Florida Highway Patrol officer: "The world that we grew up in is very different than the world we live in. Some changes have been good. But some things are never meant to change, because they define us as human beings."

Kylie Minogue's new video for "All I See" has been released - watch it.

Gay sperm donor loses bid for guardianship of his blood child, being raised by two lesbians: "Rejecting his claim yesterday, Mr Justice John Hedigan said the child's welfare was best served by remaining with the couple, and by the man in his forties having no guardianship or access to the infant. There was nothing in Irish law to suggest that a family of two women and a child had 'any lesser right to be recognised as a de facto family than a family composed of a man and woman unmarried to each other and a child'. The judge added that the rights of a man who acted as a sperm donor were no greater than those of an unmarried father. He had the right to apply to be appointed as a guardian, but no automatic right to appointment."

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News: Ryan Idol, Cyberbully, Jason West, China, Christina Aguilera

Cyberbully drives 16-year-old Brit to suicide by posing as an online boyfriend: "The 17-year-old posted a fake profile on the social networking site Bebo, then told friends and teachers intimate details of their online conversations. The 16-year-old victim, from Brighton, East Sussex, swallowed 60 painkillers."

Hard Drive: Porn star Ryan Idol (Marc Anthony Donais, pictured here at an event for The Ritz) named in Birmingham Mayor Larry Landford's computer charity scandal: "Katopodis testified in his deposition that Donais, the adult-film actor, was paid to help the Council of Cooperating Governments and the Computer Help for Kids programs, both of which were handling money and expenses for Langford's computer initiative. Donais, a former Playgirl Magazine centerfold, has starred in seven gay adult films. Katopodis pointed out in his testimony that Donais also has appeared in plays in New York City. 'He's a businessman and had been working as, had done several off-Broadway productions and had been writing a play,' Katopodis testified. 'I don't know what else he was doing, you know.' Donais received $5,000 from the computer charity and $25,000 from the council, according to court filings. 'He's very good at working on computers,' Katopodis testified. 'He's very adept at computers. But at the time he was working at the Council, he didn't work on computers.'"

WATCH: Did Paula Abdul shop at Z Galerie to get the frames for her new video?

Christina Aguilera visits Ellen DeGeneres, who admires the fullness of her breasts.

China draws up plan to combat HIV/AIDS in its gay population: " The policy will incorporate detailed HIV/AIDS prevention measures for MSM (men who have sex with men) including extending the use of condoms, according to the ministry's work plan for disease prevention and control in 2008. China has decided to intensify its AIDS intervention campaign on MSM by carrying out AIDS prevention training among the gay population nationwide as well as conducting consultation, HIV/AIDS tests, venereal disease treatment in some areas, the ministry said."

Gay man stabbed to death at public men's room in Britain: "Appealing for witnesses, a spokeswoman for Surrey Police said the victim, who was gay, was stabbed in toilets at Walton Bridge, an area known as a popular meeting place for men. She said: 'Early indications lead police to believe that he might have known his attacker though we don't know in what context or for how long.''" UPDATE Man arrested.

Paris Hilton promotes her new film by posing with the only audience that actually went to see it.

UK vandals attack "Some People are Gay, Get Over It" billboard: "Sadly, the vandalism of a small number of the new Stonewall billboards is a reminder that homophobia still exists in our society and highlights the need to address the issue in schools and in our communities."

David Beckham gets lei'd, scratches, and squirts in Hawaii.

Targets of homophobic UK arsonist discuss attacks: "Nicholas Hughes, 42, and his partner of 16 years Peter Cameron, 59, suffered years of "horrendous" verbal homophobic abuse from Sonny Lockwood and members of his gang before he set their house in North Downs Crescent, New Addington, on fire."

William F. Buckley: "Mr. McCain is a bit of a girlie-man when it comes to waterboarding high-value detainees; but that’s a tricky one, even for macho, red-meat conservative chest-thumpers. You get a pass on that one if you’ve spent five-and-a-half years being bastinadoed by North Vietnamese."

Jason West, the former Mayor of New Paltz, NY, is now a house painter in Manhattan: "Mr. West, 30, first drew attention in 2003, when at 26 he became the first member of the Green Party to be elected mayor in New York State. But it was the next year when he created a furor for performing same-sex marriages that were later declared illegal — which may have led to his current occupation and his summer stint bartending at a Dutchess County watering hole called Darby O’Gills. Mr. West was defeated in a re-election bid in May 2007."

Gay history of Cambridge University to be revealed: "Evidence for the University's gay past can be found from as early as 1619, in a memorial in Gonville & Caius Chapel. It was commissioned by the college's master Dr John Gostlin in memory of himself and his friend Dr Thomas Legge, sometime Vice-Chancellor of the University. A flaming heart held aloft by two hands bears the inscription'Love joined them living. So may the earth join them in their burial. Oh Legge, Gostlin's heart you still have with you'. A similar monument can be found in Christ's College Chapel, where John Finch and Thomas Baines, who met as students at the College in the 1640s, are buried in the same tomb and commemorated with an elaborate carving of a marriage knot."

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News: South Korea, Seattle Bingo Drag, Richard Simmons, UFOs

An entire blog devoted to men who look like old lesbians.

Porn star (link NSFW) who won Mr. Gay Argentina draws attention to legitimacy of Mr. Gay competition: "In the United States, gay porn is often looked upon as representing the gay community in a negative light, but other countries like Argentina have less hang ups about allowing their community to be represented by someone who has participated in the industry. For most naysayers, the problem isn't so much that a porn star will be representing a country at the competition as it is about the validity of the competition itself...The organizers say they are "looking for all types of guys, from gym-bunny to math geek with a passion to lead," but the math geeks seem to have taken a much further back seat to the gym bunnies... like perhaps on a different bus."

GLAAD President Neil Giuliano on the proliferation of same-sex commitment announcements: "Today, every state in the union and Washington, D.C., has at least one paper with an inclusive policy for their weddings and celebrations pages -- for a combined national circulation of over 37 million in nearly 900 outlets, reaching almost 75 percent of total newspaper readers."

Christina Aguilera or pregnant drag queen?

Drag queen host no longer welcome at Seattle's gay bingo. Thom Hubert: "As a drag queen, if I stuck to this stuff by the letter, why, I’d have to wear a black robe and stand behind a podium and just read the numbers out. The contract said, ‘the host will not act in a flirtatious manner, will not wear reveailing clothing, will not make sexual gestures or comments.’ How could any drag queen appear or perform under these guidelines?"

As promised, North Carolina Baptists vote to expel Myers Park church for welcoming gay congregants and not trying to change them: "The liberal church of 1,970 members became the first to be kicked out under rules passed at last year's meeting that said any Baptist church that affirmed or endorsed homosexual behavior would be considered 'not in friendly cooperation with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.'"

Eight cows in Utah attempted to make a break for it when the trailer they were in pulled in to a McDonald's restaurant. Lt. Kevin Burns: "They didn't like their future."

What's an episode of Heroes without some additional Milo Ventimiglia skin scenes.

Gay activists in South Korea request international support: "They want to mobilise international support for the restoration of sexual orientation as a protected category in the proposed anti-discrimination legislation (ADL) recently drafted by the Ministry of Justice."

Richard Simmons brings Jennie Garth to tears on Dancing with the Stars (video).

NYU's plans for a campus in the United Arab Emirates angers LGBT students: "Now, a month after administrators announced plans for the university's first full-fledged satellite campus, some students have raised questions about the partnership, saying it is at odds with NYU's support for rights for lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender students. NYU has a reputation for being one of the U.S.'s most gay-friendly schools; the Princeton Review has ranked it 'Most Accepting of the Gay Community' two years in a row. At a town hall meeting last week, two students sharply questioned NYU president John Sexton about the plan and voiced their concerns about LGBT students at NYU Abu Dhabi. U.A.E. federal law does not outlaw homosexuality outright, but it does define 'acts of homosexuality' as illegal, said Simon Pearce, the director of strategic communications for Abu Dhabi's Executive Affairs Authority."

19 former pilots and government officials call on United States reopen investigations into UFOs: "We want the US government to stop perpetuating the myth that all UFOs can be explained away in down-to-earth, conventional terms."

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube: #90

LAKISHA JONES BRINGS DOWN THE IDOL HOUSE: The next Jennifer Hudson?

CHRISTINA AGUILERA: Her latest video for the single "Candyman".

WILL IT BLEND?: Creating a glow stick smoothie.

VIJAY SINGH AT THE MASTERS: Lets the F-word rip at a golf ball! I think we'll let this one slide. Or slice, should we say. Why do they mic golfers? (source: deadspin)

Check out our past guides to the Tube here!

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News: Air Force Rapist, John McCain, Light Bulbs, Nova

Continental Basketball Association relieves Tim Hardaway of his duties.

In bid to cut greenhouse gases, Australian government plans to phase out incandescent light bulbs within three years: "Turnbull said the banning of incandescent bulbs would help trim 800,000 tons from Australia’s current emissions level by 2012 and lower household lighting costs by 66 per cent."

300 rally with Candace Gingrich at Indiana Statehouse to demonstrate against amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. Gingrich: "You know what? Same-sex marriage already is illegal in Indiana, but it's the second part of this that they (proponents) don't want you to know anything about, that they want you to ignore. They don't want you to dig into the second part of the amendment because it could harm not just gay Hoosiers, but all Hoosiers." According to the Indy Star "The amendment's first sentence defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The second says neither the constitution nor state law can be construed as giving 'the legal incidents' of marriage to unmarried couples or groups."

Sirius and XM Satellite Radio announce plans for $4.6 billion merger.

Sarah Silverman's neighbors Steve and Brian not your typical TV gays.

Creepy: Court martial begins for Air Force officer accused of drugging and raping four men and attempting to rape two others: "Prosecutors told Col. Thomas Cumbie, the military judge, that the victims described experiences similar to the effects of gamma-hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, also known as the date-rape drug. Prosecutors said the men met Taylor at bars, had drinks and then blacked out."

A Q&A with the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales.

John McCain slams Rumsfeld: "We are paying a very heavy price for the mismanagement - that's the kindest word I can give you - of Donald Rumsfeld, of this war. The price is very, very heavy and I regret it enormously. I think that Donald Rumsfeld will go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history." Although what he said upon Rumsfeld's retirement was far different: "While Secretary Rumsfeld and I have had our differences, he deserves Americans' respect and gratitude for his many years of public service."

QueerCents announces weekly series intended to guide gays and lesbians through tax season.

Two female pop stars choose divergent paths.

Early-rising amateur astronomers can spot a nova with the naked eye right now if you look hard enough.

Italy's government in closed-door sessions with the Vatican over draft bill giving legal rights to same-sex and unwed couples: "The meeting, at which Bertone and other prelates met Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, President Giorgio Napolitano and other officials, was a regular diplomatic event but was the first since the disputed bill was proposed earlier this month. Pope Benedict has accused political 'lobbies' of damaging the family. 'Divorce and free unions are on the rise, meanwhile adultery is viewed with an unjustifiable tolerance,' he said on Saturday."

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube: Grammy Edition

A few of the stand-out performances from last night at the Grammys: Christina Aguilera in a stunning tribute to James Brown, Justin Timberlake sings "What Comes Around Goes Around", Beyoncé wants you to "Listen", and Shakira and Wyclef tell the truth with their hips.

And, a short clip of the Dixie Chicks.....below, who picked up five Grammys including Best Country Album, Record, and Song of the Year for "Not Ready to Make Nice". It was an encouraging, defiant win, given the Chicks outspoken stance against the Iraq war and the Bush administration.

And here is the list of winners.

Check out our past guides to the Tube here!

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The Closet Xtina Fans of Manchester United

Power shopper Cristiano Ronaldo showed up to the Christina Aguilera concert in Manchester proudly displaying his favorite manbag, and teammates Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney weren't far behind.

Rooney, no stranger to lucrative deals, recently became the highest-paid player in British football history after signing a contract that will earn him £35million in salary over six years along with numerous endorsement deals. That should pay for a lot of Christina CDs.

And if Ronaldo's not earning £££ for the manbag endorsement, he should be.

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News: Stem Cells, Xtina, German Fisting, Pluto

The California Assembly approved a bill that would allow domestic partners to joint file income tax returns, but not before a shouting match between the bigots and the gays: ," said Assemblyman Jay La Seur, R-La Mesa (San Diego County): "Here we go again. In the time I've been up here, there have been 40 bills in this house to further the homosexual, gay agenda." Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, R-Monrovia: "It is not normal. It is abnormal. It is sexually deviant behavior." Democrats reportedly called a caucus to stop the arguing and let everyone simmer down.

Scientists have found a way to create stem cells without destroying the embryo. The new, controversial technique involves taking a single-cell biopsy from an embryo, which then grows into many cells, some of which can be turned into embryonic stem cells. In question is whether or not the biopsy compromises the embryo already in development. Last month, Bush shamefully vetoed a bill that would have expanded funding for stem cell research.

Planet gossip: astronomers to vote on fate of Pluto.

Blind item from the email newsletter popbitch: Which gay actor was seen enjoying himself in another country last weekend? The star was in the darkroom of hip Berlin fetish bar Mutschmann's, getting fisted according to an onlooker, "by a Spanish-looking guy in his mid-thirties".

150 people are expected to take part in Pride festivities in Galway, Ireland this weekend despite a homophobic email received by organizers: "It was basically trying to put us off having the parade. It was trying to stop people from coming out over the weekend but it won't work. The email isn't going to make us change any of our plans for the weekend and why should it?"

Leaders in the South Australian government say they will introduce a gay rights bill in the next session of parliament.

The male version of who wore it best?

The new casts of The Amazing Race and Survivor, whose tribes will be split according to race. Said Producer Mark Burnett: "I know it’s going to be controversial. I’m not an idiot...Maybe that taboo (of race) could disappear through this." Good luck.

Christina Aguilera is a gay marriage supporter: "I'm shocked that it's a big deal! I'm shocked that people are shocked. I think it's really unfair that there has to be some kind of standard for marriage. Marriage should be about celebrating two people's love for each other. It shouldn't have anything to do with someone's sexual preference. Europe is a lot more open when it comes to sexuality. I think that with the history of European culture, there is a lot more openness to being provocative. I'm just all about no judgement and (having) equal rights." Like, totally.

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