News: Sean Avery, 'Family Guy,' Retirement, Jenni Rivera

Maureen Dowd: "Instead of smallpox, plagues, drought and Conquistadors, the Republican decline will be traced to a stubborn refusal to adapt to a world where poor people and sick people and black people and brown people and female people and gay people count."

Egyptian President Hosni Morsi has rescinded an earlier order granting himself pharaoh-like powers, but protesters remain displeased. "Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi withdrew part of a controversial declaration that awarded him near absolute power, a limited concession to protesters whose two-week-long campaign had gridlocked Egyptian politics. But the new declaration preserves next Saturday as the date of a referendum on a divisive proposed constitution, skirting a key demand of Mr. Morsi's opponents."

On tonight's Family Guy: "When Meg finally gathers the courage to ask out her crush, Kent, she is devastated to learn he’s gay. But when Meg discovers that Kent has feelings for Chris, she uses her brother in the worst way to get closer to Kent..."

Potentially retired hockey player Sean Avery's fight against homophobia continues. "Maybe it’s because when I was such a bully when I had my uniform on, that when I took it off I felt the need to stand up against the bully," he said at a Bank of America-sponsored panel on sports and bullying this week.

From a CNN article called "Retirement getting less scary for gay boomers": "Several organizations, such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and SAGE, have made training the staffs of senior centers, nursing homes and assisted living facilities a priority. They want those workers to become more sensitive in their work with gay people, particularly because members of the baby boomer generation are more likely to be open about their sexuality than previous generations."

A behind-the-scenes look at the hair and makeup that went into the big screen adaptation of Les Miserables. Even as a struggling prisoner, Hugh Jackman still managed to look pretty fine.

And here is a behind-the-scenes look at Downton Abbey.

LeAnn Rimes still gets pretty choked up talking about how her affair with now-husband Eddie Cibrian ruined her married to then-husband Dean Sheremet.

Prince William on wife Kate's morning sickness: "I don’t know why they call it morning sickness – they should call it all day and all night sickness... It’s a long old process but she is getting there. She feels like it is going to go on forever."

Another compelling story: "Bizarre Creature Found in 200-Million-Year-Old Cocoon": "About 200 million years ago, a leech released a slimy mucous cocoon that unwittingly encased and trapped a bizarre animal with a springy tail, preserving it until researchers discovered the teardrop-shaped creature in Antarctica recently."

And then there's this, "Anti-nudity law an example of gay mainstream": "The rise of same-sex households isn't making society queer; it's making gay people bourgeois."

Oh, and here's transcript from today's ABC News' This Week, on which George Will said the anti-gay voting bloc is kicking the bucket. Columnist Paul Krugman was also present and said this: "...Gay marriage was a losing thing for Democrats in 2004, and it's now a winning thing. That's amazing. Eight years, this country has changed dramatically."

Dr. Declan Fahie discusses what it's like for LGB school teachers to work in Ireland's Catholic-dominated school system. (See pages 54-55.)

St George's Tron Church in Glasgow has left the Church of Scotland over the Church's decision to ordain gay and lesbian ministers.

A plane carrying singer Jenni Rivera went missing this morning while flying over Mexico.

Sir Ian McKellen says the world is a far better place than when he was born 73-years ago, in part because of gay acceptance: "[The world is] entirely better, personally. At least in the country we live in, there's an acceptance and a generosity and inclusiveness which has allowed us to accept alien cultures and learn from them. And attitudes to gay culture, and then disability, I hope more than momentarily. In so many ways better, and I am so glad."

Robert Randolph, the gay author who sued John Travolta for allegedly smearing his name after Randolph published a book claiming the actor frequented gay bathhouses, has been ordered to pay Travolta's legal fees in the case.

News: Powerball, Action Figures, Morsi, Botany

A somewhat belated congratulations to California lawmaker Cathleen Galgiani! The Democratic state senator who came out of the closet to fight anti-gay bullying eked out a reelection victory last week.

As Mitt Romney settles into post-campaign life at his mansion in La Jolla, California, one has to wonder how he's coping with the town's growing stench. From the NYT: "...The smell, a pungent stench that emanates from the accumulation of bird feces on the rocks, has become a growing problem. And strict environmental regulations in the cove have stymied the city’s efforts to address the problem before it drives tourists and businesses away, effectively roping the rocks off with red tape."

There's definitely still plenty of red tape to be put up before Washington and Colorado residents can buy legal green: "Like Washington, Colorado still needs to set up a regulatory framework to handle what is expected to be a big expansion of its marijuana market, even though the state already has more medical marijuana dispensaries than it has Starbucks."

A cost of mobile accessibility in India: "Millions once bought sex in the narrow alleys of Kamathipura, a vast red-light district here. But prostitutes with inexpensive mobile phones are luring customers elsewhere, and that is endangering the astonishing progress India has made against AIDS."

Now you too can be an action figure.

The mystery of the black dahlia has been solved. The actual flower, not the legendary murder mystery.

Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 topped the box office this weekend, as expected.

Derek Hough left his sleeves at home for Dancing with the Stars rehearsal.

PETA says happy birthday to Miley Cyrus by giving her a pig.

Feeling lucky enough to buy a ticket for the $425 million Powerball drawing?

And a very happy birthday to The Killing actor Joel Kinnaman.

A Catholic speaks out against Vatican-backed hate.

Faced with protests for his ouster, Egyptian President Morsi now claiming his dictatorial power grab is just temporary. "The presidency reiterates the temporary nature of those measures, which are not intended to concentrate power, but to avoid ... attempts to undermine democratically elected bodies and preserve the impartiality of the judiciary," he office said in a statement that gave no end date for his sudden one-man rule.

Former French first lady Carla Bruni said that she, unlike husband Nicolas Sarkozy, supports same-sex marriage and gay adoption. "I am rather in favor of gay marriage and adoption, I have a lot of friends -- women and men -- who are in this situation and I see nothing unstable or perverse in families with homosexual parent," the former model and musician told Vogue.

It will be a big, gay week for the Supreme Court.

A Kentucky teacher has been reprimanded after writing "You can’t be a Democrat & go to Heaven" on her classroom's chalk board.

News: Walmart Madness, Morsi, Pot Plant, 'Downton'

Egyptians are protesting across the country after President Mohamed Morsi elevated himself to the top of the governmental chain in a "constitutional coup" to take care of "weevils" he claims are corrupting the nation. Opponent and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei said "Morsi today usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh. A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences."

Discovery pulled the plug on Dirty Jobs, leaving dreamy host Mike Rowe in a lurch.

British radio host Rubina Nasir has been fined for saying gay people are "evil" and deserve to be beaten. "What should be done if they do [practice homosexuality]? If there are two such persons among you, that do this evil, the shameful act, what do you have to do? Torture them; punish them; beat them and give them mental torture," she said, citing the Quran as her source.

Argentine politician Gabriela Cerruti is being called a "drug pusher" after posting a picture of a pot plant on her Twitter as a means of starting a conversation about decriminalizing marijuana. The pot plant was a gift from gay activist Alex Freyrem.

Bad lesson: "On Monday, 62 per cent of Alberta school boards voted against adopting a sexual minorities policy at the Alberta School Boards Association conference. Both the Calgary Catholic School District and the Calgary Board of Education voted against, and they were joined by 37 other school boards."

On Monday, 62 per cent of Alberta school boards voted against adopting a sexual minorities policy at the Alberta School Boards Association conference.

Both the Calgary Catholic School District and the Calgary Board of Education voted against, and they were joined by 37 other school boards.

The view of many in the majority, according to various officials, is that individual groups shouldn’t be singled out, and that school board policies cover all variety of discrimination and harassment.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/School+boards+reject+separate+policy+sexual+minorities/7597793/story.html#ixzz2D4y52Ajy

On Monday, 62 per cent of Alberta school boards voted against adopting a sexual minorities policy at the Alberta School Boards Association conference.

Both the Calgary Catholic School District and the Calgary Board of Education voted against, and they were joined by 37 other school boards.

The view of many in the majority, according to various officials, is that individual groups shouldn’t be singled out, and that school board policies cover all variety of discrimination and harassment.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/School+boards+reject+separate+policy+sexual+minorities/7597793/story.html#ixzz2D4y52Ajy

After a tumultuous few weeks (to say the least), Chevy Chase is leaving NBC's Community.

Gay author Andrew Solomon discussed his new book, Far from the Tree, a rumination on the varied effects of biological differences of all kind, including homosexuality and deafness, with NPR: "I had felt very lonely, in some ways, in dealing with being gay, and then all of a sudden I discovered that I had something in common with all of these other people. And I felt all of them seemed to be lonely in their particular identities, and I thought, I wonder whether I can possibly describe what it was like to have to go through my experience and what our experiences have in common.

Now that they were finally able to return to Sandy-ravaged Fire Island, residents vow to rebuild.

California Gov. Jerry Brown made history by appointing Jim Hume as the state's first openly gay appellate justice.

Another burning, itching question for the GOP: "Are Republican immigration reform opponents losing clout?"

The Republican Party's conservatism is too single-minded for many Latino voters.

John Waters say save The Roxie.

"The Beautiful Ones."

Want to be punched in the face for 25% off? Go to any number of Walmart locations, where riots, would-be shootings and other bedlam have been happening since Black Friday began this morning.

The Dowager Countess will spit wit for at least one more season: Downton Abbey has been renewed for a fourth go-round.

The Obama campaign's couture collaboration with fashion big-wigs paid off: "While President Barack Obama's re-election campaign took heat for launching a high-fashion clothing line as a fundraising tool earlier this year, it turns out the move may not have been such a far-fetched idea. The Obama team's campaign manager, Jim Messina, recently said the line ultimately brought in 'just north of $40 million' –a notable chunk of the more than $644 million raised by the campaign."

Remember when Paris Hilton met Dame Judi Dench? 2006 was a wild, wild year.

Jon Stewart And Bill O'Reilly 'Rumble' In Epic Debate: VIDEO

Move over Mitt and Barack, because there's a far more rambunctious, exciting debate duo in town: Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly.

The men met at George Washington University in DC last night for "O'Reilly v Stewart 2012: the Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium," an event moderated by CNN's ED Hill and that featured the men facing-off on almost every subject under the sun, including the role of government, the attacks on U.S. embassies in Libya and Cairo and the ethics of government subsidies. Wondered Stewart, "Why is it if you take advantage of a tax break as a corporation you're a smart businessman, but if you take advantage of a tax break as a person you're a moocher?"

The LA Times offers some more details:

The Daily Show host centered his remarks around the idea that many on the right live in an "alternate reality," of which O’Reilly is allegedly the mayor. It’s a place, Stewart declared, where "problems are amplified, solutions simplified." The name Stewart gave O’Reilly’s domicile was somewhat more spicy, but you get the drift.

O’Reilly, host of the Fox News show The O’Reilly Factor, pulled no punches either, accusing Stewart of defending an addled, entitlement-laden society, the "poster child" of which is Sandra Fluke. Fluke, the Georgetown law student who came under attack from Rush Limbaugh after she spoke out on behalf of contraception coverage, is the embodiment of a country that is "lazy," "mooching" and overly dependent on the federal government, he said.

Asked at the end what they had learned, Stewart, using his affectionate honorific for O'Reilly's employer, Fox News, told Hill, "have learned that bullsh*t mountain is tall, bullsh*t mountain is wide, and it's deep." O'Reilly answer? "That I know I'm right."

Watch the video, via The Guardian, AFTER THE JUMP.

Adult Film Star Explains How And Why He Was In 'Innocence Of Muslims'

Watching Innocence of Muslims, the bigoted, insensitive video that sparked anti-American protests in Libya, Egypt and Yemen, some viewers recognized an instantly recognizable actor named Tim Dax from his work in gay adult films.

This had many wondering why Dax would involve himself in such an obviously hateful project. The short answer: the film's directors kept the actors in the dark about the movie's actual message. The longer answer, sent in an email to Joe.My.God, is here, unedited:

i can tell you i auditioned for a movie called Desert Storm that was about Ancient Warriors. My character was called Sampson on the paper with a few lines I got each day upon arriving on set. We never saw a full script or any lines after the day we shot them. Many questions were asked regarding absurdity of lines and situations.

Sam the producer who I believed to be, but not certain as Egyptian. His reply would always to work with what we were given as he wrote the script. The clip that I saw part of today for the first time is questionable as to being my voice. The voice over work is dubious at best. a week and a half of work, 75 bucks a day & lunch. ; ) Can't tell you anymore than that other than I'm am very much NOT anti muslim.

one world one love. Tim.

It makes sense that the directors would keep the script to themselves. Wouldn't want anyone spoiling their intentionally incendiary plans!

NEWS: Retroactive Retirement, Celeste Holm, And Heckles (VIDEO)

 Senior Romney advisor explains discrepancy over Romney's Bain retirement dates: He didn't leave 'til 2002, but he retired retroactively to 1999. Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

 Rahm to Romney: Stop whining. 

 Obama's humblebrag, and the ill health of campaign discourse:

when Charlie Rose showed up at the White House asking the president what he thought his big mistake was, all that remained a mystery was how Obama would evade the question.

President Obama chose the humblebrag: "The mistake of my first term—couple of years—was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right. And that's important. But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times." 

... The president was essentially saying that he was working so hard trying to help the American people, he forgot to tell them about it.

 This was the gayest Comic-Con ever:

“Queer fandom is absolutely galvanized by seeing more accurate representations of ourselves,” [says Justin Hall, author of the just-released “No Straight Lines,” a retrospective of LGBT comics.] “There’s a snowball effect.”

“It’s always been going on under the surface, but now there’s a real queer presence,” adds Love Ablan, a self-described pop culture nerd who’s bisexual. “Even among non-queer fans. My super-straight guy friend is totally into this comic about queer bears.”

 Aretha Franklin would like to be the new J-Lo.

 Actress Celeste Holm has died. She was 95. 

 Here's a very sad, very compelling story written about Ms. Holm last year, detailing the conflict between her children and young husband about the disbursement of her ravaged fortune:

To its various players, this story is about a young husband coveting his elderly wife’s fortune, or jealous sons guarding their inheritance or an independent-minded woman trying to maintain control of her finances even as her faculties decline. It is a cautionary tale for families trying to manage one of our age’s emblematic conflicts, between elderly parents who want to live autonomously and adult children who want to protect them, made more vivid by the presence of the Broadway and screen actress at its center. From all sides, it is a story of loss. 

 Father arrested in Iran for son's contributions to Imam-mocking Facebook page:

The Facebook page, dubbed the "Campaign to Remind Shias about Imam Naqi," features a robed man, presumably Naqi, with a face like Charles Manson's, flanked by a camel wearing sunglasses and the donkey from "Shrek." It also shows a picture of a Shiite tomb that has been pooped on by a flock of pigeons.

With more than 21,000 likes, the page explains, "Our goal is to use satire to take out the superstition from religion."

... On May 23, Khameneh got a call from his father, Abbas Khameneh, in Iran.

"He said, 'some people from the intelligence service had come (to our house), and they want you to cooperate,' " Khameneh recalled. "My father said, 'they want your passwords to your Facebook, web blog and e-mail ... '"

 Madonna sued for comparing Marine Le Pen to Hitler. 

 Olympic shooter complains that gay couples get to cohabitate in Olympic village, while he and his wife do not. 

 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heckled in Egypt with cries of "Monica! Monica!"