Elton John Gets Ben & Jerry's Flavor: Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road

Ben & Jerry's wanted to salute Elton John for finally playing the state of Vermont (he's apparently played in all 49 other states) so they have created an ice cream flavor based off one of his greatest classics:

"The limited-batch ice cream, made from 'an outrageous symphony of decadent chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle and white chocolate chunks,' is a take-off on his 1970s album and song 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.' It will be available from July 18 to July 25 in the company's Vermont scoop shops, with proceeds going to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, officials said Tuesday."

He'll play Vermont on July 21. His Top of the Pops "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" performance from 1973, AFTER THE JUMP...

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News: Taxes, Ken Livingstone, Titanic, Milo Ventimiglia, Scientology

On tax day, a reminder of how the U.S. inflicts extra financial burden on gay citizens.

The last meal on the Titanic, which went down 96 years ago today. Researchers have a new theory behind the sinking — rivets.

ABC's Jake Tapper calls attention to the "Compassion Forum" appearance of Clinton and Obama at Messiah College, which I posted about last week. One of his readers asks, ""Shouldn't Democratic presidential candidates, both of whom are explicitly on the record as being in favor of gay rights, avoid schools like this as assiduously as previous generations of politicians were urged to avoid Bob Jones University? How can politicians appear at a college that espouses these ideas and then turn around and court the gay community at the same time? How can the two leading Democratic candidates appear on stage at this college and not be questioned by the press about the hypocrisy of appearing there?"

Kentucky GOP Rep. Geoff Davis on Obama: "I’m going to tell you something: That boy’s finger does not need to be on the button. He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country." Davis apologizes...

The gay Navy lieutenant from Melrose Place, Jason Beghe, escaped the clutches of Scientology and now he's speaking out on video: "It’s very, very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution. I think it stunts your evolution. If Scientology is real, then something’s fucked up."

Lack of support from London Mayor Ken Livingstone leaves 2008 International Gay & Lesbian Football Association World Championship with a funding shortfall: "Peter Tatchell of Outrage! described as 'scandalous' the lack of any funding or support from City Hall. 'Ken Livingstone is organising billions of pounds for corporate mega events like the 2012 Olympics but can’t give a few thousand pounds to help host the gay football world championship.'"

A really mean box of jelly beans, which I'm actually really curious to taste.

Project Runway is getting not one but two spin-offs on Lifetime: "The first of them doesn't have a title yet, but Weinstein said it will look at the Project Runway world through the eyes of the show's models. The second, dubbed Project Pygmalion, is a makeover series that will turn its winner into a high-society socialite."

Somebody got carried away at the tattoo parlor.

Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in the World wins big at Italian animation festival: "Cult hit half-hour show about three gay couples in the fictional 'gay ghetto' of West Lahunga Beach took the Pulcinella nod for TV series of the year. The Pulcinella for TV series for all ages went to RAI Fiction’s 'Acqua in bocca' (Water and Bubbles), about two fish in a tank and their interaction with an Italian family, from helmer Guido Manuli."

Milo Ventimiglia dreamt of being a fighter pilot.

GYM bar in NYC to open up its locker room.

Queerty talks to author Scott Heim about his new novel We Disappear: "There were all these different disappearances in the book–including Scott Heim the writer disappearing into Scott the character—I liked this idea of readers not knowing where one starts and the others begin. There are a lot of things in the book that are total fiction. The danger of doing this blurring is when people do read this as a memoir."

Tom Cruise and David Beckham to buy a soccer team together?

A townhouse in New York's West Village transformed, part of New York magazine's excellent new occasional real estate section, Vu.

Fight to allow gay blood donors heats up in Scotland.

Judicial Watch calls on FEC to investigate Elton John's Hillary Clinton benefit concert: "Recent news reports suggest that Hillary Clinton and Hillary Clinton for President have accepted an in-kind contribution from a foreign national, Sir Elton John, in contravention of federal electon laws. On behalf of Judicial Watch and its supporters, I hereby request that the FEC investigate this matter."

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Hillary Clinton Gets Big Love from Elton John at Radio City

Last night's Elton John fundraiser for Hillary Clinton at New York's Radio City Music Hall raised $2.5 million for Clinton.

Elton told the crowd: "The reason I'm here tonight is to play music, but more importantly as someone who comes from abroad, and is in America quite a lot of the time (and) is extremely interested in the political process because it effects the whole world...I've always been a Hillary supporter. I'm amazed by the misogynistic attitudes of some of the people in this country. And I say to hell with them .... I love you Hillary, I'll be there for you."

Said Clinton: "What I want you to know, is I'm still standing, and I believe this country is worth fighting for."

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T.R. Knight Steps Out with New Beau Mark Cornelsen

T.R. Knight showed off his new boyfriend at Elton John's Oscar party, Just Jared reports. Both were beaming for the camera.

Cornelsen was a 2007 Matthew Shepard Point Scholar and serves on the Point Foundation's youth Advisory Council. There's a bio on him at the Point Foundation.

There's also a YouTube clip AFTER THE JUMP...

These two seem like a happy pair. Best of luck to them.

Mark Cornelsen: T.R. Knight’s New Boyfriend [just jared]

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News; Jane Russell, Episcopals, Scott Heim, Heathrow, Paul Burrell

Iran's 'cure' for homosexuality: financial assistance for a sex change operation. Cleric: "Islam has a cure for people suffering from this problem. If they want to change their gender, the path is open."

Jane Russell shows Hollywood how a real movie star works Oscar's red carpet.

Singer-songwriter Ne-Yo may not be gay, but he is fast.

Elton John talks to CBS about his AIDS Foundation and recent reports that cases among young gay men are on the rise: "We are facing an uphill battle again in countries that you thought you'd crossed, you'd done that, you've covered that territory. Because people think, 'Well, you know, even if I do get HIV, I'm going to be OK.' They don't realize the toxicity of the drugs they have to take. And I just think it's so reprehensible, with the information available to them. But they do it and so we have to help them."

Da-Tah: a Scissor Sisters mash-up album, free for download. (via arjan writes)

Gay couple told to cool the PDA at swank New York restaurant Cipriani? "A gay editor was dining with another young man recently when a Cipriani staffer asked the duo to turn and face the bar. The waiter conveyed to them that Cipriani is a 'family restaurant' and they might offend other diners. The restaurant contends their actions were less gay bashing and more preserving the sanctity of fine dining from what one witness called 'blatant crotch-grabbing.' 'There was an unfortunate incident a few weeks ago where two individuals were acting inappropriately in a sexual manner at the bar of an upscale restaurant. It should go without saying that this behavior is completely unacceptable for anyone, regardless of sexual orientation,' a spokesman for the restaurant asserts."

That other awards show, The Independent Spirit Awards, was a touch less formal than the Oscars.

The Miami Herald talks to Gay American Heroes project founder Scott Hall.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams backing secret plans to create "parallel" church for American conservatives defecting over the church's gay policy: "According to insiders, Dr Williams has given his blessing to the plans to create an enclave for up to 20 conservative American bishops that would insulate them from their liberal colleagues. The scheme would allow them to remain technically within the Episcopal Church but under the care of like-minded archbishops from abroad. The Primate of the West Indies, Archbishop Drexel Gomez, a moderate conservative, has agreed to participate, and other primates could be recruited. However, the initiative is likely to infuriate liberal leaders of the Episcopal Church, who will see it as an attempt to undermine their authority and interfere in their affairs."

Pastor Ken Hutcherson's hate sermon: "If I was in a drugstore and some guy opened the door for me, I’d rip his arm off and beat him with the wet end."

Wolverine shows off his washboard abs.

AfterElton talks to Michael K. Williams about Omar and the developments surrounding his character on last night's episode of The Wire [SPOILERS].

Novelist Scott Heim talks to the Boston Globe about his new book We Disappear and his escape from crystal meth addiction: "The drug didn't do anything for me anymore. It was just keeping me alive. It wasn't about pleasure; it was just obliterating the sadness. You don't write when you're on drugs because the last thing you want is to be alone. Crystal meth was erasing me, and the deeper I got I saw only three outcomes: death, prison, or recovery."

First look inside London Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 5.

Brit tabloid News of the World charges Diana butler Paul Burrell of leading 'secret gay life': "Paul IS a greedy liar, a devious snake. He's also ruthless and selfish. He's always made out that he's this happily-married family man when in reality he's gay and only interested in sex with men. He told me he hadn't slept with Maria for years. He's constantly on the lookout for gay pick-ups all over the world. And he shamelessly uses his back catalogue of Diana stories to hook his targets. He tells them all sorts about her to get them in the sack. His taste is for pretty, younger guys. He'll brag about his wealth and royal connections. There are plenty out there who fall for it."

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Chace Crawford and J.C. Chasez Pretty Up Elton John's Oscar Bash

Chace Crawford and J.C. Chasez had a tête-à-tête at Elton John's 16th Annual Oscar party benefit for his AIDS Foundation.

The couple reportedly discussed the re-emergence of the skinny purple tie, the latest tabloid stories from the New York Post, the fact that if they got married then one of them would be called Chace Chasez, and, of course man bangs.

Previously
Gossip Girl Guys Engage in Well-Dressed Three-way for Out [tr]
Nine Out of Ten Men Prefer the Taste of Chace Crawford [tr]
Caucus Break: Chace Crawford Swimsuit Issue [tr]
The Many Pre-Gossip Girl Faces of Chace Crawford [tr]

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News: Coral, Indiana, Rufus Wainwright, Berlin, Neil Patrick Harris

Indiana Senate votes 39-9 to ban same-sex marriage: "The amendment now goes to the House, where it died last year and where it's stalled again this year. State Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, the chairman of the House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee, which was assigned the bill, has already said he will not give it a hearing because this session's focus is on property taxes."

Someone commit him: Ambulance-chasing Bobby Trendy holds Britney vigil outside UCLA medical center.

Elton John holds fundraiser for gay London mayoral candidate and former top cop Brian Paddick.

California same-sex marriage foes relaunch drive for constitutional amendment: "Signature gatherers have been spotted by people out in the field, [Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California] told the Bay Area Reporter Tuesday, January 29. He said the measure's supporters have raised over $350,000 so far, and he said signatures are being collected in the Sacramento and Central Valley areas, as well as in Southern California. Kors said there isn't "extensive visibility" yet and that he wasn't aware of signatures being gathered in the Bay Area. Kors said the anti-gay groups need about 1.1 million signatures by April 21 in order to collect the nearly 700,000 valid signatures needed to put the measure before voters. Kors said he and others just learned of the group's efforts last week, and are working to develop plans of their own."

Gray January: NYC gets no snow for first time in 75 years.

Carson Kressley on Carson Kressley: "I can't say what people are thinking, but I'm never going to defend my actions as being one way or another. I defend them as me being me. If I say I was being stereotypical and I do what "shouldn't" be stereotypical, then I'm living my life for somebody else and I'm marching to the beat of somebody else's drummer, and that, I think, is a worse thing."

The case for Katie Holmes faking the NY Marathon.

Researchers: Human sunscreen killing off coral reefs around the world. "Four commonly found sunscreen ingredients can awaken dormant viruses in the symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae that live inside reef-building coral species. The chemicals cause the viruses to replicate until their algae hosts explode, spilling viruses into the surrounding seawater, where they can infect neighboring coral communities. Zooxanthellae provide coral with food energy through photosynthesis and contribute to the organisms' vibrant color. Without them, the coral "bleaches"—turns white—and dies...The researchers estimate that 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen wash off swimmers annually in oceans worldwide, and that up to 10 percent of coral reefs are threatened by sunscreen-induced bleaching."

More Becks on the beach photos.

Rufus, Rufus, Rufus: Victoria Beckham isn't the only one appearing naked on those new Marc Jacobs T-shirts.

New York City comptroller William Thompson leads anti-discrimination charge with the LGBT Community Center and the New York City Pension Funds, calling on more than two dozen large companies including ExxonMobil to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity: "We must work together to make sure that corporate America embraces acceptance and affords all employees the same protections..."

New York Post endorses Barack Obama.

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka to duet for Broadway Backwards 3, the gender-bending concert of show tune favorites benefiting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.

Hundreds of Pennsylvania students sign petition to force administrators to take on anti-gay bullying: "The petition circulated after an openly gay senior student left school halfway through the year, claiming he was repeatedly harassed by fellow students. Superintendent David Volkman says the district has formed a new committee to look at the issue. He says the school is already looking at ways to reinforce its harassment policy, and has created 'safe rooms' for students who would like to talk with teachers about the issue."

Europe's first gay old folks home fully booked.

New York's Gay City News endorses Obama: "The McClurkin episode, unfortunate as it was, pales in comparison to the divisiveness that Senator Clinton has allowed her campaign to devolve into. Her comparison between the roles played by Dr. King and President Lyndon Johnson in advancing civil rights can be chalked up to inartfulness. The comments coming from her surrogates are far more disturbing, forming a pattern that sadly can no longer be ignored."

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News: Tiger Attack, Janet Jackson, Beards, Apple and Jay-Z

Gay and lesbian retirement home in Santa Fe targeted by homophobic vandals.

SF Zoo: Tiger may have been "teased" before it attacked.

Vince Vaughn pays off ungodly gambling debt to ice cream cone.

Elton John to play gig in Abu Dhabi: "Sir Elton John has surprised fans by announcing he will play his first gig in the United Arab Emirates later this month. The flamboyantly gay star, who has sold 250m albums in a four-decade career, will perform at an open-air concert in Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace Hotel. The decision could leave Sir Elton open to charges of hypocrisy, because of the UAE's poor record on human rights. Homosexuality is illegal: those convicted of it face jail sentences, or compulsary psychiatric 'treatment', including the injection of hormones designed to 'cure' them."

HuffPo's Alex Geana finds Clinton online presence strong among Iowa's gays and lesbians: "All the Iowans I talked to are still greatly undecided, but I was able to garner some interesting mentions. Such as Clinton volunteers and campaign workers in the chat rooms, not only to connect and be social but to actually champion her as their choice. Is Hillary the only one that fosters being 'out' on the campaign trail? No one mentioned other campaigns so comfortable with the online world, apparently Obama and Edwards staffers don't identify with both their sexuality and campaign, but that's just a theory."

Late night hosts undergo beard analysis.

Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on Gene Robinson and out clergy: "He is certainly not alone in being a gay bishop; he's certainly not alone in being a gay partnered bishop. He is alone in being the only gay partnered bishop who's open about that status."

Miami commissioner Marc Sarnoff fends off resident bothering him about his sexuality: "Let me state that bringing the persons sexual preference to bear in a conversation is not only wrong, but it denigrates all the progress we as a tolerant society have made. It reminds me of the Boy who cried Wolf. When the Wolf arrives no one believes them. Equally when race is brought into an issue and it is not present it belies the credibility of the story teller the next cry for wolf. No one will believe their stories. You demonstrate today that we have a great deal more to achieve as a society before we can call ourselves tolerant. As long as one of you is out there we have much prejudice to stamp out and in time we will."

Miss Jackson poised for some Feedback.

Apple rumored to start record label with Jay-Z. Announcement forthcoming at Macworld?

Long Island, New York law firm turns focus to LGBT issues.

South Korean police officer comes out, vows to fight prejudice: "On Dec. 30, Private Kim Hyun-jong (not his real name) posted an article about his homosexuality on the online riot police community Web site. He is the second policeman from the squad to have openly come out after YooJeong Min-shik identified himself as being gay and refused to finish his service term for which he was prisoned in 2006. In South Korea, men can serve in the riot police as part of their mandatory military service. In the article, Kim said that coming out was not easy, but what was more important was that he faced discrimination and insults, that should be outlawed at military camps. Kim, who works at a police station in Yongsan, Seoul, said his coming out was almost an 'outing' (forced to make a coming out by others) after some fellow policemen read some private information he had saved on his computer. He said he first tried to deny it, but later made up his mind to declare his sexual identity."

Roman Catholic bishop in Spain claims that underage boys want abuse: "There are 13 year old adolescents who are under age and who are perfectly in agreement with, and what’s more wanting it, and if you are careless they will even provoke you."

Gayhane: Gay Muslims find nightlife in Berlin. "European Muslims, so often portrayed one-dimensionally as rioters, honor killers or terrorists, live diverse lives, most of them trying to get by and to have a good time. That is more difficult if one is both Muslim and gay. 'When you’re here, it’s as if you’re putting on a mask, leaving the everyday outside and just having fun,' said a 22-year-old Turkish man who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear that he would be ostracized or worse if his family found out about his sexual orientation. Safety and secrecy come up regularly when talking to guests, who laugh and dance, but also frequently look over their shoulders. To be a gay man or lesbian with an immigrant background invites trouble here in two very different ways."

Ryan Reynolds is a ruff ryder.

'Obscene' Terence Koh Jesus statue causes uproar in Britain.

STUDY: Gay seniors rely on friends for medical care when ill. " Those who were helped were suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer, muscular/skeletal illnesses, cardiovascular disease, or other afflictions associated with aging, according to the Rockway Institute. Thirty-eight percent of the survey participants reported to have received care within the past five years from people who weren't health care professionals. Of the group who received help, 76% said that they had also assisted others in their time of need. The sample comprised 199 LGB adults ages 40–85 who were located through elder care agencies in New York City and Los Angeles."

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Music News: The Feeling Hurt From The Bottom To The Top, Plus David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Goldfrapp, ABBA, Spice Girls, Elton John

Please welcome Robbie Daw, who will be penning weekly music posts for us here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own pop music site called Chart Rigger.

Brit act The Feeling's new single "I Thought It was Over" -- off sophomore album Join With Us, due out in February -- debuted on Jo Whiley's BBC Radio One show this past Friday, and is meeting with mixed reaction. Unfortunately, it appears as if music from a planned session with producer Trevor Horn didn't make it onto the record.

In the meantime, Audio from Jo Whiley's broadcast has made its way onto YouTube ahead of an official single release.

Personally, I think this is just great pop, which is nothing more than this band ever claimed to produce. Between this and the two songs he contributed to Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Trip The Light Fantastic earlier this year, Feeling frontman Dan Gillespie Sells is rapidly establishing himself as a go-to songwriter for killer hooks.

David Bowie's The Hunger-era face (pictured right) is on sale for a mere $950!

As a tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who passed away last December, Led Zeppelin reunites at a London gig "for which more than a million fans from around the world sought to book passage."

Goldfrapp's next album, The Seventh Tree, is due out February 26. In an interview with Billboard, Alison Goldfrapp acknowleges a change in sound for the band: "We did talk quite a lot about what kind of instruments would get that kind of warmth and that kind of sound we wanted. We'd never used acoustic guitars before. We wanted the sound to be delicate, but not weak." The music publication states the album is produced by Flood and that "there's a greater emphasis on ethereal, psychedelic pop in the vein of early Air." In other words, unhook the disco ball, kids.

Benny Andersson, Frida Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Björn Ulvaeus -- who comprised a band you possibly might have heard of at some point called ABBA -- are donating personal memorabilia from their career for a three-floor museum dedicated to the band.

The Spice Girls traipsed down the west coast last week, and blogger Dave White offers up a comical assessment for MSNBC on the spectacle that was the girl group's Friday show in Los Angeles (where I sat a few rows in front of Dave and his husband, Alonso). Meanwhile, if you aren't able to catch the tour, YouTuber TheSpiceGirlsExperience was planted firmly at both L.A. shows with what appears to be a pretty decent camera and sound equipment.

FLASHBACK: The top song on Billboard's Hot 100 chart this week 10 years ago was Elton John's "Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight." The double A-side, the first part of which was rapidly recorded as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, would go on to sell 33 million copies around the world. In the U.S. alone, the single sold 11 million copies and spent 14 weeks at #1. John only ever performed "Candle In The Wind 1997" one time, at Diana's funeral in London's Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminster, more commonly known as Westminster Abbey. The single was eventually knocked off the top of the Billboard chart in mid-January 1998 by Savage Garden's "Truly Madly Deeply."

The best-selling album this week in 1997 was Metallica's ReLoad.

TODAY'S NEW RELEASES:

21-year-old R&B crooner Mario's Go, featuring 12 songs with a different producer for each, including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Timbaland and The Neptunes.

New singles from Ashlee Simpson ("Outta My Head"), Taylor Dayne ("Beautiful") and Katharine McPhee ("O Come All Ye Faithful"), as well as Maroon 5's cover of John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)."

The most-watched cable program ever, Disney's High School Musical 2, graduates to DVD in an "Extended Edition."

Radiohead's Limited Deluxe Edition Box Set, featuring the band's seven albums for label EMI that spanned from 1993 to 2003.

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Elton John Reminds Crowd What David Beckham's Got Down Under

Australia not only celebrated the election of a new Prime Minister over the weekend, but also honored the arrival of the L.A. Galaxy's David Beckham to Sydney with a star-studded party.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Elton John was in usual outspoken form: "Sydney's A-list may have been starstruck but it took Elton John to break the ice at the Foxtel is Football party last night, greeting guest of honour David Beckham with a cheeky quote, 'Allo Golden Balls'. The football king and queen of crocodile rock's friendly banter kicked off the fun at Cafe Sydney, where the A-list went ga-ga over the LA Galaxy superstar. While the rest of the team were happy to take in the view, local eyes were fixed on the bronzed Beckham."

Also in attendance, retired Olympian Ian Thorpe.

ADDENDUM: As noted in the comments, Beckham's visit has also created controversy because his entourage reportedly swept by a group of children with cancer upon his arrival to the hotel. Beckham says he didn't see them: "I would never have done that. Never have done, never will do. I'm more than willing to meet them wherever they want and at whatever time that they want."

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Michael Kors Sparkles on Halloween

Fashion designer and Project Runway judge Michael Kors showed up at Bette Midler's Halloween bash for the New York Restoration Project looking like his teeth needed restoring. Or is that just a stab at Elton and British dental hygiene?

(image source)

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Elton John's Nan Goldin Photo Judged "Not Indecent"

A Nan Goldin photo entitled "Thanksgiving" which was part of an exhibition of works owned by Elton John was seized last month as part of a child pornography probe. Authorities now say there will be no charges in the case.

Reuters reports: "Northumbria CPS said it had told police there was insufficient evidence to justify proceedings for possession or distribution of an indecent photograph. It said it had investigated the picture by U.S. photographer Nan Goldin in 2001 when it was part of another exhibition at the Saatchi gallery in London and had decided then that it was not indecent. Kerrie Bell, head of CPS Northumbria's South Unit, added: 'In order to prove that the photograph is indecent we must be satisfied that contemporary standards of propriety are so different now to what they were in 2001, that it is more likely than not that a court will conclude that the photograph is indecent. I am not satisfied that is the case. Even if the photograph was now considered to be indecent, a defendant would be able to raise a legitimate defence, given that the photograph was distributed for the purposes of display in a contemporary art gallery after having been deemed not to be indecent by the earlier investigation."

You can see the photograph here.

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News: Venezuela, Andy Roddick, Melting Glaciers, Lynne Cheney

STUDY: America's youth rejecting Christianity because of hypocrisy and homophobia. "A new book based on research by the California-based research firm The Barna Group found that church attitudes about people in general and gays in particular are driving a negative image of the Christian faith among people ages 16-29. 'The Christian community's ability to take the high road and help to deal with some of the challenges that this (anti-gay) perception represents may be the ... defining response of the Christian church in the next decade,' said David Kinnaman, Barna Group president and author of the book, UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity. 'The anti-homosexual perception has now become sort of the Geiger counter of Christians' ability to love and work with people.'"

Assessing the disaster that is Britney's album cover art.

Venezuela looks ready to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Three people in Cheney's office reportedly tried to silence MSNBC's Chris Matthews: "I thought on the 10th anniversary it would be good to celebrate the First Amendment, which gives us all our living. We reviewed in brief the remarkable experience of covering the Clinton [scandal] and the defense of the war with Iraq. And the difference in these two cases was that although I was extremely tough on Clinton, there was never any attempt to silence me — whereas there was a concerted effort by [Vice President Cheney’s office] to silence me. It came in the form of three different people calling trying to quiet me."

British university student expelled for leaving homophobic comments in a group on Facebook.

STUDY: 16,000 couples wed in first year of UK civil partnerships. "London was the area with the highest number of ceremonies, about 4,000, followed by the South-East, which accounted for about 2,700. Today's report also reveals that 10 per cent of the men and almost a quarter of the women involved in a gay wedding were previously married-The average age for males registering a same-sex partnership was 47 and for females nearly 44. The average age gap between partners was eight years for men and six years for women."

Elton John bangs balls with Andy Roddick at benefit tournament.

Ricky Martin receives key to the city of Miami.

Fragrance industry sniffing out Madonna.

The big melt: Glaciers disappearing from Montana's Glacier National Park "eight years ahead of schedule."

Tennessee attorney general Bob Cooper releases opinon to judge saying that the state's constitution presents no barrier to same-sex couples who want to adopt: "In it, Cooper wrote that, under the state constitution, same-sex couples should be eligible to adopt children as long as the court finds the placement to be in the child's best interest. Cooper found the constitution doesn't mention adoption, meaning the process is governed solely by statutes. Tennessee law doesn't require people petitioning for adoption to be married."

Lynne Cheney booed on The Daily Show, says terrorist attacks worldwide don't affect American interests.

This is a particularly hypnotizing optical illusion.

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News: Marc Jacobs, Sweden, Lance Bass, Astroglide

Same-sex marriage in Sweden closer to reality? "Sweden’s three opposition parties, the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left Party have put forward a motion in the Swedish Parliament to allow gay marriages. There is wide support in the parliament for the move, with the only party against the plans the Christian Democrats. They are also in a minority in the government, with three out of four of the ruling parties also in favour, but the Christian Democrat’s opposition means the government is unable to put forward a motion itself."

Marc Jacobs strips again for the cover of Arena Homme +

Astroglide: Barbara Walters reportedly gave sexual lubricant recommendations to Rosie O'Donnell.

Lance Bass in shouting match with companion outside NYC's Barracuda bar: "He was creating a commotion, and then he and Lance took it outside. They fought outside, screaming at the top of their lungs."

Memorial held in NYC for gay club icon Dean Johnson. Friend: "I never felt as comfortable as a straight guy in a world where I wasn’t supposed to be than with Dean. When I met Dean, I realized what being free is all about. He never judged anybody, and he never cared about being judged."

It's Britney's video, bitch!

Condoleezza Rice's female friend Randy Bean, with whom she owns a house in Palo Alto, California, responds to rumors that the two women are a couple: "Condi and I have been friends for 25 years. We co-own an investment property in Palo Alto. We do not share a home."

On the planning of an LGBT Wedding magazine.

Responding to GLAAD, the New York Post apologizes for calling a transgender person a She-Male.

SLOG's Dan Savage talks to Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report.

The Provincetown hate crimes have caught the attention of Boston's newsweekly The Phoenix.

Here's the Nan Goldin photograph, "Klara and Edda Belly Dancing", that was seized by police from a show of Elton John's collection. Elton shuttered the gallery exhibition due to the investigation, which alleges the photograph breaches child pornography laws.

Gay foster parent ban may hit the 2008 ballot in Arkansas: "Attorney General Dustin McDaniel approved an initiative Thursday, which will allow supporters of the ban to collect signatures in support of placing the issue on a ballot. Now that their initiative has been approved, the Family Council Action Committee must collect at least 78-thousand votes in order to get their proposal on the 2008 ballot. It was struck down by the state Supreme Court in 2006 and failed in the state legislature during the 2007 session, so proponents of a ban on gay and unmarried foster parents decided to take the issue to the voters. After one failed attempt in September, the Family Council Action Committee got their initiative approved on Thursday."

Recent paparazzi photos of Jennifer Aniston and Orlando Bloom in Mexico which sparked relationship rumors have a backstory: they were at the 'gay power wedding' of friends Luc Brinker and Todd Diener in Mexico.

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News: Britney Spears, Yale, Plaza Hotel, Lou Pearlman, Lost

High school student paper editorial "characterizing homosexuals as victims of reproductive error or an unwanted upbringing" causes firestorm in Georgia: "Principal Trudie Donovan said Monday that she had reviewed the article before it was published last Friday, but said she had no authority to censor it. 'My job is the safety and security of the school, not censorship,' she said. Cobb County schools spokesman Jay Dillon said principals have no legal standing to say articles of student opinion can't be printed. Under court rulings and school district policy, students can express their opinions and ideas publicly, privately, orally and in writing. 'There may be no interference with that, even if a student's opinion is unpopular,' he said."

New York's Plaza Hotel celebrates 100 years: "After the park-facing façade of the Plaza Hotel had glowed with the number '100,' after white and gold jets of light had been launched from the roof into the dark October sky, and after a pigeon and a heart-shaped balloon had flown past the 12th floor, suddenly flashes of white light, syncopated to the strains of 'One' from the Broadway hit 'A Chorus Line,'burst from the windows of the venerable hostelry-turned-hotel-and-condominium."

Sexual orientation hate crimes bill launched in Scotland.

Britney Spears has what some might call her darkest day yet but goes out partying anyway.

Queer Eye stages "Straight Guy Pageant" to kick off new season.

Elton John asks gallery to shutter exhibition that showcased the Nan Goldin portrait seized in a child pornography probe.

Lost writers/producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof give up some tidbits about the show's upcoming season.

After appeals court ruling, Yale to allow military recruiters on campus: "At question is a statute called the Solomon Amendment, which allows the federal government to withhold funds from universities that do not extend the same welcome to military recruiters as they do to other recruiters. Since 1978, Yale Law School has required recruiters to sign a pledge of nondiscrimination. Military recruiters would not do that because of the Defense Department’s 'don’t ask, don’t tell' policy, which permits homosexuals to serve in the armed forces as long as they keep their sexual orientation private."

Vanity Fair to tell the completely unsavory and unsurprising tales of boyband manufacturer Lou Pearlman.

The next 25 years of video games.

Chris Crocker speaks out about nude pictures circulating on the net: "I obviously did this behind my parents backs and I am truly embarressed for myself and my family at this time, but I just wanted to clear the air and let anyone and everyone know, that has saved these pictures that it is illegal seeing as though I was 17 at the time, so when you brag that you 'saw Chris Crocker naked!!!'..what you're really bragging that you saw a 17 year old me naked."

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News: Newt Gingrich, Spice Girls, Taipei Pride, Dean Johnson

Gay businessman Tony Hoare bludgeoned to death walking his dogs in London. Motivation behind the attack is unclear.

NYC downtown icon and gay performing artist Dean Johnson dies: "The six-foot-six promoter was found dead by authorities in Washington, D.C., but remained unidentified until this week. Police are still investigating the cause...At times a porn star and at other times a rock star (he fronted Dean and the Weenies and later the Velvet Mafia), he was always recognizable by his height (often augmented by heels) and brazen eyewear..." More from World of Wonder.

Taipei, Taiwan to hold carnival and gay pride parade this month. The carnival is this weekend. Said city official Jason Yeh: "The theme of this year's gay carnival is 'Teach You How to Watch a Gay Film'. We want the public to watch gay films in a relaxed atmosphere so that they can understand gay-related issues."

Fall auctions to test the art market bubble: "Doom-mongers are dubbing the blitz of forthcoming London sales as 'judgment week'. It will begin on October 11 with the opening of the Frieze art fair, which attracts dealers from all over the world."

Male Missouri high school student crowned Homecoming Queen: "His mother, Mary Ann Zaggy, said her son wanted to surprise his steady girlfriend at the dance tonight when the honor is formally bestowed. 'It's no big deal,' said [Marcel] Coleman, the homecoming king, although he was unsure how the traditional king-queen dance would play out. The school body voted for Zaggy, but he may have upset some students who consider the homecoming court no laughing matter."

Street Angels to take to the streets to thwart anti-gay attacks in Sydney: "The GenQ Street Angels want volunteers with policing, military, security or medical experience to join. They could be patrolling in Sydney's Oxford Street precinct and the King Street strip in Newtown as early as the first weekend in November. Organiser and GenerationQ.net founder Andrew Stopps said he hoped the patrols would initially focus on Friday and Saturday nights between 9pm and 3am, when as many as 10,000 partygoers flood Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Paddington."

Newt Gingrich says he won't run for president.

Spice Girls reunion concert sells out in 38 seconds.

Anti-gay artists Elephant Man and Sizzla nixed from Toronto concerts over homophobic lyrics.

The Captain + Tennille = Tori Spelling?

Anti-gay wingnut's daughter to star in production of The Laramie Project: "Amy Contrada, author of the vehemently anti-gay MassResistance blog and tireless crusader against the Laramie Project play, failed to report that her own daughter will star in Acton High School's production of the play this November. Despite the fact that her daughter will play a TV reporter and serve as a Moderator for the play, which sensitively chronicles the death of Mathew Shepard, Contrada remains committed to organizing an anti-gay forum at the same High School in October."

Madonna to collaborate with Elton John? Elton: "Madonna is a great artiste and I think I shoot my mouth off too much, really. Who wouldn't want to work with her?"

Police accused of harassing LGBT gathering during opening week of UN General Assembly: "On Wednesday night, September 26, without provocation, officers from the 9th Precinct of the New York Police Department attacked lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community members who were attending an event organized by the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP). At the celebration, in front of M & R Bar, at 356 Bowery Street, two people were violently arrested without cause. Others were pepper sprayed in the face without warning or cause, and injured. Most of the people attacked by the police were people of color, and many were transgender."

7,000, including hecklers, show up for North Carolina's Pride Fest.

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News: Project Runway, Mars vs Iraq, Wes Anderson, Humanity

The Project Runway designers are here! (Bios)

David Beckham rushes back to England after his father suffers a near-fatal heart attack.

''It will take months and years to really see" if Episcopal vote on exercising restraint with regard to gay clergy and same-sex relationships will mend the rift in the Anglican church, according to church leaders.

Milo Ventimiglia's booty makes appearance in new film.

Darren Hayes releases new video for "Me, Myself & I" but his Attitude magazine cover story is nowhere to be found.

Hotel Chevalier, Wes Anderson's 13-minute prequel to his upcoming film The Darjeeling Limited, is now available for download on iTunes.

Fishing Polar Bear spotted for the first time in two centuries: "The Inuit people of the Arctic have always known about it. But no outsiders have witnessed it for 200 years: a polar bear fishing. Not by scooping the fish out of the water like a brown bear - but by plunging in and swimming...Last August, researchers based in Iqaluit, Canada, watched an adolescent polar bear swimming in a river estuary packed with charr, a relative of salmon, that was migrating upstream. It caught about one fish an hour, swimming and peering into the water, then diving. In the two days they saw the bear, it caught three charr and three sculpin, a spiny fish that lives under rocks - which the bear seemed to lose enthusiasm for eating."

Clergy members in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley have come together to urge the Supreme Court to overturn the state's ban on same-sex marriage: "Ahead of what is widely expected to be the next major state Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, reverends, pastors and rabbis met at St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church in North Hollywood to announce they would file 30 amicus briefs, formal documents intended to persuade courts on an issue. The religious leaders, who were joined by 90 civil-rights organizations across the state that also filed briefs, are hoping to influence the court's decision on an upcoming review of a lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban on gay marriage."

The money the U.S. has spent in Iraq could have funded 11 independent missions to Mars.

A map of humanity.

Researchers: Is Alzheimer's memory loss due to a previously unknown third form of diabetes? " Now scientists at Northwestern University have discovered why brain insulin signaling -- crucial for memory formation -- would stop working in Alzheimer’s disease. They have shown that a toxic protein found in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s removes insulin receptors from nerve cells, rendering those neurons insulin resistant. (The protein, known to attack memory-forming synapses, is called an ADDL for 'amyloid ß-derived diffusible ligand.') With other research showing that levels of brain insulin and its related receptors are lower in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, the Northwestern study sheds light on the emerging idea of Alzheimer’s being a “type 3” diabetes."

Texas student suspended for wearing John Edwards T-shirt to school.

Elton John defends seized Nan Goldin photo: "The photograph exists as part of the installation as a whole and has been widely published and exhibited throughout the world. It has been offered for sale at Sotheby's New York … and exhibited in Houston, London, Madrid, New York, Portugal, Warsaw and Zurich without any objections that we are aware of."

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