News: Georgia, Rauschenberg, Jamaica, John Mayer, Sonoma

First batch of NewNowNext Award winners revealed!

John Mayer gives up on Kristy McNichol haircut, charges fan $10 for photo-op.

Send a personal message of support to Senator Ted Kennedy.

Con man Sonoma County, California attempts to stake claim as same-sex marriage destination.

Who won Dancing with the Stars?

Prayers for Bobby: Sigourney Weaver to play conservative religious mother in Lifetime telepic about gay son's suicide. "In her first telepic role, Weaver will star as Mary Griffith, a devout Christian who winds up becoming an advocate for gay and lesbian youths after her son is driven into a deep depression by his family's disapproval and attempts to 'cure' him of his sexual orientation."

Jamaican prime minister stands behind nation's homophobia: "Jamaica is not going allow values to be imposed on it from outside. We're going to have to determine that ourselves and we're going to have to determine to what extent those values will adapt over time to change, change in perception, change in understanding as to how people live."

Tyler Green on the hetero-normalizing of the late Robert Rauschenberg: "Critics at America's largest publications, including Michael Kimmelman, Alan Artner, Blake Gopnik, Richard Lacayo, and Peter Plagens, mostly avoid the topic. Kimmelman's queasy reference to Jasper Johns, Rauschenberg, and "the intimacy of their relationship" was the closest the Times came to acknowledging that Rauschenberg was gay. The Boston Globe's Mark Feeney, Obit magazine's Phyllis Tuchman and Newsweek's Plagens and others also took the Johns route. The two major papers in Rauschenberg's home state were even more timid."

Court in Malta rules that calling someone "gay" is not defamatory: "Magistrate Michael Mallia ruled that a person’s sexual orientation in the current society was not of social interest bar that of assuring that no discrimination is made. The fact that homosexuality was a criminal offence until 1973, said the magistrate, does not reflect the situation in the 21st century."

Jason Statham has been flogged.

Eric Dane took a few inches off the top.

EU debates sexual preference anti-discrimination guidelines.

Georgia congressman announces plan to introduce federal amendment banning same-sex marriage: "Georgia Congressman Paul Broun announced Tuesday that he will be introducing a constitutional amendment to prevent same-sex marriage in response to a recent decision by the California Supreme Court that recognizes same-sex marriages...'Marriage as an institution exists solely between one man and one woman. Americans have traditionally recognized this definition as being the most beneficial arrangement for the creation of stable family structures and for the upbringing of children. In fact, Americans have repeatedly shown their preference for the traditional definition of one-man, one-woman marriage by passing state and federal laws or by amending state constitutions to preserve the traditional definition,' Broun said."

Hillary Clinton ready for her close-up?

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News: Vanity Fair, Matt Foreman, AIDS Self-Medication, Eric Dane

New Republic editor James Kirchik questions legacy of National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's outgoing executive director Matt Foreman: "He was an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq. He fought against privatizing Social Security. He stood foursquare against the erosion of abortion rights. But what any of these issues have to do with lobbying for gay rights -- presumably Foreman’s job description -- is beyond me. His job description, though, was the problem. Foreman, after all, is just a symptom of the larger problem with NGLTF: It's a garden-variety liberal interest group posing as a gay rights organization."

Rolling Stone on Spears: an American tragedy.

"100 Reverends" to march in Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade to apologize for the church's hostility to LGBT people, but not everyone's happy about it: "Not everyone who is part of that approves of homosexual people, they’re just apologising for the way the church has behaved.We’re listed but we’re not going to be one of the main ones because that could be seen as too narrow."

British Christian group lobbies against gays adopting children: "The decision to campaign against same sex adoptions comes after a city magistrate and CPA member, stood down over the issue. Andrew McClintock, 63, resigned from his position in the family courts after he was refused permission to opt out of cases that resulted in children being placed with same sex parents. Former city councillor Sid Cordle from CPA, said: 'People in Sheffield have a right to say if they were tragically killed in an accident and their children had to be adopted, then their children should go to a father and a mother.'"

Grey's Anatomy doc Eric Dane has skin cancer scare.

Two gay/bi men, Joshuah and Neil, join posse of 20-somethings for Big Brother 9.

Gay ball marks the end of Brazil's Carnival: "Thousands of onlookers gawked as men in glittering miniskirts, evening dresses, bead-studded lingerie and feathered headdresses shimmied down a wide avenue to the sounds of ABBA's 'Dancing Queen,' for a party that would last until dawn Wednesday. After a week that saw everything from a scandal over a planned Holocaust-themed float — later nixed by a judge — to a samba queen's quest to set a world record for the most plastic surgeries, revelers spent Carnival's last hours dancing the samba behind street bands."

Two Australian police officers may face prison after telling an inmate that his girlfriend was a transgender woman: "When he got out on bail he went around to her house and seriously assaulted her. Constables Tyrone Stacey and Brendan Ritson have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Back in September 2006 26 year old Jacobson was arrested under suspicion of theft. Constable Stacey looked up information on his girlfriend Brigitte Fell and discovered that her gender was actually male. Constable Ritson saw the screen and yelled out to Jacobson, 'You’re rooting a bloke.' When he refused to believe it the Police actually showed him written proof, saying, 'See, it’s a guy.'"

Vanity Fair cancels annual glam Oscar party amid writer's strike.

In rare sell-out appearance, poet Mary Oliver charms Seattle.

Time: Gay men self-medicating with experimental AIDS drugs. "'There's a philosophy in parts of the gay community that says its okay to take some risks in having sex,' says Dr. Dan Bowers, a senior partner in Pacific Oaks Medical Group in Beverly Hills, Calif., one of the country's largest private practices treating the HIV/AIDS community. Based on results of lab studies that suggest ARVs may confer some protective benefit when taken prior to virus exposure, some people have begun self-administering the drugs like a morning-after pill, in the hopes that the drugs' pre-exposure prophylactic benefits may apply after unsafe sex too. The antiretroviral drug tenofovir, for example, which was used in the recent Texas study, is often packaged as a potent cocktail with Viagra and Ecstasy or Valium, and sold in dance clubs for $100."

Amy Winehouse buzzes back to Rehab.

Log Cabin Republicans facilitate Laguna Beach resolution against anti-gay marriage amendment: "Working with the City Council, California Log Cabin Republicans helped secure a resolution at the city council meeting this evening reiterating it’s opposition to anti-marriage equality ballot measures. The vote was 5-0 in favor of the resolution and the position was to be conveyed to the California Supreme Court which is considering a lawsuit on marriage equality."

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Eric Dane Shows a Glimpse of His Anatomy

Eric Dane makes his presence known in this month's Flaunt magazine.
More shots after the jump...

Of course, we've seen what's under all that.

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Eric Dane and John Stamos Make Their Faux Gay Debut [tr]

(image source, source, source)

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News: Mika, Antarctica, Mitt Romney, McSteamy, Lesbian Arabs

Mayor of Lithuania's capital Vilnius, has backed bus drivers who refused to drive buses emblazoned with gay tolerance advertisements. Said Mayor Juozas Imbrasas: "We tolerate people of any kind of sexual orientation, nevertheless with priority for traditional family and seeking to promote the family values, we disapprove the public display of homosexualists’ ideas in the city of Vilnius."

Mika bemoans price of fame: "It's sad but I just don't have a private life anymore. I have to focus on my music and I have absolutely no time for anything else."

Human Rights Watch calls on Iran to end home raids and mass detentions intended to "counter immoral behavior": "In Iran, the walls of homes are transparent and the halls of justice are opaque. This ‘morality’ campaign shows how fragile respect for privacy and personal dignity is in Iran today."

Barney Frank tired of people asking him about his sling. Memo: "I appreciate the concern expressed by many about why my arm is in a sling. In order to avoid having to repeat the same conversation, I am sending out this Dear Colleague. I ruptured a tendon in my left arm using a curling machine in a gym, and I had it surgically repaired yesterday at Bethesda Naval Hospital. I’ll be using the sling for a week or two, but I feel fine. Thanks for not asking."

Men's Health is all about great abs but all McSteamy serves up some good face to go with them.

Iraq off the table for Prince Harry: "He is a magnet for jihadists."

Antarctica sees ice melt the size of California...in a single month: "Satellite data collected by the scientists between July 1999 and July 2005 showed clear signs that melting had occurred in multiple distinct regions, including far inland and at high latitudes and elevations, where melt had been considered unlikely...Evidence of melting was found up to 560 miles inland from the open ocean, farther than 85 degrees south (about 310 miles from the South Pole) and higher than 6,600 feet above sea level."

In Republican debate, Mitt Romney says he'd like to see the size of Guantanamo doubled: "I am glad [detainees] are at Guantanamo. I don’t want them on our soil. I want them on Guantanamo, where they don’t get the access to lawyers they get when they’re on our soil. I don’t want them in our prisons, I want them there. Some people have said we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is we ought to double Guantanamo."

Eddie Murphy II: Is rapper Mase a fan of transgender prostitutes?

Lesbian Arabs unite to break down taboos: 'We are Palestinian, we are women, we are gay'.

North Carolina lawmakers argue over whether gays should be included on a list of potential 'bully targets' in schools: "Disagreement focuses on its description of bullying as including acts that are motivated by bias against "any actual or perceived characteristic" of a victim from a list that includes race, gender, disability and sexual orientation. The bill doesn't try to grant special protection to homosexual students - it simply states the fact that they are among the potential victims that school administrators should keep an eye on, said Rep. Rick Glazier, the sponsor. 'Special attention has got to be given to those who suffer the most bullying,' Glazier, D-Cumberland, explained. 'We cannot protect them by pretending that differences don't exist, aren't perceived to exist.'"

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News: SF Skyscrapers, Lynne Cheney, Eric Dane, Nemesis

Lynne Cheney doesn't understand the "fuss" over Mary's out-of-wedlock lesbian love child: "Well, I think that it's just very lucky for me that I enjoy being a grandmother and I get to do it for the sixth time. Dick and I both very much looking forward to this new baby."

Eric Dane rocks the business suit.

Sex and the City feature film may be back on track. Kim Cattrall: "I'm just so glad we haven't been missed or forgotten!"

Gay couple wed in Brighton UK on first anniversary of civil partnerships. They are the 680th same-sex couple to legally bond in that city.

Proposed Renzo Piano-designed San Francisco high-rises would dwarf every other building in that city. Piano likens them to a cluster of bamboo shoots.

Senator Sam Brownback continues obsession with gays: "Sen. Sam Brownback, who wants to champion social conservatives in the presidential race, said Tuesday he wants a Senate panel to re-question a judicial nominee who attended a same-sex union ceremony. Brownback, a Kansas Republican, said he wants Michigan state judge Janet Neff to testify about her role in the 2002 Massachusetts ceremony, her legal views on same-sex unions and her ability to be impartial if called upon to rule on such cases."

Jacob and Joshua Miller talk to NewNowNext about their "disfellowship" from the Jehovah's Witnesses: "The whole thing ends up being very painful... I don’t think there’s anything wrong with following a faith and believing in God and worshipping, but as a result of this, I think some people close to us will have their faith shaken and compromised, and that’s really unfortunate."

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Eric Dane and John Stamos Make Their Faux Gay Debut

Eric Dane and John Stamos showed up for the premiere of A&E's Wedding Wars last night in Los Angeles. A Socialite's Life has the details. A few Queer Eyes were on hand but I don't think Dane or Stamos needs any grooming advice.

Dane talked to Entertainment Tonight about the upcoming TV movie, which blogger Proceed at Your Own Risk calls the most "silly, whitewashed, absurd fairy tale treatment of one of the most challenging and important issues of our day" that you'll ever fall in love with.

However cheesy the treatment, Dane's presence means we'll be tuning in. Monday, December 11 @ 9 PM ET/PT on A&E.

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McSteamy Eric Dane Swims with the Sharks

No, it's not a special shark attack episode of Grey's Anatomy. This is a film once called Adrift, which in the U.S. has been adopted as the sequel to that low-budget indie shark thriller Open Water.

The sequel's original title is Open Water 2 (set for U.S. release in early 2007), and it will surely benefit by the newly-minted starpower of Eric Dane, who reportedly sports not a wetsuit but a birthday suit.

Now what shark wouldn't be attracted to that?

(source)

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Dane and DiCaprio: Separated at Birth?

Here's a McSteamy question. Are Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane and Leonardo DiCaprio slowly morphing into the same person?

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Tab: Isaiah Washington Used Gay Slur in Grey's Anatomy Brawl

An on-set confrontation between Grey's Anatomy co-stars Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey which resulted in Washington grabbing Dempsey by the throat and shoving him was kicked up a notch this morning when the National Enquirer (the tabloid that broke news of the fight) revealed that Washington had used a gay slur during the confrontation:

The melee has set off World War III on the show and may cost Isaiah his job," an insider told The ENQUIRER. "The cast is divided over the shameful event."

As The ENQUIRER exclusively revealed last week, Patrick and Isaiah clashed over cast members being late to the set, right before shooting a scene at Prospect Studios in Los Angeles.

A heated discussion quickly escalated to violence when Isaiah snapped, revealed an eyewitness. At one point, Isaiah yelled, "I'm not your little faggot like (name deleted)," according to the source. Those who heard him were stunned.

The tabloid, however, refuses to identify who the gay slur was directed at, citing its 'extreme nature', however, Washington did refer to T.R. Knight as a "bitch" in earlier reports...

Now with all the McDreaminess and McSteaminess on the Grey's Anatomy set, there's bound to be some alpha male-style jockeying for position between the male co-stars, but these aren't the kind of blows one would want it to come to. More to come as we hear it, and if anyone has heard it, please send us an email...

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The Men of Grey's Anatomy

They can't seem to keep their scrubs on this season, but who's complaining? More after the jump. Possible SPOILERS...

(photo McSteamy Grey's Anatomy Preview: Eric Dane [tr]
Eric Dane gets McSteamy on Grey's Anatomy: The Clip [tr]

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Eric Dane gets McSteamy on Grey's Anatomy: The Clip

Eric Dane fans, here's a follow up to yesterday's post, with one more screenshot of the upcoming McSteamy scene from Grey's Anatomy, and a link to the clip. Enjoy.

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McSteamy Grey's Anatomy Preview: Eric Dane

Eric Dane (McSteamy) reportedly returns to Grey's Anatomy this Thursday, and from the look of these leaked screen shots the episode will take a revealing peek at Dane's anatomy. Steamy shower scenes are the new thing in prime time dramas.

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