News: Oprah, Popcorn, RuPaul, Jeanne-Claude, Coelacanth

Prop 8 defenders still haven't handed over documents even after third order from judge?

Oprah show finished in 2011.

The abs and poetry of hot NJ Guidos.

NJ Democrats search for spine on marriage equality as state senator says economy takes precedence.

Judge orders OPM to offer health benefits to lesbian employee and family: "It was the second order from a Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge in two days rebuking the Office of Personnel Management for denying insurance coverage to the same-sex spouses of court-supervised employees. The agency, whose director was appointed by President Obama, intervened in both cases in February and invoked the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law that bars federal marriage benefits to same-sex couples."

Rallies: Activists rallied in front of NYC's Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Office yesterday in response to the horrific murder of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado. They also rallied in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There are more vigils and rallies happening this weekend.

Uganda: Rallies in response to Uganda's proposal to make "aggravated homosexuality" punishable by death took place in New York and D.C. yesterday.

Coelacanth: Baby specimens of living fossil photographed for first time.

Boy George to join Celebrity Big Brother in UK.

Senator Arlen Specter likes Barney Frank's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" suggestion: “I think the better strategy would be the one that Frank suggested. If you have it as a stand-alone bill, it’s going to be filibustered for sure. But if you attach it as an amendment — that’s what was successful with the hate-crimes amendment — I think that’d be best.”

NOM spent $112,736.75 on losing NY candidate Doug Hoffman.

New Yorkers looking for something to do this weekend might want to try Anti-Twink.

90210's Trevor Donovan shows off.

Meet the Season 2 cast of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Wrap-artist Jeanne-Claude dies of complications from brain aneurysm at 74: "Recognizable by her orange-dyed hair, Jeanne-Claude was a fixture of the international art scene and was a highly visible New York personality. Along with Christo, she created 'The Gates,' a 2005 public art project consisting of 7,503 orange rectangular structures draped with fabric and erected throughout Central Park."

Window Media publications South Florida Blade and 411 Magazine will continue to publish, under new owners.

"Ex-gays" setting up shop in Palm Beach this weekend.

Yikes: "A medium-sized popcorn and medium soda at the nation's largest movie chain pack the nutritional equivalent of three Quarter Pounders topped with 12 pats of butter, according to a report released today by the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest."

Playgirl writer: Levi Johnston saved us. "Playgirl pulled out all the stops to make this shoot a media circus -- overexerting itself financially to compensate Levi and bring on board new and old staff members to see the project through (including wunderkind party promoter Nardicio and myself, Playgirl's editor-in-chief from 2006 to 2008); and marketing the hell out of all things Levi (an ironic Levi Johnston line of Playgirl condoms due out in the spring, a Levi Johnston poster complete with signature). The 36-year-old magazine miraculously rose from the ashes of the Phoenix to become in recent months a relevant brand name once again."

News: Germany, Belmont Rocks, Rent, Dot Gay, Uganda, Polar Bears

Website devoted to raid on Atlanta Eagle bar launches.

Health care: Pelosi publicly whipping on robust public option?

SPACE: A giant hole found in the Moon, the youngest and most distant galaxy cluster ever recorded, and a stunning map of exploration of our solar system.

News anchor finds himself in a remake of The Birds.

Boston gays to protest Obama this weekend.

PFOX urges libraries to carry books about the "ex-gay" movement.

Jack Mackenroth slams Oprah over HIV show.

Utah Catholic high school defends production of Rent: "Sister Catherine Kamphaus, superintendent of schools in the Salt Lake City diocese, said she read the script at the request of Bishop John Wester, and she watched a dress rehearsal Tuesday. 'There is absolutely nothing that would be offensive,' Kamphaus said Thursday. 'It wasn't condoning the gay and lesbian lifestyle.' Rather, she said, the play shows friends forming a loving and caring community while facing AIDS and other challenges."

Homophobic Daily Mail writer Jan Moir was thrilled to be in spotlight over Gately death.

San Diego gay man says attack in Hillcrest area was hate crime.

Producers shaft the hot dude on Melrose Place.

Time capsule: Chicago's Belmont Rocks.

Tom Cruise: American Psycho.

Report: International transgender community at higher risk in counterterrorism operations. "The report, by noted International Law Professor Martin Sheinin, concludes that because security personnel regularly seek out men 'dressed as women' as potential terrorists, soldiers often target all men in female clothing — including those who do so as part of their gender identity. This is particularly the case in Middle Eastern/Islamic nations — or against Middle Eastern/Islamic people.' Enhanced immigration controls that focus attention on male bombers who may be dressing as females to avoid scrutiny make transgender persons susceptible to increased harassment and suspicion,' the report says."

Coalition releases statement condemning anti-gay bill in Uganda.

UK's first gay tourism office opens in London's Soho district.

Obama administration sets aside 200,000 acres in Alaska for Polar Bears.

Model Paul Sculfor shoots gay scene in Madrid.

The Dot Gay Alliance has competition from a straight German man in Riga, Latvia: "While both groups have left open the possibility of cooperating, they haven’t yet joined forces. Both groups say they plan on starting the application process with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, to create top-level domains, akin to .com, .edu, .org and .net."

German high court backs pensions for gay married couples: "A failure to give gay partners the same benefits infringes the basic right to equal treatment, the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe said. The decision nullified an earlier ruling from the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) regarding a Hamburg man who has been a public servant since 1991 with a supplementary pension. The public-sector pension company VBL – the largest such company in the nation – refused to give the man married status, despite the fact that he’d been living in a registered civil union for eight years. This meant that his retirement benefits would be €74 less each month, and his partner would receive no surviving dependants’ pension in the event of his death."

'Ex-Gays' Want Corporate Recognition from Disney

I wonder how big this group of "concerned stockholders" is:

"Concerned Disney stockholders have submitted a shareholder resolution asking the Walt Disney Company to include the prohibition of discrimination based on ex-gay status in its sexual orientation policy and diversity training programs. 'The resolution cites the need for diversity and equality in the workplace,' said Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX). The supporting statement for the resolution explains that, 'Disney's exclusion of ex-gays from its sexual orientation policy and programs reinforces the second-class status of ex-gays, and contributes to the negative perceptions and discrimination against former homosexuals.' The resolution also cites a recent judicial decision issued for the Nation's Capital by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In that case, brought by PFOX, the Court ruled that former homosexuals are a protected class that must be recognized under sexual orientation non-discrimination laws. The Court held that, under the D.C. Human Rights Act, sexual orientation does not require immutable characteristics."

PFOX is the nutty group that just declared hate crime laws to be "anti-ex-gay". And I see they're still spinning their remarkable court defeat as a victory.

Hopefully, Disney will see beyond this horseshit and take the stance of the American Psychological Association and tell these misguided and dangerous people to "explore possible life paths that address the reality of their sexual orientation."

News: Ardi, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robots, Maine, Lutherans, Bryan Batt

Nate Silver: Same-sex marriage ban is underdog in Maine.

Ardi: Scientists find skeleton that predates 3.2 million-year-old Lucy, providing closest picture yet of "missing link".

Kanye West throws another tantrum.

Gore Vidal lets it rip once again.

Lesbian Jane Castor confirmed as Tampa's first female police chief.

NJ marriage battle heating up: "Momentum is slowly growing among Democrats in the Legislature to pass a bill allowing same-sex marriages during the lame duck session following the November general election. But Republican lawmakers at a Statehouse news conference said they preferred an amendment on the 2010 November ballot that would propose changing the state's constitution to permit marriage only between a man and a woman."

More on Kylie's opening night.

British actor Stephen Fry shrinks.

"Ex-gay" David Elliott confronts gay Arlington County board member Jay Fisette at County Fair: "According to a piece he wrote in the Christian News Wire, Elliott approached Fisette to rehash the details of the 2007 incident. 'I wanted to let you know that I was hit when I was working at this booth in a previous year,' he wrote. Fisette allegedly replied, 'What happened to you wasn’t good, but neither is your message.'"

Cheyenne Jackson to join 30 Rock?

Jogging Jake Gyllenhaal stops traffic in Pittsburgh.

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church votes to leave denomination over acceptance of gays.

Mixner: Where will Obama be during the National Equality March?

Scientists turn clock back on aging muscles: "Our study shows that the ability of old human muscle to be maintained and repaired by muscle stem cells can be restored to youthful vigor given the right mix of biochemical signals. his provides promising new targets for forestalling the debilitating muscle atrophy that accompanies aging, and perhaps other tissue degenerative disorders as well."

Twilight Eclipse's shirtless wolf pack stays warm in Ugg boots.

Fish-mimicking robots help researchers plan the future of automobiles.

Boy George to return to London's West End with new live concert: "Boy George in Concert Up Close and Personal runs at the Leicester Square Theatre for ten nights only from 20 to 30 December 2009."

West Hollywood to celebrate 25th birthday.

Mad Men's Bryan Batt to marry his partner: "The gay actor, 46, has been dating Tom Cianfichi, an actor-turned-event planner, for two decades and the couple is now ready to make its union official with a wedding in Vermont, where same sex unions are legal."

Choose your own TV boyfriend.

The Foundation for Reconciliation to hold memorial during LDS conference weekend for gay Mormons who have committed suicide: "The foundation, in a news release, said it wanted to call attention to the issue in light of the LDS Church's 2008 support for the gay marriage ban in California, the July detention of a gay couple who kissed on the church's Main Street Plaza and a September speech given by LDS general authority Bruce C. Hafen denying a biological link to homosexuality."

News: Mormons, Liz Taylor, Football, Jane Lynch, Nero, Frat Boys

Where Did 'We' Go? Thomas Friedman pens a frightening op-ed about assassination and the current political climate in the U.S. "The American political system was, as the saying goes, 'designed by geniuses so it could be run by idiots.' But a cocktail of political and technological trends have converged in the last decade that are making it possible for the idiots of all political stripes to overwhelm and paralyze the genius of our system."

NYT on Hair's decision to go dark and perform at the National Equality March: "That unusual — and expensive — decision to skip a popular weekend performance at the beginning of the theater season originated with the show’s star, Gavin Creel. 'I said, ‘My God, we have to go, we have to go,’' Mr. Creel recalled when he first heard about the rally late last spring."

For Elizabeth Taylor, too much Kathy Ireland is never enough.

NFL players Brendon Ayanbadejo and Scott Fujita speak out for gay rights. Ayanbadejo: "I think we will look back in 10, 20, 30 years and be amazed that gays and lesbians did not have the same rights as every one else. How did this ever happen in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Are we really free?"

VIDEO: Adam Lambert thanks fans for raising $229,000 for public school art programs.

University of Alaska allows "ex-gay" speaker Edward Delgado: "Jim Minnery, president of the Alaska Family Council, said Chancellor Brian Rogers refused to bar Delgado from the campus, adding he wants a 'welcoming and inclusive university.'"

First look: T.R. Knight in Parade.

A sneak peek at Kylie Minogue's tour.

Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City installs sign to prevent future instances of man-on-man kissing on LDS property.

New Barney Frank bio ignores his personal life: "Those of you seeking an in-depth study of a fascinating and very, very funny political creature midcareer should buy it. Cokie Roberts and Nancy Pelosi blurbed it nicely. Anyone looking for full insights into the private man might want to wait."

Archaeologists uncover Roman Emperor Nero's rotating dining room. "The mechanism was a feat of Roman engineering, and moved thanks to the spheres beneath the wooden floor of the room, kept in constant movement by water being forced against them. Quite how this worked is still being researched."

AfterElton interviews Jane Lynch, Glee's Sue Sylvester.

Brazilian beauties decorate Junior.

Eddie Cibrian gives fans what they want on CSI.

Gay man's attacker gets 4 1/2 years in the UK: "Andrew Harris, aged 21, launched the violent attack upon a gay man after agreeing to go home with him following a night out drinking in Northampton town centre. Despite flirting with his victim and going into his bedroom, Harris suddenly turned violent, shouting 'I'm not gay'."

Friday Night Lights returning with some fresh meat.

English cricketer Kevin Pietersen signs on as Brylcreem Boy.

Frat brothers at George Washington University are trying to take the homophobia out of Greek life: "GW’s fraternity brothers are the nation’s future congressmen, investment bankers, and CEOs. They won’t reach those positions if their Google profiles turn up associations with homophobic and misogynistic fraternities. So GW’s frat boys—and don’t call them that!—are straining to undo the legacy of 'aggressive heterosexuality' and gay-bashing forged by their predecessors. It’s an effort that involves a good deal of re-education, some new alliances, and a compensatory vice or two."

News: Catholics, Malaysia, Barbra Streisand, Wisconsin, The Moon

WaPo: 7,000 gay men have helped study AIDS in the past 25 years.

Facebook kills poll asking if Obama should be killed. Secret service investigates. UPDATE: Secret Service tracks down user who posted it.

Too Much! Salaries of The Hills cast per episode.

"Ex-gay" group calls hate crime laws "anti-ex-gay": "According to PFOX, hate crime laws protecting gays and lesbians themselves constitute hate crimes against ex-gays. Because if you tell people that they can’t beat up people because they’re gay, you discriminate against the people who beat up gay people because they are gay! It is you who are committing the “anti-ex-gay hate crime,” because if people aren’t allowed to hate gay people, how will PFOX ever find any ex-gay people?"

Atlanta Eagle court hearing postponed a second time.

Malaysia bans Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno: "It's banned because the story is based on gay life ... There are a lot of sex scenes. It's contrary to our culture."

Isn't it a little early to hit the pumpkin patch, Hugh Jackman?

DJ AM death ruled accidental.

The Vatican defends its sexual abuse scandals by saying other churches are far worse, then claims their priests aren't pedophiles but homosexuals attracted to young men: "In a defiant and provocative statement, issued following a meeting of the UN human rights council in Geneva, the Holy See said the majority of Catholic clergy who committed such acts were not paedophiles but homosexuals attracted to sex with adolescent males.…The statement said that rather than paedophilia, it would 'be more correct' to speak of ephebophilia, a homosexual attraction to adolescent males."

Maine's Catholics fast to save marriage.

Janet Jackson makes amfAR appearance in Milan.

NYT Consults blog on questioning teens: "In trying to understand sexual orientation, it can help a person to think about who he or she has crushes on and fantasizes about being with. A person doesn’t necessarily need to have a 'full' sexual experience in order to understand his or her sexual orientation."

Australian court hears gay panic defense from two men in murder trial.

Gerard Butler pigs out, shows off his cock.

Mattel to offer Barbra Streisand doll.

Billboards in Wisconsin highlight LGBT neighbors: "The campaign is a first in Midwest history to be translated to Spanish, and one of the firsts across the country. Digital billboards will be featured on major commuter freeway paths, which include ads in Ozaukee, Racine, Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties. The accompanying websites, GayNeighbor.org and MiVecinoGay.org, answers basic questions in Spanish and English about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender (LGBT) community and issues they face."

The speech William Safire wrote for Richard Nixon if the astronauts were left stranded on the moon.

Rufus Wainwright: Cheese-eating Ken doll.

OMG interviews Karin Dreijer Andersson of Fever Ray and The Knife.

Graham Norton given warning about lesbian remark: "Norton, 46, and his programme team have now been warned about 'being seen to endorse offensive sexual stereotypes' after a BBC investigation. This comes after a viewer complained about the remarks made about an illustration of a jump suit invention, which showed a large woman with short hair. The comic described the picture as showing a 'strange lesbian' and when asked what a lesbian looks like, he pointed at the picture and said 'That!'."