Governor Sarah Palin Prank Called by Fake French President

Montreal comedy duo Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel prank-called Governor Sarah Palin yesterday pretending to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Not only did Palin's aide hand off the call but Palin stayed on the phone conversing for six minutes before the duo revealed to her that she had been fooled.

When fake Sarkozy told her he hoped she would be president one day, Palin replied: "Haha, maybe in eight years."

Palin also responded to a compliment on heer hunting abilities: "Oh, very good, we should go hunting together. I think we could have a lot of fun together as we're getting work done. We could kill two birds with one stone that way."

While the fake Sarkozy asks her if she's married to Joe the Plumber and tells her that "We have the equivalent of Joe the Plumber in France. It's called Marcel, the guy with bread under his armpit," Palin does not pick up on the joke.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs remarked on the call, saying, "I'm glad we check out our calls before we hand the phone to Barack Obama."

Listen to the call, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Nobel Prize for Medicine Goes to HIV/AIDS Researchers

French scientists Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier, who discovered the HIV virus, will split this year's Nobel Prize for medicine with another German scientist Harald zur Hausen, who discovered that the HPV virus facilitates cervical cancer in women.

The Guardian reports: "Barré-Sinoussi and Montagnier, who were both at the Institute Pasteur in Paris in the early 1980s, were the victors in a scientific race to identify the causative agent behind a novel immunodeficiency syndrome that had emerged in 1981. To find out what was causing AIDS, the researchers cultured cells from swollen lymph nodes collected from patients in the early stages of disease. In 1983 they found particles of a retrovirus – now known as HIV – budding from the cells. Around 33 million people are now infected with HIV. Barré-Sinoussi and Montagnier have long been in the frame for a medicine Nobel, but many observers had expected the American scientist Prof Robert Gallo to be jointly honoured for his role in the virus's discovery.

Nobel prize for medicine split between cervical cancer and HIV research [guardian]

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News: Spider, Piper Palin, Outweek, Sally Kern, Village People

Outweek archive now online.

Piper Palin demonstrates the Alaskan spit shine.

The anti-John Edwards?: Anderson Cooper hair-cut price $15.

McCain threatens legal action over National Enquirer Palin affair rumor. Steve Schmidt: "The smearing of the Palin family must end. The allegations contained on the cover of the National Enquirer insinuating that Gov. Palin had an extramarital affair are categorically false. It is a vicious lie. The efforts of the media and tabloids to destroy this fine and accomplished public servant are a disgrace. The American people will reject it."

Oprah Winfrey kicks off season with Michael Phelps, 149 other athletes.

Giant spider attacks Liverpool.

The enduring style of JFK Jr.

Yves Saint Laurent head designer Stefano Pilati says being gay helps him see women objectively: “I always wonder why 99 percent of the top male fashion designers are homosexual. In my case, I would say that my sexuality has led me to love women to death and to hate them as well … [Being gay] helped me understand the male mind. But when I do a fitting with a woman, I think, Would this woman seduce me?”

Michelangelo Signorile's interview with Sally Kern at the RNC. FLASHBACK: Meeting.

France to call on United Nations to step up action against homophobia, violence against women: "Junior Human Rights Minister Rama Yade told the 61st annual conference of non-governmental organisations at UNESCO headquarters in Paris that a text would be submitted to the EU in the coming days. France, as holder of the six-month EU presidency, hopes to 'set the criteria for EU intervention' in the fight against violence towards women, including by mobilising Europe's diplomatic networks. Paris also plans to submit a draft declaration to the UN General Assembly in December aimed at combating homophobia and decriminalising homosexuality, which is punishable by prison in 90 countries and in theory by death in six of them, Yade said."

Village People to get star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Second chance: Britney Spears to kick off 2008 VMAs...

Adult film mogul Michael Lucas launches fashion site:

Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson says it's time to get serious about Obama: "With John McCain, we will see the conservative near-majority on the Court shift to a solid majority – with devastating results when the 'full faith and credit clause' of the Constitution is challenged in the recognition of gay marriages. With Barack Obama, we have someone who is utterly sympathetic to our full and equal rights as citizens. I know, he won’t say he’s for equal marriage rights (neither did Hillary), but he still is the most LGBT-friendly president we will have ever had. I know from my own private conversations with him that he is totally in our court. I believe him, and I trust him, not to throw us under the bus when the election is over."

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News: Dolphin, Elton John, Wales, Chrome Browser, Michael Phelps

John McCain's anti-gay marriage message from 2006.

Dolphin birth photographed.

Elton John lashes out at boozy singer Lily Allen: "I could snort you under the table."

Focus on the Family's James Dobson on Sarah Palin: “A lot of people were praying, and I believe Sarah Palin is God’s answer...They should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances."

Virginia Republican delegation axes Minnesota handbook because it contained six pages for gays and lesbians.

Kiefer Sutherland shows some skin in Malibu.

French police place gay groups under surveillance ahead of Pope's visit: " Eager to avoid a repeat of the condom shower that greeted the Pope in Sydney, Australia, in July, certain gay activist groups such as Act Up are being closely watched in the run-up to the visit. In addition, because of threats to the Pope made in May 2007 by the terrorist network al-Qaeda and the recent terrorist attacks in Algeria, French security officers will be placed on maximum alert during his stay in Paris and the pilgrimage site of Lourdes."

Rev. Lou Sheldon: Turnout will decide California same-sex marriage initiative. Group launches "Traditional Marriage Crusade".

So was the reason Fred Thompson and George W. Bush danced around the specific word "torture" in their speeches last night when referring to McCain because "if [Bush] describes what was done to McCain as torture, he has incriminated himself for war crimes?"

Have you seen Google's new Chrome browser? The NYT David Pogue says it has serious potential. Google Chrome end user license agreement says that Google owns everything you create while using the browser - "By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services." Brin: Why we're launching it.

Massachusetts sees economic boost from out-of-state same-sex marriage decisions there and in New York: "The recent changes have prompted a flood of gay New Yorkers coming to Massachusetts to get married -- and that seems to have made same-sex marriage big business for the Bay State. There are no firm figures on how many gays from New York have come here to marry in the few weeks since the law took effect. But anecdotal evidence suggests the numbers are huge and likely to grow."

Gay festival in Cambridge, England hit by homophobic slashers?

Sarah Palin to address Republican Convention tonight...

Olympian Michael Phelps not only has an Entourage — he's set to appear on the show.

Time Out Chicago talks to Milk writer Dustin Lance Black.

Georgia priest hit with threat note tacked to door.

Gay cleric on shortlist to become Bishop of Bangor, Wales: "Canon Jeffrey John, who entered into a civil partnership with his long-term partner, the Rev Grant Holmes, in 2006, is currently the dean of St Albans and is a Welsh speaker - making him an ideal candidate for the job. Earlier this year, the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, said he would support the election of a gay bishop, despite opposition among conservative Anglicans. At last month's Lambeth conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, asked liberals not to exacerbate tensions by consecrating gay clergy. A conservative cleric, Bishop David Anderson, from the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, wrote that the Church in Wales was likely to ignore Williams' requests."

THE DAY AFTER PEACE: Jude Law announces documentary about Afghanistan.

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News: South Carolina, Mormons, Driving Test, Rafael Nadal, Atlanta

Italian man wins $157,700 in damages in driving test lawsuit: "When 26 year-old Danilo Giuffrida told doctors he was gay at his medical examination for military service, they passed the information to the transport ministry, who told him he must repeat his driving test or have his license withdrawn due to his 'sexual identity disturbance.' Giuffrida agreed to re-take his test, passed it for a second time, but the ministry renewed his license for just one year rather than the usual 10 years because of his homosexuality."

Man who created 'Men on a Mission' Mormon beefcake calendar faces excommunication from the Church of Latter Day Saints by council of elders...

Mayor of Nice, France holds press conference to show off birth certificates of the latest members of the Brangelina Bunch, Knox and Vivienne.

Carry on: The new season of Project Runway has eight out gay men.

Report: Retailers shunning Victoria Beckham's men's jeans line. "The delay comes just months after the denim range was relegated to the bargain basement bins of several US boutiques while many announced they would no longer carry it because of poor sales."

Gay Atlanta upholstery/design store owners targeted by vandals: "Beginning late last month, someone has returned to the couple's upholstery and design business in Buckhead over and over, using spray paint or permanent markers to write anti-gay messages on their windows, according to an Atlanta police report."

South Carolina has pulled a gay tourism campaign created by an overseas contractor unaware of the state government's homophobia. Agency investigating ways to discipline employees who signed off on it. Greenville County GOP State Sen. David Thomas: "From my own perspective, it's bad for the state to make such statements about the state, to assert that South Carolina has gay beaches. . "I think that sends a cross message when we're saying, 'Come to South Carolina for its family-friendly beaches.'"

The L.A. Times takes a look at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center's HIV/AIDS web soap meant to educate young men about prevention.

Apple claims sales of one million iPhone 3Gs in first weekend, 10 million downloads from App Store.

Australia: Pope to apologize for sex abuse by priests.

Rafael Nadal: buff on the beach.

HGTV Design Star host Mikey Verdugo is an out gay police officer with a gay bondage porn past. Here are the photos (very NSFW)...

Prince Harry following in the footsteps of Diana...

120,000 take to the streets for Gay Pride in Vienna: " Thirty-degree heat and sunny weather ensured record attendance for the 13th edition of the march, which like almost all other events this year in Austria had a football theme, even two weeks after the end of Euro 2008. 'No more offsides!' organisers urged, calling for legalised gay marriage and an end to discrimination, although daring high heels, rather than soccer boots, were the choice of footwear on the Ring boulevard where the Fan Mile recently stood."

Ewan McGregor out of Africa.

The world's oldest known blogger, 108-year-old Olive Riley, died on Saturday: "An Australian woman described as the world's oldest Internet blogger has died at the age of 108 after posting a final message about singing "a happy song" in her nursing home. Olive Riley 'passed away peacefully on July 12 and will be mourned by thousands of Internet friends and hundreds of descendants and other relatives,' a note on her website said. Riley had posted more than 70 entries on her blog from Woy Woy on the east coast since February last year, sharing her thoughts on modern life and her experiences living through the entire 20th century." Watch a video of Riley here.

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Gay Pride Weekend Wrap

Wedded bliss was a special focus of San Francisco’s 38th Annual Pride Parade, the first to be held after the California Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage. The Dykes on Bykes tossed bouquets and San Fran Mayor Gavin Newsom was greeted like a rock star. Gay icons Cyndi Lauper and Margaret Cho were among celebrity attendees. Crowds were said to be "larger-than-usual." Full photo album here.

According to The Canadian Press, members of the Canadian Armed Forces participated in Gay Pride for the first time in Toronto, whose parade featured a grand marshal (Gareth Henry) who fled Jamaica after being persecuted for his sexual orientation.

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota attracted an estimated 125,000 celebrants, including an exceptionally proud terrier (who I hope was dyed humanely).

Chicago’s Gay Pride Parade went off without a hitch Sunday. Themed "Live, Love, Be Proud," the parade’s grand marshal was ex-marine Eric Alva (pictured), the first American casualty from the Iraq War and an openly gay man.

German Pride celebrated its 30th year by kicking off for the first time from the former East Berlin. One special participant was 95-year-old Rudolf Brazda, a survivor of Buchenwald concentration camp:

"It was a terrible time. I must say that I feel as though I were in paradise in this democratic society."

Other European Pride events held on Saturday included some in countries "seeing gatherings of gays and lesbians for the first time." At the Czech Republic’s first Pride, three people were jailed for throwing fireworks at some of the 500 marchers. Five dozen skinheads were arrested in Bulgaria for attempting to derail that country’s event.

Paris Pride was organized around "homophobia at school" and drew about 700,000. But why talk about it when you can just take a look?

Finally, marchers in Calcutta, New Delhi and Bangalore celebrated Gay Pride, marking the first parades in the latter two Indian cities. "Several hundred" participants were reported at the events, which were staged in advance of arguments before a Delhi High Court to overturn the antiquated law—Section 377—forbidding any sex that is "against the order of nature." Indians are rarely locked up for homosexuality, but the legal punishment is up to 10 years.

Gay-rights activist and New Delhi organizer Lesley Esteves says:

"Discrimination is widespread because there is no protection or law or societal understanding. There's discrimination in the workplace; there's discrimination in the family—it's on every level."

At least some of the onlookers were just there for the music.

As usual, there will likely be a dull roar from some gay quarters that Gay Pride isn’t necessary because being gay is nothing to be "proud" of (overlooking that it’s the suggestion to be ashamed that these events are counteracting) or that it’s counterproductive because all the "freaks" come out. I agree with JoeMyGod’s annual rant: "They wish we were invisible. We’re not. Let’s dance."

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Karl Lagerfeld: Designer in Headlights

Karl Lagerfeld dons a reflective yellow vest for a new French road safety campaign, declaring, "It's yellow, it's ugly, it doesn't match anything, but it can save your life."

According to Bloomberg, "Lagerfeld agreed to pose in the shapeless protective apparel as part of a French government safety-awareness campaign, which was kicked off yesterday. The vest and a reflective triangle will become mandatory for all drivers and cyclists on July 1. The number of traffic deaths in France jumped 10 percent to 346 in May, the highest since the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Environment said on its Web site. Two cyclists have died in Paris since the introduction of free municipal bicycles last year."

Previously
Karl Lagerfeld Worships Model Brad Kroenig in New York [tr]
Karl Lagerfeld to Appear in Grand Theft Auto [tr]
Karl Lagerfeld Has a Diet Coke Butler [tr]

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Fashion Meets Videogames in New French Magazine

Model Simon Nessman is the cover face for a new magazine out of France which fuses fashion with gaming. It seems to be happening all over. Wii approve.

related
Guitar Heroes [tr]
Does Gaming Turn You On? [tr]
Karl Lagerfeld to Appear in Grand Theft Auto [tr]

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I Love You Phillip Morris Billboard Up in Cannes

In Cannes, where the film festival has just kicked off, studios are flaunting their upcoming projects.

Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor get snuggly on a billboard promoting I Love You Phillip Morris, the gay prison romance that's currently being shot in and around Miami.

Earlier this month I posted shots of Carrey and McGregor shooting a scene off the Florida Keys and Carrey and Rodrigo Santoro walking arm in arm in some period Versace threads.

The three have also been spotted in gay nightlife hangouts doing "research" for their roles.

(via Cinematical)

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Madonna Knows Nothing Gets Press Like a Gay French Kiss

Pulling the Britney move out of her back pocket, Madonna made out with one of her back-up dancers during her concert at the Olympia in Paris last night.

Said M-Dolla to the crowd: "Why do I have this relationship with France? I'm always drawn to working with French people - and frenching French people. Vive la France!"

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Gay Frenchman Loses Citizenship Over Dutch Same-Sex Marriage

Frederic Minvielle, a gay Frenchman who has been living in the Netherlands for six years and married a Dutch man in 2003, has lost his French citizenship because of the marriage, Time reports:

"Although the Franco-Dutch immigration treaty pertaining to his situation generally forces nationals from one country to surrender their original citizenship when naturalized in the other, there is a key exception that allows dual citizenship accorded through marriage. Minvielle figured that would work for him. 'France does not recognize marriage between people of the same sex as the Netherlands does, and therefore considers Mr. Minvielle an unwed man living with another man,' explains Minvielle's French lawyer, Caroline Mecary. Because of that, she says, France has applied the bilateral accord the way it would to any single French national adopting Dutch nationality: by revoking French citizenship."

Gay Marriage Costs Him Citizenship [time]

A French news report, AFTER THE JUMP, for those of you who speak the language.

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News: GQ France, Breakdancing Beckham, Atlantis, Jason Statham

One of the judicial nominees Bush has been threatening a recess appointment for was recently arrested for DUI wearing a little black dress, fishnet stockings and stilletto heels: "Apparently, Federal Judge Robert Somma, rear-ended another motorist in his Mercedes-Benz after tying one on in a local gay bar. He had difficulty locating his drivers license in his purse. His wife, Wendy, says he's not interested in talking to the press right now."

Spice Girls shocked by baby breakdancing Beckham.

Wisconsin gay rights group utilizes election to raise awareness of upcoming court vacancies.

British BMW salesman forced from job by homophobic co-workers: "Ben Hamilton, 26, claims he was branded 'the nice poof', 'faggot' and 'bender Ben' by workmates at a BMW showroom. He told the hearing he was banned from wearing pink clothing and was made to change. And when he grew a beard he claimed colleagues walking past him would jeer the phrase 'Deal or No Deal?' at him after gameshow host Noel Edmonds up to 30 times a day. Mr Hamilton said a manager told him: 'It must be great to be gay. Does it mean you and your fella can go out, have a few beers, have a curry, beat each other up and still get laid?'"

Space Shuttle Atlantis heads home from International Space Station in preparation for Navy shootdown of errant spy satellite.

GQ launches French edition.

Student: Goldfish aren't the peabrains you think they are.

Excavated remains identified as Sir Hugh Despenser the Younger, lover of King Edward II: "Despenser died a gruesome death, being publicly hung, drawn, quartered and disembowelled for treason in 1326 following Edward's fall. The remains, found in the 1970s on Despenser's brother-in-law's estate at Hulton Abbey, Staffordshire, bear such hallmarks, anthropologist Mary Lewis says. Lewis, from Reading University, made the link by drawing on the manner of execution, carbon-dating of the bones and the absence of several parts of the body. The skull, part of the vertebra and one leg are buried on the family estate at Tewkesbury Abbey. 'Research on the bones shows he was stabbed in the throat and probably stabbed in the stomach, but we would not have any evidence to disembowelment unless the knife had hit any bones,' Lewis said."

Writer Andrew Holleran pays a visit to Fort Lauderdale.

Ben & Jerry endorse Obama, scoop "Cherries for Change" ice cream. "Barack is showing that when you lead with your values and follow what you have inside that good things will happen. What we saw is that when you want real change it's not a marketing slogan. You have to do things differently. And that is not going to be done by someone who's been involved in the system for years and years. It needs to come from inside and Barack Obama has it."

Winehouse likes her chicken fried.

Jason Statham drops the big burly half of himself.

Japan's top court rules Mapplethorpe photos not obscene: "The verdict was hailed as a victory for artistic freedom by a Japanese publisher who filed the lawsuit. His copy of a Mapplethorpe book was seized in 1999 when he tried to bring it from the United States for personal use. Reversing a lower court ruling, the Supreme Court ordered customs to lift its ban on bringing in the book of photographs, entitled 'Robert Mapplethorpe.' In the 2003 ruling, the Tokyo High Court ruled that the book, which included images of male genitals, went 'against good sexual morality.' But Kohei Nasu, the presiding judge, said at the Supreme Court: 'The book and pictures do not fall into a category that would disturb the public,' as quoted by Jiji Press."

UK father-to-be charged in "cowardly, disgraceful" attack on homophobe mistaken for gay man: "John Edwards, prosecuting, told York Crown Court yesterday the assault happened last July when Mr Sandey was returning home along St Mary's by the riverside in York after a night out. He said the area was known to be frequented in the evening by homosexual men, and a passer-by heard one of the group shouting homophobic insults. 'When the defendant pleaded guilty he did so, acknowledging this was aggravated by homophobia. The target of their violence, quite randomly it would seem, was this complainant,' he said. A woman who saw the attackers, including Walls, described seeing Mr Sandey on the ground. The men were punching him before one - it is not known who - jumped on his leg as they shouted 'he is a pervert'. Afterwards Walls spoke to the witness, telling her his name. Forensic experts later found blood on him."

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News: Beijing Stadium, Idaho, Amy Winehouse, Martian, Brad Pitt

CROOKS: Emails went missing from Bush and Cheney offices the very day Alberto Gonzalez "ordered the president and the vice president's staff to 'preserve all materials that might be relevant' to an inchoate Justice Department probe."

Mysterious 'alien' figure spotted in Martian landscape!

Pentagon releases statement on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, saying it is continuing to discharge gay and lesbian soldiers even though reports have shown a recent major drop in such cases. Statement: "Our policy implements the law Congress passed after prolonged research and debate. The department will continue to follow congressional mandate on homosexual conduct. We can't speculate as to why the number of discharges has declined."

Amy Winehouse in downward spiral — caught smoking crack ON VIDEO.

European Court of Human Rights rules: France discriminated against lesbian mother by refusing to allow her to adopt a child. "The judges decided that the woman was a victim of discrimination because of her sexual orientation. They said her right to family life under the European Convention on Human Rights had also been infringed. France has been told to pay her damages...The court's ruling in Strasbourg on Tuesday noted that: 'French law allowed single persons to adopt a child, thereby opening up the possibility of adoption by a single homosexual.' The court criticised the French judiciary's emphasis on "the lack of a paternal referent in the household" in the case of the lesbian woman, who was identified only as E.B. The reference to the applicant's homosexuality had been "if not explicit, at least implicit," the ruling said."

Beijing builds giant nest as Olympic Stadium.

Nothing gets between Brad Pitt and his Edwins.

The coldest place in the universe was recently observed...right here on Earth: "The record-breaking lows were among the latest feats of ultracold physics, the laboratory study of matter at temperatures so mind-bogglingly frigid that atoms and even light itself behave in highly unusual ways. Electrical resistance in some elements disappears below about minus 440°F, a phenomenon called superconductivity. At even lower temperatures, some liquefied gases become "superfluids" capable of oozing through walls solid enough to hold any other sort of liquid; they even seem to defy gravity as they creep up, over and out of their containers."

The Mr. Gay International swimsuit competition - on video.

Dow plunges 465 points, then recovers most of it after Federal Reserve interest rate emergency cut: "The U.S. markets joined a global selloff amid growing fears that a recession in the United States could send economies around the world into a downturn. Though stocks regained ground as investors digested the Fed's move to cut its benchmark federal funds rate by 0.75 percentage point and as bargain-hunters entered the market, trading remained volatile and the major indexes fluctuated sharply, at times approaching the break-even point before heading down again." Bernanke setting the stage for an even bigger recession?

Did Katie Holmes fake running the New York Marathon? Plenty of evidence seems to suggest that maybe she did.

Idaho legislature floats first-ever anti-discrimination bill that includes gays and lesbians: "Leslie Goddard, director of the Human Rights Commission beautifully presented the bill after an introduction by Senator Tim Corder, a major sponsor or the legislation. Some may remember the Mountain Home Republican Senator from a City Club debate in 2006 or from his past vote to ban gay marriage in Idaho's Constitution. His support of this year's legislation speaks loudly to the fundamental fairness implicit in the issue of employment discrimination and to the progress made on understanding of these issues over the years."

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #217

NYE 2008: Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin ring in the new year from Times Square and a visit to Key West.

MEREDITH VIEIRA TAKES ON HILLARY: On a 01/02 Today show appearance, Meredith Vieira grills Clinton on her foreign policy experience.

KEITH OLBERMANN: Takes Rudy Giuliani to task for 9/11 fear-mongering.

CELINE DION: She and her legs opened France's Stars de l'Annee 2007 show.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here

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French Watchdogs Censor AIDS Prevention Advertisement

French activist groups are charging that the nation's Advertising Standards Authority is discriminating after they reportedly banned an advertisment advocating AIDS prevention for being too explicit.

The ad, which urges men to use protection warns that each day in France, four gay men discover they are HIV positive.

According to eitb24, activist groups accuse the watchdog agency of having a double standard: "French organizations devoted to the fight against AIDS such as Act Up Paris criticized on Wednesday that advertising is judged depending on whether its characters are gays or heterosexuals. 'This kind of measures are not taken when the protagonists are heterosexuals. It is an insult to the gay community', a spokesman for the Act Up Paris organization said. The French organization called for the campaign to be broadcast in gay media as well as in the rest of the media and asked France's Health Ministry to condemn the Advertising Standards Authority's veto."

See the full ad, AFTER THE JUMP (possibly NSFW)...

Earlier
NYC Releases Sobering Report on Young Gay Men and HIV [tr]

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Drag Queen Arrested for 18 Serial Murders of Gay Men in France

French police have a arrested, Nicolas Panard, a 68-year-old man who reportedly makes his living as a drag queen for the murders of 18 men in eastern France and Paris, most of whom were gay, between the years of 1980 and 2002.

Agence France Presse reports: "Detained Tuesday in the eastern city of Mulhouse, the man was being held in nearby Montbeliard along with another suspect who is already serving a murder sentence in a Paris jail, the source said. Both men deny the accusations, according to the prosecution, which said it had "no formal proof" of their guilt at this stage. L'Alsace newspaper said the key suspect worked as a female impersonator and that his arrest followed a two-year investigation by a Montbeliard police officer, who spotted his name in database files relating to a string of unsolved murders."

According to the BBC, "... the arrests were the result of two years' work by a police officer based in Montbeliard who had originally only been investigating a murder in 1991 in nearby Sochaux. By using a police crime database, the officer found mentions of Mr Panard's name in the case files of several unsolved murders, the paper reported. The officer also discovered several common features in the murders, including that the victims had all been killed by blows to the head followed by multiple knife wounds, it added. Each time the victims' bodies were found partly naked, but with their faces covered."

The photo at right, via BBC, shows the sealed door of Panard's home and the locations of the various murders.

France holds man over 18 murders [bbc]
French police detain 'drag queen' over 18 gay murders [afp]

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News: Buenos Aires, Lance Bass, Salvador Dali, Pete Wentz, Brooklyn

Tragic rape case in Dubai raises diplomatic tensions between the United Arab Emirates and France.

Buenos Aires, Argentina gets five-star gay hotel: "The receptionists are slender young men in sleek suits, the brochure features chiselled male torsos, the rooms are soundproofed and stocked with condoms and every now and then Judy Garland croons in the bar: welcome to Latin America's first luxury gay hotel...The £3.5m five-storey complex has been conceived and designed as an out and proud celebration of gay identity and sexuality, said Nacho Rodriguez, the general manager. 'This hotel is not just gay-friendly. It is gay.'" Nacho Rodriguez has to be one of the best names ever. Website for the Axel Hotel is here.

Lance Bass reveals he was once married to a woman: "People do stupid things in the heat of the moment. I've been in Vegas where I've gotten married for like five minutes, but no one talks about it though. In fact the only reason we did it is because we wanted to get free drinks all night... and we didn't get one."

New York "Realtor to the Stars" found bludgeoned to death in her Fifth Avenue penthouse: "Linda Stein, 62, was found Tuesday night by her daughter, filmmaker Mandy Stein, lying in a pool of blood in the $2.5 million pad at 965 Fifth Ave. on the upper East Side. The city medical examiner ruled her death a homicide yesterday, determining the 5-foot-tall woman died from blunt-force trauma to the head and neck. 'It doesn't seem possible,' said one of Stein's neighbors, Seymour Holtzman, 72. 'It's probably the safest building I know. ... It's shocking.' Stein helped her ex-husband, music mogul Seymour Stein, found Sire Records in the 1970s, a label that launched the careers of Madonna, Talking Heads and Depeche Mode."

Catholic school principal caught in drag, loitering in "high drug trafficking and prostitution area."

Gay bashing south of Manchester, England has police on alert: "A man is in hospital with extensive facial injuries after being attacked in Orford Park in what police believe may be a homophobic attack. The 39-year-old was walking through the park with a friend on Monday night when a man 'violently attacked' him, detectives said. He was punched to the ground and then repeatedly punched and kicked in the face and head while his attacker told him he was going to kill him. The attack only stopped when a resident alerted by the noise came out of his home. The victim is still in Warrington Hospital with serious facial injuries."

Harry Potter actor Robert Pattinson to play Salvador Dali in new film that suggests Dali had a love affair with Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca: "Described by its producers as 'racy' and 'sexy', the film will show Dali and Lorca's feelings deepen into a love affair which the sexually repressed artist tries and fails to consummate. As a substitute, Lorca sleeps with a female friend, with Dali present as a voyeur. The interpretation, by British screenwriter Philippa Goslett, is likely to cause controversy among biographers and historians. Although a physically intimate relationship between the men has long been rumoured, Dali told interviewers more than once that he rejected the homosexual Lorca's attempts to seduce him."

Same-sex commitment ceremony announcement inspires hellstorm of hatred in Missouri town.

Pete Wentz leap of faith presents podiatric problem.

There’s Something About Miriam, the reality show about a 21-year-old transsexual model being wooed by six men who are unaware of her secret, begins airing on FOX Reality Channel tonight. Reality Blurred reports: "When the series first aired in the UK almost four years ago, Miriam said she was really looking for love. 'I did it because I wanted to know if real love exists. Can a person fall in love? I was trying to be myself and if anyone had asked me about myself I would have told them,' she said. As expected, the show was not well-received, and was criticized by many for its premise. The six men sued Sky One and the production company, a subsidiary of Big Brother producer Endemol, for what they said was public humiliation, settled for amounts that 'various reports pegged at anywhere between $150,000 and $250,000 a man.'"

What will Brooklyn, New York be like in the year 2012? Sir Ian McKellen gives a narrated tour. (more at Curbed)

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French Rugby Hunk Frederic Michalak for Biotherm Homme

French rugby player Frederic Michalak, well known for his Dieux du Stade appearances, has offered his finest assets up for skin care purveyors Biotherm Homme. More shots over at American Urge.

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Sportrait: Busted French Rugby Players

Via Queerclick (site NSFW) comes the photography of Denis Rouvre. Rouvre traveled throughout France in 2006 taking 220 portraits of rugby players after their matches. The results are being shown in an exhibition in Paris from October 24 until December 2 at the Espace Guillaume Expo at 32 rue de Picardie.

Think of them as a raw alternative to the polished posteriors of Dieux du Stade.

Two more shots after the jump...

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Sportrait: Frederic Michalak

French rugby "god" Frederic Michalak stepped on to the field at the group D Rugby World Cup match between France and Namibia in Toulouse sporting a new pattern on his head.

Michalak, a veteran of the Dieux du Stade rugby calendars, has in the past been better known for the pretty designs on his thighs.

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France Gears Up for Rugby World Cup, 2008 Dieux du Stade

As France gears up to host the 2007 Rugby World Cup, gay clubs around the country are hoping to put a focus on combating homophobia in the sport:

Said Christophe Solignac, who trains the "Melee Alpine" (Alpine Scrum) team in Grenoble: "It always surprises people when at the beginning of a match we introduce ourselves as a gay team, but once on the pitch, we earn the other side's respect. Ultimately, we share the same passion regardless of our sexuality. Straight rugby men who play against against us know it's a very tough sport, and our sexuality doesn't stop us training in the snow in winter, when the temperature falls below freezing! And the old fantasy about gay rugby men mucking around in the showers or the locker rooms really is a load of rubbish."

Although ironically, the "old fantasy" continues to be perpetuated by the straight French national rugby team with their series of Dieux du Stade rugby calendars, books, and videos, the latest of which has just begin to hit the media.

Check out the French Rugby Team fan site for a few exclusive photos from the new calendar, shot by Steven Klein. (NSFW)

In related news, Argentina is hosting the inaugural gay football world championship later this month.

Here you go.

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Nicolas Sarkozy Gets on the Shirtless President Vanity Train

Was the thought of having his love handles exposed the reason why French President Nicolas Sarkozy attacked paparazzi while on vacation at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire earlier this month?

On August 9, Paris Match published a photo of French President Nicolas Sarkozy canoeing at the lake (top), but absent were the poignees d'amour that were showing in the same photo (bottom) published by other French media outlets days earlier.

Immediately there were accusations that a directive to photoshop the love handles had come from Sarkozy's office, but Paris Match denies it:

"The only line we work on is the political and diplomatic one. We are rather bad at Photoshop here...the position of the boat exaggerated this protuberance.(But) In lightening the shadows, the correction was exaggerated."

Our take: Sarkozy got wind of those dripping-with-machismo shirtless photos of Putin and realized he couldn't be shown up at the next G8 summit.

Is this the new way to flex power on the international stage? With all these world leaders ripping their clothes off, let's hope Bush doesn't get any ideas.

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(image source)

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News: NSA Wiretapping, Lee Hazlewood, Mars Probe, Kurt Russell

Iran newspaper banned for interviewing gay activist. PAPER: "We had an article which was an interview with an expatriate writer. They said she had moral problems, they say she is homosexual and promotes that in her weblog. But we talked to her as a poet."

AfterElton interviews Paul James, who plays gay teen Calvin on the hit ABC Family series Greek: "My parents are very great people. My dad grew up in Alabama, in the Civil Rights movement, and so there just wasn't any tolerance for bigotry in the house at all. And then I went to college and I majored in theater and was around a lot of gay and lesbian people. Everyone was shocked at first, [because] you know in high school you weren't really around that. But you just realize that they're the same people as you are. It probably comes from being black, too. You hear people discriminate against gay people, you can just replace gay with black and go back 30 or 40 years and it's the same thing."

Singer/songwriter Lee Hazlewood dies at 78 after battle with cancer. Wrote Nancy Sinatra hit "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" and many others.

Arjan previews a new single from Ari Gold: "Where The Music Takes You".

Bush signs legislation expanding right to eavesdrop on American citizens: "Congressional aides and others familiar with the details of the law said that its impact went far beyond the small fixes that administration officials had said were needed to gather information about foreign terrorists. They said seemingly subtle changes in legislative language would sharply alter the legal limits on the government’s ability to monitor millions of phone calls and e-mail messages going in and out of the United States."

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