Michelle Obama on The Tonight Show

Michelle Obama appeared on the Tonight Show last night and spoke with Leno about Barack's grandmother, campaigning, their children, the economy, military spouses, negative ads, wardrobe expenses, Sarah Palin, and a few other topics. Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Rachel Maddow Did Not Want to Run into Pat Buchanan in the Dark

I was looking for this clip last week, but just came across it. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow appeared last week on The Tonight Show and spoke with Jay Leno about the current election, her frequent guest Pat Buchanan, and McCain running mate Sarah Palin.

On Pat Buchanan: "When he gave that culture war speech in 1992 I felt like he was declaring war on me. Did that make me hate him? No. It made me probably not want to run into him in the dark."

On Sarah Palin: "Sarah Palin is entertaining. She is not convincing people that she is qualified but we are riveted by her."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Ellen DeGeneres and Jay Leno Discuss Proposition 8, Same-Sex Marriage

Ellen DeGeneres appeared on The Tonight Show last night and voiced her opposition to Proposition 8, the California ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage.

DEGENERES: "They are trying to stop gay people from marrying, like somehow Portia and I staying at home watching Dancing with the Stars is affecting anybody..."

LENO: "I come from Massachusetts, and they've had it in Massachusetts for a long time, and it's fine. The world doesn't collapse. You know, I go to West Hollywood — people know that it's the gay area. The nicest area, the cleanest area, the safest area. The economy is falling apart, I don't care what you do!"

DEGENERES: "That's exactly right. I look at the people who are losing their homes and they're foreclosing, and people in Texas who have lost homes. There are so many people that need money right now – and if you’re raising millions of dollars – give it to those people, please, because you don’t need to promote hate."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via queerty)

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #361

WANDA SYKES: Talks to Jay Leno about the bailout and Sarah Palin.

BRAZIL GAY UNION: First in the northern state of Paraíba took place last weekend.

JEFF ARNDT: Former boyfriend of McCain Chief of Staff Mark Buse calls Buse a "raging queen."

BROTHERS and SISTERS: Sneak peek at a Kevin and Scotty scene from the upcoming season premiere.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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T.R. Knight Surprised His Boyfriend Was Into Him

At yesterday's mass commitment ceremony in West Hollywood, Knight talked to Extra about his boyfriend Mark Cornelsen: "We've only been together for six months, so I think it's a little soon to consider marriage. It's bound to raise some eyebrows, but we love each other. He's an amazing guy. I was surprised he was interested! Even though he's not ready to tie the knot, Knight plans to do so someday. I think it's very important to honor marriage. I take it very seriously. And I'm glad I can finally take it seriously."

In related news, GLAAD thanked Jay Leno for his support in West Hollywood Wednesday night.

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Leno, Knight, Shepard Attend Mass Commitment Ceremony in WeHo

A symbolic mass commitment ceremony (planned before California's same-sex marriage court decision) was held last night at the Abbey in West Hollywood. Above, WeHo Mayor Jeffrey Prang speaks to the assembled crowd.

I've also clipped a segment from local news station FOX 11, AFTER THE JUMP...

Jay Leno, Judy Shepard, and T.R. Knight were on hand to show their support. Despite Leno's history of cracking distasteful jokes about gays I think he needs to be given credit for showing up. It may be the gayest event he's ever been to, and, as we know, familiarity and exposure is the number one killer of ignorance and bigotry. So, we'll see.

Said Leno to the AP: "I have friends in the gay community. Who doesn't know gay people in Hollywood?"

Below, Jay's gayest look?

Leno even signed a symbolic marriage license:

T.R. Knight and Mark Cornelsen were looking dapper. Those ring pendants around their neck were likely supplied by Love and Pride, the jewelry company sponsoring the event.

Said Knight, who had late last month been rumored to be marrying Cornelsen: "There's a lot of hate around and until that hate disappears, you're going to have people trying to push down another group of people for whatever reason."

The AP reports: "This was a third year in a row that The Abbey, a popular lounge, kicked off Gay Pride month in Los Angeles with such a ceremony. Faded pink rose petals sprinkled the white carpet as a guitarist performed Pachelbel's 'Canon in D.' The crowd of family and friends gathered in support as their loved ones stood in front of the mayor of West Hollywood to take a vow. 'Your joined hands are outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual bond,' Mayor Jeffrey Prang said, 'signifying to all your commitment to each other and your commitment in vowing to vote and protect your right to love.' Then, before a cadre of television celebrities and the family of a modern gay rights martyr, the couples sealed the pledge with kisses."

A few of the couples marking their love to one another and a local News report from FOX 11, AFTER THE JUMP...

Here's a local news report I've clipped from FOX 11 News:

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Jay Leno to Show His Support for Same-Sex Marriage in Weho?

Jay Leno, who in April found himself the focus of criticism after an episode of The Tonight Show in which he asked actor Ryan Philippe to look at the camera and give it his "gayest look", is set to appear in support of California's same-sex marriage decision at tonight's symbolic mass commitment ceremony in West Hollywood, according to E!'s Marc Malkin:

"The Tonight Show host decided to make an appearance in support of the recent legalization of gay marriage by California’s Supreme Court. 'He said that he is from Massachusetts and that the sky did not fall in their state when marriage equality became the law of the land there,' a rep for the event said. 'He wants to impress upon everyone here in California that the sky will not fall here either.'"

Previously
Jay Leno Asks Ryan Phillippe to Give Camera His 'Gayest Look' [tr]
Jay Leno Apologizes for Requesting Ryan Phillippe's Gayest Look [tr]
Jay Leno on 'Gayest Look' Controversy: That's What Comics Do [tr]

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News: Thailand, Dick Cheney, Brazil Wedding, Diva Clinton

Jay Leno and Ryan Phillippe are still on good terms after the "gayest look" incident. Said Leno: "No, we talked about it before. We're friends. I mean, it's a talk show. That's what you do."

Same-sex weddings, civil unions, commitment ceremonies big business in New England: "Throughout the Northeast, competition has spiked among wedding sites, hotels, resorts and inns as the travel industry has realized that same-sex ceremonies can draw scores of guests, who turn these destinations weddings into weekend stays."

Ashlee Simpson is another straight woman who loves that gay guys love her man.

Red Cross in Thailand changes screening process for gay blood donors: "Gay-rights activists had complained that one question, which was meant to target people more likely to have diseases transmitted by sex and drugs, had effectively blocked all gay men from donating by only asking about same-sex relations. 'We didn't mean to hurt anyone,' said Soisaang Pikulsod, director of the Thai Red Cross National Blood Centre. 'It was just to ensure the highest possible safety of our patients.' The Red Cross will rework the form to include more questions about all types of sexual behaviour, gay or heterosexual, that could increase the risk of diseases such as AIDS, she said."

Kathy Griffin and Adnan Ghalib in most obvious paparazzi punk'd ever.

Dick Cheney has either a naked woman or an alien entity in his lenses. Or Lynne Cheney, in which case it would be both.

American Idol loses one of the guys [SPOILER].

Gay-friendly college fairs a budding trend: "Students are coming out at a much younger age. That process isn't beginning in college or after college like we may have seen 10 or 20 years ago. So these high school students who are out come looking for a range of things that show a college will generally have students like them, and a university with an inclusive mission."

Judge tosses Florida lawsuit filed by high school student denied the right to form a gay-straight alliance: "The former student, Yasmin Gonzalez, has graduated, so she's no longer affected by the school's decision to ban the club, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore said in a ruling Wednesday. Gonzalez's attorneys with the ACLU tried to maintain her stake in the case by seeking nominal monetary damages, but Moore ruled she isn't entitled to any money because she wasn't claiming violations of due process. 'We were surprised and disappointed by his interpretation,' said Rob Rosenwald, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. Rosenwald plans to ask the judge to reconsider. Attorneys for the school board declined to comment."

Brazil televises "tacky" gay wedding.

George Michael = God?

East Village Boys offer T-shirt that big shooters wear with pride.

TPM suggests "diva theory" behind Hillary's appeal: "Hillary is the diva, the fabulous woman who is fabulous just because she says so. She's the woman who is abused (by her husband), ridiculed (by the press), hated (by Republican mouth-breathers), yet she's still standing. She's like from some exploitation film where the heroine is beaten and barely raped before pulling a knife out of her sock and slicing the mean guy's balls off. Her supporters have stood by her and fought her battles with her - and sometimes for her - since the 1990s. The emotional connection runs too deep. R-e-s-p-e-c-t, she shakes her finger. Find out what it means to me. And the crowd eats it up." Can any shallower arguments be made?

Michigan's Aquinas College cancels speech by gay rights activist. President: "I'm not trying to keep people from seeing him. I'm trying to prevent the college from sponsoring an event that displays an attack on Catholic teaching values."

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Jay Leno on 'Gayest Look' Controversy: That's What Comics Do

Last Friday, Jay Leno spoke with KMXB radio in Las Vegas about the "gayest look" controversy.

Here's the audio.

I've also transcribed it.

Said Leno: "You know, it's really odd how on our show we have plenty of gay guests and plenty of gay guests who you know - 'how's your relationship going, how's your family going' — Melissa Etheridge, with everybody else. To me I never made fun of gay rights or even gay marriage. Do what you want to do. But to me — fashion, lifestyle, hair, you know that kind of stuff — you're a comic. Thats what you do. And what it was was Ryan Phillippe, who grew up in a strict Baptist background, he came to New York as an actor and his first job was playing a single gay teenager or young man. So I said 'what was that like, coming from a Baptist background?' And he said 'well a little tricky with my parents, they didn't quite get it.' And then I said 'ok, so you were a single good-looking guy on a soap opera' and I made the mistake, I guess, of saying alright, 'Give me your gayest look now. Give me that soap opera gayest look. Well, apparently 'gayest look' offended somebody and, you know. But what happens in these things is it then builds to — I would read the blog, 'I didn't see Jay Leno's anti-gay tirade but I heard he went on and on!' So it's one of these things where it just builds and builds and you go look, I'm a comic. If I offended anybody, I'm sorry, this is my job to make a laugh and we're a live show and maybe you say something that's inappropriate and I apologized, and it's as simple as that....(jokes) well I am in rehab now!"

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Bill O'Reilly: I Would Never Poke Fun at Any Minority Group, Ever

Bill O'Reilly and Wayne Besen of "ex-gay" watchdog organization Truth Wins Out (which, incidentally, just relaunched its spiffy new website) had a chat last night about the Jay Leno "gayest look" controversy. Here's a bit of their conversation

O'REILLY: "It looks to me in America that you can't ever make fun of any minority group. Ever. In any way. Anymore. In this country. I think that's where we are really. You can make fun of white Christian men. You can make fun of, famous people. But if you make fun of a minority, any minority... If you're a Jewish guy, if you make fun of Jewish people, Black people, illegal immigrants, any minority. If you poke fun at them, you are gonna catch hell. That's true, is it not?"

BESEN: "I don't think it is true. I think if you look at comedy acts there's a lot of groups being made fun of. I think there's a big difference between making fun of something they do that is funny and making fun of who they are as individuals. The simple act of being Black is rarely made fun of, but being gay is perfectly acceptable. It's a double standard."

O'REILLY: "No I don't think so. Believe me Mr. Besen, I do this every night. I would never at this point, poke fun at any minority group ever, because it is not going to be taken in the same way, someone is going to be offended, and they're going to brand you a racist or a homophobe."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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