News: Brooklyn, Jim Carrey, Asteroid, Jodi Rell, Subway Drama

This is how an American soldier is made.

Brooklyn's oldest gay bar, The Starlite Lounge, in danger of closing: "The Starlite Lounge has been a Crown Heights fixture since the 1960s, serving gays and non-gays. In recent years, the venue has become a destination for neighborhood folks looking for a casual daytime hangout, as well as revelers who frequent the dance parties and karaoke nights, according to Leviticus."

WATCH: Drunk Boston woman almost gets run over by subway.

Jim Carrey's new website is pretty fantastic.

Gay man running for Toronto mayor.

Rhode Island domestic partners bill awaits anti-gay governor Carcieri's signature: "An opponent of gay marriage, Carcieri has not yet stated whether, he will sign, veto or allow to become law without his signature a bill to provide domestic partners with the right to make funeral arrangements for their partners."

How same-sex marriage has worked in The Netherlands.

Excellent chart on same-sex marriage and age.

Gays are not welcome at Vatican City, but what about all the gays who are already there?

Madonna is in Brazil to meet Jesus Luz's mother, who is 14 years her junior.

Andy Warhol's "jock" Polaroids are on display in NYC.

A previously-undiscovered asteroid came within 14,000 km of Earth last week and it was only noticed 15 hours before its closest approach: "This is the third-closest known non-impacting Earth approach on record for a cataloged (sic) asteroid."

David Beckham got a post-Halloween buzz.

Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell says she's not running for reelection: "Rell choked up while listing her favorite memories while in office, including meeting those affected by the passage of public health insurance for the poor, updates to mass transit, and improvements to the state's education system. She cited a gay couple who hugged her at Stafford Motor Speedway after she signed the nation's first voluntarily passed civil union bill."

Westboro Baptist Church protests outside of Sasha and Malia Obama's school in D.C..

James Franco's General Hospital role: graffiti artist?

Paris Hilton threatening to sue for being made the spokesmodel for vacant space - literally.

New York Army specialist in Baghdad being discharged under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': "Nathanael Bodon of Marlboro is a specialist in the Army Reserve stationed in Baghdad, Iraq. He has been in the reserves for about a year-and-a-half and in Iraq for some four months. The Army found out about Bodon when a fellow soldier found his blog with a picture of him kissing a former boyfriend and tipped off the Army brass."

Sally Kern's husband to join religious groups for Monday rally in D.C. against marriage equality.

Brazilian model Miro Moreira lowers his rate.

N.Y. Posts' Andrea Peyser defends cabbie who kicked out gays for hugging: " Mohamed faces the indignity of having his cab license yanked by the Taxi and Limousine Commission. He's already lost his job. But Medhat Mohamed is no bigot, and he's not a disgrace. He's also not a prude, a gay basher, a homophobe or the more colorful invective that's been lobbed in his direction by a chorus of yuppies with a large bone to pick."

Ewan McGregor: I 'Quite Like' French Kissing Jim Carrey

Ewan McGregor was spotted greeting a man with a kiss yesterday in New York. A friendly kiss.

However, he's not opposed to the more intimate kind. The L.A. Times recently asked McGregor if he thinks America is ready for his prison romance film I Love You Phillip Morris.

Said McGregor: "It seemed to go down very well there at Sundance. It's a love story, an escape movie and a comedy, all about this man who goes to incredible lengths to be with the man he loves. I like it because it's a gay film, which is to say it's a film about two men in love, and I think that's an important element of it. But it's not a film about them being gay. They just happen to be gay. I also got to French kiss Jim Carrey a lot, and I quite like that too."

That film is due out in February.

Ewan McGregor: 'Of Course' Phillip Morris is a Gay Movie

Ewan McGregor knocks down discussion at Sundance (perhaps to try and sell it) that I Love You Phillip Morris isn't a gay movie:

"Y'know there was a lot of talk about it at Sundance about it not being a 'gay movie.' Well, I think it is a gay movie. Of course it's a gay movie. It's about two gay men or three gay men, y'know? And a man whose relationships are with men. And although the humor isn't born out of the fact it's about gay men, it's a funny movie.  Y'know, I never wanted to be worried about the fact that it's a gay story because it is.  I hope they locked it that way. You can imagine that the people who deal with such things going, 'Oh, let's make sure people don't think it's a gay movie and y'know that won't sell.' But of course it is, and it's a good film."

The gay prison romance is set for release on Valentine's Day.

News: Daniel O'Donnell, Up, David Geffen, Twitter, Amazing Race

Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee to hear same-sex marriage bills tomorrow.

NYT profiles New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and the battle for marriage equality.

Guess who's losing their house now?

Jim Carrey-Ewan McGregor prison romance I Love You Phillip Morris gets distributor, to open on Valentine's Day.

Rihanna and Lady GaGa team up for new track - listen.

Is my marriage gay?

ACLU pushes for marriage equality nationwide.

Gay adult print world suffers hit.

David Geffen wants to buy the New York Times: "Mr Geffen, a co-founder of DreamWorks SKG, made an offer in the past two months for the 19.8 per cent stake in the New York Times Company held by Harbinger Capital Partners, the activist US hedge fund controlled by Philip Falcone. His offer was rebuffed, two people familiar with its details said. One of these said the offer was made at the prevailing market price but Harbinger wanted a premium, adding that Mr Geffen remained interested in owning the company and would be 'a patient buyer'."

The official trailer for Pixar's Up, the first animated film to debut in Cannes.

AfterElton interviews gay and deaf contestant Luke and his mother Margie from The Amazing Race.

New Eating Out film is looking to discover you!

Charges dropped against man who threatened gay Connecticut lawmakers Michael Lawlor and Andrew McDonald: "A Connecticut man arrested for sending a threatening e-mail to state lawmakers has completed an anger management course and has had all charges against him dismissed. The lawyer for 26-yer-old Timothy Kane said Monday that Kane deeply regrets sending the e-mail and wishes no harm to the legislators." Background.

Duet: Leighton Meester and Cobra Starship?

A Banksy self-portrait?

ABC and Nightline to produce Twitter-fueled weekly news show.

Parents of slain Liverpool gay teen Michael Causer to receive book of condolence: "On a day that will see a rainbow flag fly above Liverpool Town Hall for the first time, Lord Mayor Cllr Steve Rotheram will present Marie and Michael Snr with the book. The flag will become multi coloured to celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia, celebrated each year on May 17."

NYT opinion: Obama faking left. "Four months in, the Obama administration does seem to have a plausible strategy for turning the “social issues” to liberalism’s advantage. The outline is simple: Engage on abortion, and punt on gay rights."

Tennessee marries same-sex couple: "The two have been married for more than a year but they recently found out their marriage is invalid, because both are considered men. Phillips and Rittenberry are the first same-sex marriage in Tennessee. Rittenberry, 46, and Phillips, 33, met through a hot-line service and legally wed in November 2007. Rittenberry was born a man but identifies as a woman and claims to have had sex reassignment surgery."

Jim Carrey Too Convincing at Gay Sex for U.S. Audiences?

Michael Musto has the goods on why the Jim Carrey - Ewan McGregor prison romance I Love You, Phillip Morris is having a hard time finding a distributor in the U.S. Musto talked to Lewis Tice of TLA, who has seen the film:

"The scene is not shocking in the sense that any body parts are actually revealed--both actors are nude, but the way the scene is shot, no pickle is on display. The surprising part is that the 'bottom' is this muscle, bearish type, who is on all fours, getting a really hard pounding by Carey (sic). It was mostly the tone and my perception of Carey as an actor, just because I never looked at Carey in a sexual manner and he was so dedicated to giving it to the muscle-bear and the sexual tone was authentic, it caught me off guard. I eventually got over it and I think Carey is convincingly fantastic in the film. But I think most folks are used to seeing Ewan McGregor naked and engaging in man-on-man sex, but Carey, not so much. So more power to him for going there."

I posted last week that folks are saying the film may go straight to DVD.

News: Jesus Luz, Hawaii, T.R. Knight, Kansas, Suze Orman, Mexico

Appointment of John Berry, the openly gay Obama nominee to head the Office of Personnel Management, to be swift because of the waning morality wars?

Elton John and Billy Joel hit the road together.

Luz Out: Madonna dumps Jesus.

Gay Wichita man gives huge collection of LGBT historical materials to the University of Kansas: "Library officials say the collection, documenting the history of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals in the Midwest, gives insight into the experiences of the gays in the Midwest. 'This addition could potentially put us on the map for GLBT materials in the Midwest,' said Tami Albin, undergraduate instruction and outreach librarian at KU. McKinney's collection of more than 160 boxes strengthens the holdings the library already maintains, Williams said."

Mary Tyler Moore a right-winger? “Maybe more of a libertarian centrist. If McCain had asked me to campaign for him, I would have...I do watch a lot of Fox News. I like Charles Krauthammer and Bill O’Reilly.”

Study on LGBT poor released.

That dude from the OC makes a pretty hot cop.

Jim Carrey - Ewan McGregor gay prison romance to go straight to DVD?

An update on the status of civil unions in Hawaii: "Right now the bill is waiting for Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, with the support of her colleagues, to pull it from the JGO Committee and bring it to the Senate floor for a full vote. We are working hard on the legislators. We have the support of the majority of Senators. But our opposition, made up of the Hawaii Family Forum and the christian hate groups, are, as always, very well bankrolled...

T.R. Knight in car accident on Hollywood Boulevard.

Gay Republicans seeking alternative to Log Cabin: "Jimmy LaSalvia, a former Log Cabin policy director, said he’s had discussions with gay Republicans at GOP events and concluded that Log Cabin is 'missing a lot of opportunities to provide a voice for gay conservatives...We’re looking at a political landscape where gay Republicans aren’t represented,' he said. 'Log Cabin’s absence has left a void on the political landscape.' Log Cabin, which didn’t respond to the Blade’s request for comment, is operating at minimal capacity even as it prepares for its annual national convention, which will take place in April this year in D.C."

Six years ago Shrub lied to the world.

Irish MP Iris Robinson avoids prosecution for calling gays an abomination: "The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in Northern Ireland confirmed today it was not proceeding with an investigation into the MP's comments. Robinson, who is married to Northern Ireland's first minister, Peter Robinson, also said gay people could be 'cured' of their homosexuality by psychotherapy.

Tori Amos debuts new music at SXSW.

Mexico's Social Democratic Party nominates gay man and 31-year-old helicopter pilot as mayoral candidate in Guadalajara, Mexico: "The party earned about 2.6 percent support nationwide in a December poll. Galan acknowledges that winning 'is not the most likely scenario' in Guadalajara, which has been in the hands of the right-wing National Action Party for more than a decade. But he said Tuesday he hopes to raise proposals to 'improve the situation for the majority by addressing the needs of minorities.'"

Still around: The attention whore of the GOP is horny for conservatives.

WWD profiles Suze Orman: "One New Year’s Eve, at the age of 12 or 13 ('I can’t remember which'), Orman went to a party and hung out with a girl named Susie Kaplan, whom Orman had a crush on. 'It was late and Susie had fallen asleep with her head on my lap and my best friend Laurie Brown looked at us, got it, and started a rumor that I was a lesbian. Of course, I denied it. During my freshman year of college, I came back and said, ‘Laurie, remember that rumor you started about me years ago? Well, that was true.’'"