Jude Law Handles Case of Robert Downey Jr.'s Firecrotch

News of an incendiary incident on the set of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. Some ash that fell from Downey's pipe apparently ignited his trousers:

A source said: "Robert leaped from his armchair and jumped up and down, slapping his crotch and howling, 'Oh God, I'm on fire!' Robert had placed the pipe on a plate on the arm of the chair, but it overbalanced and plopped into his lap, scattering lit tobacco all over his pants.' Luckily, Robert's co-star Jude Law - who plays Holmes' sidekick Dr. Watson in the movie - was on hand to extinguish the flames and save the star from singeing his privates. The source added: 'While Robert was screaming and swatting his pants, quick-thinking Jude saved the day by flinging water from a flower vase at Robert's naughty area.' Robert emerged unscathed from the incident, but production was halted while the wardrobe department found him a new pair of trousers to wear."

Law's looking quite good as Watson, don't you think?

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News: T.R. Knight, SUNY, Soulforce, Anteater, John Boehner

T.R. Knight donates $50,000 to No on 8.

Manchester, UK teen hangs himself over gay hate anonymous phone bullying.

Free screening of The Times of Harvey Milk documentary tonight in L.A. See it, it's amazing.

House Minority Leader John Boehner mocks the way Barney Frank talks: “You know where he’s from. He’s from Massachusetts, although he can’t say the word 'Massachusetts.'"

Brandon and Brenda Walsh reuniting for 90210.

Denver Post remembers Matthew Shepard: "The crime galvanized gay-rights activists, who were determined change should come of Shepard's death. In some ways, the death of the affable young man has made a difference. Laramie, where Shepard attended college, passed a bias-crime ordinance in response to his death. His killing also has led to greater awareness about hate crimes and calls for tougher laws nationwide. But much work remains..."

NYT: Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina. "Tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law..."

Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club endorses Mark Leno, refuses to drop support for Nancy Pelosi in favor of Cindy Sheehan. "The decision at the club's political action committee meeting Tuesday, October 7 not to support Sheehan prompted complaints about who the club allows to vote on its endorsements and was the third time during Pelosi's 20 years in Congress that attempts to strip her of the Milk Club's support had failed."

Gerard Butler under investigation for beating the crap out of a paparazzo.

SUNY Fredonia students drown out anti-gay demonstrators: "The Deferios didn't quite know what they were getting into when they visited the SUNY Fredonia campus earlier this week. Jim Deferio of Syracuse, along with his daughter, Michelle Deferio, 26, stood in the grass near the Reed Library steps, holding signs, beginning shortly before noon on Tuesday. Jim wore aviator sunglasses and clutched a megaphone, which he used to address the rapidly expanding group, and held a large poster that read, "Warning: Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?...Many exchanges occurred between Jim, via megaphone, and the crowd throughout the afternoon. Jim would begin to shout, "There's no biological basis -" and the crowd would reply, 'Shut up, Jim.'"

More Clooney P.I.

Now Jude Law goes the 'stache route.

Palm Beach Atlantic University to allow Soulforce Bus riders on campus, but Soulforce calls invitation too restrictive: ''Unfortunately, the format is not conducive to reaching out to the Palm Beach Atlantic community in the spirit of open dialogue. Additionally, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students who need to hear our message of love and affirmation would not be reached in this format.''

Proud Nation: UK's first gay museum planned for London.

I always fall for a good baby anteater story.

New pain relief method is eight times stronger than morphine: "The revolutionary technique involves an injection that can combat serious discomfort for more than three days - 14 times as long as morphine. The substance, which can be injected, appears to have few side effects and works by neutralising the chemical in the body that causes the brain to feel pain."

California leads the country in gay rights even if Proposition 8 is approved (which of course cannot happen!)

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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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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #332

BIAS?: Campbell Brown and Erica Hill mock impeachment hearings as Kabuki Theatre.

FOPPISH: Bill O'Reilly and Wayne Besen discuss the Snickers ad that was recently pulled. (via shakesville)

JUDE LAW: His first TV ad for Dior Homme Sport.

ACROPHOBIC: Trailer for Man on Wire, the documentary about French acrobat Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope stunt between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. It opened over the weekend.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Jude Lays Down the Law for Dior Homme Sport

Jude Law gives his best face in new ads for Dior Homme Sport fragrance, shot by Australian photographer Daniel Askill in the Bahamas in May.

Said Askill: "It was hard for me to decide whether to take it on because I had directed an ad for Dior before with Hedi, it was one of the last major projects before he left, so it was a very tumultuous time. The new ad was completely different from Hedi's aesthetic. This time it was the marketing guys calling all the shots, but in the end it was still a great project. I would be working with an A-list actor and shooting in the Bahamas with a team of 70 people, so ultimately I felt it was too good to pass up."

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News: Interview Magazine, Tony Romo, Gayelle, Finger Length

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama exchange nasty radio ads here and here.

Tony Romo can't shake off the albatross that brought down the Dallas Cowboys.

Underground movement underway by lesbians who don't want to be called 'lesbian' anymore. Their replacement name: Gayelle.

Washington state legislature has largest gay caucus in the U.S.: "Marko Liias, a 26-year-old Democrat from Mukilteo, started the legislative session earlier this month, replacing former Rep. Brian Sullivan, who left the Legislature for the Snohomish County Council. Liias' arrival gives Washington six openly gay lawmakers, ahead of California's five. That makes Washington the state with the largest Capitol gay caucus, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based political action committee. 'Anything that we can do, me as an individual, or us as a state, to be leaders on this issue and be role models is excellent,' Liias told The Associated Press Wednesday. 'The message really is, everyone deserves a stake in Washington, and everyone has a stake in Washington's future.' Liias joins Reps. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver and Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines, and Sens. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, and Joe McDermott, D-Seattle." (CORRECTION: Victory Fund issues - statement: NH has most out legislators)

CLICK HERE if you're interested in knowing the funky name for the new James Bond film.

And guess who else has a new name? P Diddy.

Publisher Sandra Brant and editor-in-chief Ingrid Sischy leave Interview magazine.

Ceremony to be held on Monday in Westminster will remember Holocaust victims, including gays: "Groups such as the Roma, gay people and people with disabilities who also suffered under Nazi rule will be commemorated through song and imagery along with victims of other genocides.The event is part of a wider programme of education in Westminster's youth centres to explore the issues of racism, homophobia and sexism."

A closer look at finger lengths.

John Travolta had an obsession with Heath Ledger: "I wanted to meet him because I was very impressed with him from the very beginning. His agent introduced me to him at a party, and I just fell — I used every accolade. Actors need other actors to be inspired by, and he was 'my' actor....My feeling on Heath is I don't want to lose him at any age, 28 or 88, like Marlon Brando. I didn't like his passing, he was special to me, and he was a friend. At any age you don't want to lose someone like that — he was a valuable guy. I am truly sorry and my heart goes out to everyone who knew him and loved him, and actually, my heart goes out to me, I really don't like it. I don't like it…"

New South Wales police fight back against accusations of homophobia related to the recent surge of anti-gay violence in and around Sydney: "It should be pointed out that it can be very difficult for police officers to ask a victim whether they believe a crime was motivated by homophobia, or if it is a hate-related crime, especially if the victim has not voluntarily stated their sexuality. It is a sensitive topic that can lead to allegations of police either making inappropriate assumptions about someone’s sexuality or, or on the other hand, not treating a crime as a hate crime."

Jude Law spends a day at the beach.

Queerty talks to author Tom Dolby about his new book The Sixth Form.

Berlin film fesitval Panorama arthouse sidebar featuring a bunch of gay films: "Discrimination against gays and lesbians is one of this year’s hot topics in Dokumente and the subject of several films, including 'Das andere Istanbul,' by Doendue Kilic; 'East/West — Sex & Politics,' by Jochen Hick; 'Suddenly, Last Winter,' by Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi, as well as Rosa von Praunheim’s 'Tote Schwule — lebende Lesben.'"

Maryland marriage bill gets new sponsors.

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News: Shia LaBeouf, Provincetown, Robert Frost, Mapplethorpe

Nominations for the Eighth Annual Weblog Awards (the 2008 bloggies) are now open. Now, we're not telling you who to nominate, but (wink, wink) there is a GLBT category!

Something for everyone: Shia LaBeouf and Harrison Ford deck out the new issue of Vanity Fair.

Hey big spender: Suze Orman closes on $3.6 million apartment in New York's refurbished Plaza Hotel.

Shake-up at ABC's Brothers and Sisters: Creator Jon Robin Baitz leaving the show? "Whether this truly is Baitz’s 'endgame' in television and the end of his work on Brothers & Sisters is not entirely clear. Earlier in the same post he seems to contradict himself by indicating some level of future involvement with the show he created: 'Now I look forward to writing the odd episode or three, and being useful as close-reader of the cosmology of the show when asked.' AfterElton.com contacted Baitz’s representation for a comment, but no reply was received (possibly due to the holidays)."

Jude Law sees ghost of Frank Sinatra crouched at his hotel's mini-bar.

United States of Pop: DJ Earworm presents a mash-up of Billboard's top 25 most popular songs in the U.S. last year.

Some say the world will end in fire: Poet Robert Frost's former home ransacked and burned at what police say was an underage drinking party. "The intruders broke a window to get into the two-story wood frame building — a furnished residence open in the summer — before destroying tables and chairs, pictures, windows, light fixtures, and dishes. Wicker furniture and dressers were smashed and thrown into a fireplace and burned, apparently to provide heat in the unheated building, he said. Empty beer bottles and cans, plastic cups, and cellophane apparently used to hold marijuana were also found, according to Hodsden. The vandals vomited in the living room and discharged two fire extinguishers inside the building, on a dead-end road off Route 125."

Former Brit boyband singer Lee Ryan arrested for assault on London taxi driver.

13 unsolved arson fires in the last 11 weeks have Provincetown on edge and part-time fire department working overtime: "The town's chief fire officer — part-time Chief Michael Trovato — is supposed to report to state authorities in writing within 48 hours any fire or explosion that results in loss of property. But those reports, called the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reports, have not been completed, based on several requests by the Times starting Dec. 11. The fire reports are usually available for public inspection and can serve as a foundation — the first responder's version — of a suspicious fire, said Hyannis Deputy Fire Chief Dean Melanson, who said he was not commenting specifically on Provincetown, and the state fire marshal's spokeswoman, Jennifer Mieth. Trovato said Thursday the reports have not been completed because the number of fires— and his part-time status — have made it tough to keep up with the paperwork. '"And because the fire chief is really exhausted and overwhelmed,' Trovato said, speaking of himself."

Top DNC officials subpoenaed in discrimination lawsuit: "Those ordered to provide sworn testimony include chairman Howard Dean, openly gay treasurer Andy Tobias, and Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council executive Director Brian Bond. The suit charges that a campaign of infighting, discrimination and retaliation led to the illegal firing of Hitchcock after his partner, former Clinton appointee Paul Yandura, criticized the Party for what he claimed was a lack of support for LGBT causes, especially on the issue of defeating anti-gay ballot measures."

Friend of gays Katherine Heigl gets hitched but where's the bridesman T.R. Knight?

Northern Ireland Gay Pride controversy reaches House of Commons: "Stormont Minister Nigel Dodds has thrown his weight behind DUP protests over a placard carried at the Belfast Pride event which read 'Jesus is a fag'. And Security Minister Paul Goggins has revealed that the Parades Commission is seeking a meeting with the march organisers following complaints about alleged breaches of its code. The DUP were outraged when one participant was seen carrying the controversial placard during the colourful August 4 event."

Book explores the "artlessness" of Mapplethorpe's Polaroids: "I thought if I could somehow bring that element into art, if I could retain that feeling, I would be doing something that was uniquely my own."

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Jude Law Decides His Abs are Worth Their Weight in Gold

The Magic Custard company will create casts in bronze, silver, and gold of your child's feet and hands to keep for posterity. Unless, of course, you're a celebrity. Then you want yourself enshrined — or, in Jude Law's case, your abs.

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Perry Taylor: Manny Moves On

Britney Spears' manny Perry Taylor has left the drama of the Federline household behind, had his hair cut, and is on security detail for Jude Law. There's got to be a VH1 celeb-reality show in here somewhere. Especially since he completely upstages Law in this photo.

In any case, if he decides to dump Law for John Travolta, who recently expressed his fondness for mannies, he best prepare himself for a hot man-on-manny kiss.

(via source and source)

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