News: Burma Monks, Ryan Idol, Bloc Party, Swastika, Janet Reno

Study: Lack of sleep doubles heart disease death risk.

Flower power: cache of new species discovered in "Green Corridor" of Vietnam. "Scientists have discovered 11 new species of plants and animals in Vietnam, including a snake, two butterflies and five orchid varieties, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) said Wednesday."

Protest turns violent as Buddhist monks take to the streets in Burma.

Bravo's Andy Cohen checks in with porn legend Ryan Idol, who is about to take the stage as a bathhouse patron in Terrence McNally's The Ritz on Broadway: "I'm focusing on my career right now. I'm 41 and I have that deep desire to have genuine affections for people, whether male or female. Love has different degrees, from genuine affection to the unattainable thing we aspire to of absolute love. It doesn't come often but if you don't have other elements in your life in place you can't have love, so that's why I am focusing on my career. Don't go looking for it, I always say, it will find you when you least expect it."

Fury at Colorado State University over F**k Bush editorial.

Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke says the band's next record will be more introspective: "I think with this third record, its very much going to be a record about interior spaces. If 'Weekend In the City' was me complaining about going out and getting f***ed up, I think this is going to be a very intimate record about staying in and discovering aspects of yourself. And not in a grown-up, Coldplay/Snow Patrol way. "[It's to be about] human relationships, on a real kind of primal level. What it means to feel desire and what it means to actually feel close to someone, or what it feels to feel lament -- the passing of closeness between people. It's very much going to be a record about internal relationships."

Swastika discovered in New Jersey cornfield: "Investigators found that the most recent swastika appeared to have been hand-cut and covered an area of several acres. 'This should be in the past, and we should have learned from our mistakes, and to bring up something that brings back such awful memories, I think, is disgusting,' said Joe Pica, whose property is one of many that border the fields."

The big H's take the Big Apple: Jennifer Hudson arrives on set for Sex and the City movie. Whitney Houston hails a comeback...

Kevin Spacey meets with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: "Neither Spacey...nor Chavez spoke to the press after the nearly three-hour encounter in the presidential palace in Caracas. They shook hands warmly on the red carpet as Spacey left after a dinner with Chavez...Chavez has said Venezuela hopes to produce its own films as an alternative to the "cultural imperialism" of Hollywood. Yet, Chavez speaks highly of some Hollywood films. He has also hosted recent visits by stars including Sean Penn and Danny Glover." (video)

New York City comptroller William Thompson tests the gay waters at mayoral fundraiser.

Janet Reno executive producer on three-disc anthology of music hailing America's history.

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Kevin Spacey: Not Interested in Acting Anymore

Spacey told London Tonight:

"I don't care about my personal acting career any more. I'm done with it. After 10 years of making movies and going better than I ever could have imagined, I sort of had to ask myself: What am I supposed to do with all of this success that I have had? Am I just going to keep making movie after movie and be concerned with all of that 'Are you up, are you down, are you hot, are you not?', and I don't really care. What I care about is working with people, what I care about is the remarkable experience of being able to be a part of bringing people together."

No word on whether or not Spacey's disinterest in acting extends to other parts of his personal life.

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News: James Holsinger, Andy Baldwin, NYC Hurricane, Sopranos

Seattle man beaten by group after being taunted with a gay slur: "On Sunday, the couple was together about 2:40 a.m. in the 700 block of East Pike Street when they heard someone utter a slur toward gay men, according to a police report. The victim, a man in his 20s, turned and approached the man who made the comment. That man, who was with a group, punched the victim and threw him to the ground, at which point four to six others joined in the attack, according to a police report. The victim suffered a cut behind his left ear. Firefighters treated him at the scene, a police report said. The group ran to a nearby car and sped away."

Some gay fans call for a boycott of Hairspray because of John Travolta, Scientology, and the cult's position on gays.

Gay marriage bill likely to pass State Assembly in New York. Senate a tougher nut.

New Fest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival award winners announced

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell endorses Bush's anti-gay Surgeon General nominee James Holsinger: "Dr. Holsinger is a proven leader who has dedicated his career to improving health education and services in Kentucky and across the nation. He is an excellent choice for Surgeon General and I look forward to his quick confirmation."

Jake Gyllenhaal spends some time with his fans.

More on Armistead Maupin's new tome Michael Tolliver Lives: "Instead of randy hippies who smoke joints, as they did when the series began in 1976, the aging lefties of 'Michael Tolliver Lives' pop joint and arthritis pills. Instead of plotting nightly sexual conquests, as they did as 20-something singles, many profess shock at the level of promiscuousness practiced by today's youth."

Anti-gay Republican presidential hopeful Tom Tancredo's campaign webmaster Tyler Whitney is outed. Said Tancredo's senior advisor Bay Buchanan: "A person's sexual preference is a personal matter and has nothing to do with the campaign."

Sopranos creator David Chase on the show's uneventful finale: "I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there. No one was trying to be audacious, honest to God. We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to blow people's minds, or thinking, 'Wow, this'll (tick) them off.' People get the impression that you're trying to (mess) with them and it's not true. You're trying to entertain them."

Bachelor Andy Baldwin takes to the surf in Hawaii.

U.S. States renamed for countries with similar GDPs. (via kottke)

NYC due for major hurricane, experts say: "The last hurricane to hit New York was the so-called Long Island Express in 1938. It killed 50 people on the Island, more than 700 along the Eastern seaboard. In the years since, hurricanes with names like Bob, Floyd, and Gloria, have also made an impact, but we've been spared a direct hit. Experts say a major hurricane could pack 130 mph winds, and a 30-foot storm surge. There would be flooding in all five boroughs, the subways and much of lower Manhattan could be under water. Damage estimates would top $100 billion."

Ted Allen talks desert island cuisine: "First of all, I'm not eating Carson [Kressley]. He'd be all stringy. Carson is a little too lean. Tom Colicchio is a delicious-looking man, but I think I'd have to go with Rupert. Many of us in the community would find him the most delicious. If we're on a desert island, I'd dig a pit. Something spicy or sort of Caribbean would be good for Rupert Everett."

Kevin Spacey attended the Tony Awards after-party at the Hotel on Rivington's penthouse with his dog Minnie.

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News: KFC, Donald Trump, Moscow, Team Guido, New Orleans

Moscow continues to say 'no' to gay parades: "'We have exhausted our options for reversing this illegal decision within the Moscow court system,' gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev told Interfax, adding that the ruling 'opens the way to the Supreme Court.' Alexeyev said the parade organizers would appeal to the Supreme Court as soon as possible, and that they hoped the court would reach a decision before May 27, when the parade was to take place."

Donald Trump just thankful it wasn't him under the blade.

Gays in Victoria, Australia reach for their rights.

Surprise! Jamba Juice's non-dairy blend contains...milk!

Kevin Spacey and Sam Mendes teaming up for first time since American Beauty: "Mendes, 41, who made his name in British theatre before going on to find success as a Hollywood director, will direct six classical plays in three years for the Old Vic, of which Spacey, 47, is the artistic director. Titled the Bridge Project, the plays will feature some of the best British and American stage actors, starring in a double-bill of classic works shown at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Old Vic and a third international venue, starting next year in the Piccolo Teatro, Milan."

Need for community spawns gay nightclub in Madison, Wisconsin: "DeWall and Mortensen agreed in a recent interview that Madison's lesbian and gay community is so integrated into the general population that there's no central area, like the 'gay ghettos' of other cities. 'It's somehow set the gay community back,' DeWall said. As an example, added Mortensen, 'when the (marriage amendment) vote went through, everyone felt defeated. But there wasn't a hub where people could gather the next day to talk about it.'"

How some Iraqis felt about John McCain's recent photo-op stroll through Baghdad guarded by 100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships overhead to prove that Americans are "not getting the full picture" of how safe the city is: "They were laughing and talking to people as if there was nothing going on in this country or at least they were pretending that they were tourists and were visiting the city's old market and buying souvenirs. To achieve this, they sealed off the area, put themselves in flak jackets and walked in the middle of tens of armed American soldiers.

April fool? KFC offering Sanjaya a lifetime supply of KFC Famous Bowls® if he sports a bowl cut on Idol?

Mixner: Pakistan should scare the hell out of you.

AfterElton talks to Joe and Bill (aka Team Guido), the latest team to get knocked off The Amazing Race: "From that first season, we got vilified, and that caused a lot of problems within the gay community. We've never really been accepted like Reichen and Chip were because they were in a different genre than we were. Being a villain is a hard thing, personally, to go through. We thought we were lovable, believe it or not. After that experience, we thought, 'Okay, at least we got on.'"

New Orleans set to court gay travelers with new guide.

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Gay Rugby Icon Ian Roberts in Superman Returns

Kudos to Bryan Singer for offering gay rugby icon-turned actor Ian Roberts a Hollywood break, though his casting in Superman Returns does little to quash the movie's gay vibe. Roberts, who has been in the news recently for his appearance at a recent inquest in the murder of Arron Light, says he's thrilled about his stint as a henchman to Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor.

He'll head to L.A. for the movie's June 21 premiere: "I'm just getting so excited about the trip [to LA] now, it's going to be the absolute highlight of my career."

And just for the record, here's one of the most well-known pin-ups of the hunky Ian Roberts.

And a particularly relevant shot follows after the jump...

Previously
Gay Rugby Icon Ian Roberts Testifies About Abuse [tr]

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Superman Returns Trailer

Superman may be heterosexual, but his issues are as gay as can be...

Lex: "Tell me everything."

Clark: "It's not easy for me to live my life being who I am, keeping secrets."

Superman Returns [trailer]

Previously
Superman: Just One Elbow Flex from Jazz Hands [tr]
Superman Returns and Brandon Routh Flies [tr]
The Man of Steel Returns [tr]

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