News: Oscar Wilde, El Niño, Pepto-Bismol, Vladimir Putin, Iraq

U.S. military probing claims by Iraqi refugee that servicemembers were involved in the executions of gays in Iraq.

Provincetown player Ryan Landry stars as Oscar Wilde in production of Moises Kaufman's Gross Indecency.

Save the Earth, piss in the shower.

New El Niño may be second-strongest.

The Majority: Condé Nast's 'A-gay' tower of power?

Bolivia bans all circus animals: "Bolivia has enacted what animal rights activists are calling the world's first ban on all animals in circuses. A handful of other countries have banned the use of wild animals in circuses, but the Bolivian ban includes domestic animals as well."

Phyllis Schlafly unleashes on the National Education Association for supporting gays at its annual convention in San Diego.

Allen Thornell, LGBT leader in Georgia, dies after suffering stroke.

Leonardo Dicaprio hits the beach in Ibiza.

Pepto-Bismol ice cream: hangover cure?

Murses and the dudes who dig them. (via the awl)

Stonewall Shooting Sports: Gay Utah group to join gun rights march in Salt Lake City.

Killer of gay seaman August Provost, who committed suicide while in custody, had tried to kill himself twice before.

Movieline interviews photographer Bruce Weber.

Maybe the only reason to see the new G.I. Joe flick?

The NYT visits the John Bartlett boutique: "It’s not as if this store is exclusively gay; it’s just secure in its sexuality. Contrary to current film and television, there is a large segment of confident gay men out there who aren’t that obsessed with fashion. They work hard, and just need some nice clothes for jobs and second dates."

What Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Will Smith will be wearing this fall.

Russian PM Vladimir Putin shows off his macho self again. FLASHBACK: A river runs through Russia: Fishing with Pin-up Putin.

75% of Poles against same-sex marriage.

Glenn Beck: Don't get violent, even though I've been riling you up for years.

Error rate increases as signatures are counted in Washington state anti-gay ballot measure.

Massachusetts teen held on $1000 bond after anti-gay assault: "According to the victim, he and his female friend were walking on Bay Street when they were approached by a group of four boys. They identified two of the four as Ambers and Gregg, who appeared to be intoxicated when they directed their attention toward the victim in an aggressive manner. Though she tried to keep Ambers at a distance, the victim’s friend told officers her attempts were futile. Reports say Ambers and Gregg shouted homosexual slurs as they punched and kicked the teenager until he fell to the ground."

Annie Lennox, backwards and forwards.

News: Aretha's Hat, New York, James Franco, Endangered Species

Gay bashing reported by student at DePaul University: "I fell to the ground, and the person that kicked me said, 'I know who you are and I know that you're gay.' That person and two other people just started kicking me and punching me and like I was pinned to the ground, so I couldn't really go anywhere. They were calling me things like queer and fag."

Aretha Franklin gives her hat to the Smithsonian Institution.

Zac Efron has a big bro crush on Leonardo DiCaprio.

Openly gay celebrities in Australia advised not to discuss it: "One celebrity talent manager, who did not wish to be named, told news.com.au he advised clients not to discuss their sexuality, even if everyone knew they were gay, because homophobia was still rampant amongst the gatekeepers of the Aussie media, particularly in television."

Oregon Elections Division throws out complaint against Portland Mayor Sam Adams.

Prosecution winds down in gay porn murder trial of Harlow Cuadra: "More than 50 witnesses have been called so far..."

Phelps church targets school in Plattsburgh, Vermont for Laramie Project production.

Author talks of growing up gay and Black in the South.

London stabbing victim clings to life, gives authorities info: "A man came to the premises, it would appear, and, from the information given by one of the surviving victims, it was a homophobic attack. That is a line of inquiry that we are pursuing."

Brad Pitt pays a visit to Capitol Hill.

Sotheby's to auction one of earliest photos of New York City.

Greek community and LGBT community to bond on U of Michigan campus.

James Franco gets book deal for collection of short stories: writing has "claustrophobic" and "immediate" sense of place.

UK teen gets two years in juvie institution for murder of gay truck driver.

Jon Stewart unloads on CNBC.

Jake Gyllenhaal back in spandex.

Endangered Species Act may be reversed by Obama: "The White House will announce today that it is reconsidering another controversial last-minute environmental rule by President George W. Bush, an Obama administration official said Monday night. The Bush-era rule loosened the way the Endangered Species Act guides federal projects, such as roads and dams. The change, finalized in December, eliminated a requirement that federal agencies consult with experts about potential effects on endangered plants and wildlife before allowing projects to go ahead. Instead, federal agencies can determine on their own whether their projects would harm protected species.

Posh Spice thinks she's Inspectress Gadget.

Every swear word in the history of The Sopranos.

Michelle Williams named guardian of Heath Ledger Oscar.

Uganda Minister of Ethics and Integrity, Dr. James Nsaba Buturo says he will submit a bill on homosexuality to the Parliament: "He says the provision in the penal code on homosexuality is too small to cover all concerns in homosexuality. Buturo says the government will not only end at making laws against homosexuality but will also engage in sensitizing schools and churches in the fight against this vice.The President of Defend the Family International, Scott Lively says it is good for the government of Uganda to criminalize homosexuality but the government should subject the criminals of homosexuality to a therapy rather than imprisoning them. Lively says this is aimed at the criminals recovering from homosexuality which is the main objective of those fighting homosexuality and not to punish homosexuals through imprisonment. He says even schools should borrow this idea of therapy in dealing with gay students."

GQ's Men of the Year

GQ is out with its "Men of the Year" issue featuring four different covers of Barack Obama, Leonardo Dicaprio, Jon Hamm, and Michael Phelps.

There's also a portrait gallery inside with plenty of shots, including one of Phelps offering a flash of what's under his Speedo. Check out that shot, AFTER THE JUMP...

Waxy Leonardo DiCaprio Makes Its Debut

Following up on my post from Monday, I'd say they did a pretty good job.

A New Face for Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio looking a little plastic to you? He should. He's the latest celeb to be enshrined at London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum and will go on display on August 16th. One more shot after the jump.

His global warming documentary, The 11th Hour, hits U.S. theaters the following day.

News: Tobey Maguire, Darth Vader, Cayman Islands, Jamaica

Extremely disturbing images of another brutal anti-gay mob attack in Jamaica. Sick.

Tobey Maguire's mom on her son's friendship with Leonardo DiCaprio: "I figured this subject would come up sooner or later . . . Those two are just free-spirited guys. Most of the friends they hang around with are gay. They're comfortable with that. But I think Leo and Tobey are the crossover between men and women. They have feminine traits they are willing to accept. They aren't ashamed to have any sort of title, even if that means someone calling them gay."

Jason West, who performed public ceremonies for two dozen same-sex marriages in 2004, lost his re-election bid yesterday: "Mr. West was defeated by a village trustee, Terry Dungan, in a 514-to-379 vote, according to unofficial results announced shortly after the polls closed. Mr. West had been charged with 24 misdemeanor counts of violating the state’s domestic relations law when he performed public marriage ceremonies for two dozen gay and lesbian couples in February 2004. The Ulster County district attorney later dropped the charges, saying that a trial would be needless and divisive."

Barbra Streisand to charge $1,000 per ticket in UK show.

Bush warns that Democrats could turn Iraq into terrorist breeding ground.

Philippe Starck lays his hands on a New York luxury condominium: Gramercy by Starck. "As we gazed at Philippe Starck's head emerging from the top of the building on a plasma screen, we wondered if the people who desire to buy into Starck's rich boy minimalism really want to live on a nothing-special stretch of East 23rd Street?"

The incredible, edible....anus?

Lifted by the Force of nature: Darth Vader hot air balloon.

Micron Technology Inc., whom I posted about last week, has added sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination policies: "The move comes after The Advocate revealed last week that the Boise, Idaho, company’s board of directors had ignored an unprecedented 55 percent shareholder vote in favor of adding both sexual orientation and gender identity to its nondiscrimination policies."

The Netherlands' recent court order that its territory Aruba recognize same-sex marriages has rekindled a gay rights debate in the Cayman Islands: "'We either fight the FCO, UK for self-determination on this issue of homosexual marriage or in short order we will face the same situation here in the Cayman Islands,' the People for Referendum said in a press release. 'Either we exercise our UN mandated inalienable self-determination rights to ensure the Constitution does not allow homosexual marriage or acknowledge and let our people know the fact that it’s not a matter of if homosexual marriage will become legal in our Cayman Islands by the UK’s Order in Council.'"

Ricky Martin shows footage of himself nude at concert.