Towleroad Guide to the Tube #328

DO NOT PASS GO: Brave New Films says send Karl Rove to jail.

PICKLE: Watch Grandpa John demonstrate the power of Christianity by electrocuting a pickle in a sling. Seriously.

ELIZABETH DOLE: Was Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person" on Wednesday for her attempt to add Jesse Helms to the Hyde-Lantos AIDS bill.

DAVID REMNICK: The editor of The New Yorker talks to Charlie Rose about the controversial Obama cover.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

Sphere: Related Content

Sean Penn and Milk Get Some Fanfare

Sean Penn as Harvey Milk takes the front page of Vanity Fair's August 2008 "Fanfair" section. The film opens November 26.

(via boy culture)

Previously
Harvey Milk Items Up for Auction at Christie's [tr]
Lucas Grabeel: Milk Role 'Changed My Life' — Also, I'm Not Gay [tr]
Harvey Milk Bust Has Coming Out Party [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

New Yorker Under Fire for 'The Politics of Fear' Cover

The New Yorker's cover of Barack and Michelle Obama in Muslim/terrorist garb in the Oval Office has generated a not surprising bundle of controversy. The magazine explained it in a press release: "On the cover of the July 21, 2008, issue of the The New Yorker, in ‘The Politics of Fear,’ artist Barry Blitt satirizes the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama’s campaign."

You may remember that Barry Blitt, who did the cover, also drew the cover of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his "narrow stance" satirizing the Larry Craig scandal.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said: "The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree."

Obama himself was asked about the cover:

NBC's ATHENA JONES: "The upcoming issue of the New Yorker, the July 21st issue, has a picture of you, depicting you and your wife on the cover. Have you seen it? If not, I can show it to you on my computer. It shows your wife Michelle with an Afro and an AK 47 and the two of you doing the fist bump with you in a sort of turban-type thing on top. I wondered if you’ve seen it or if you want to see it or if you have a response to it?

OBAMA: "Obama (shrugs incredulously): 'I have no response to that.'"

The McCain campaign agreed: "We completely agree with the Obama campaign, it’s tasteless and offensive."

Blitt defended his cover: "I think the idea that the Obamas are branded as unpatriotic [let alone as terrorists] in certain sectors is preposterous. It seemed to me that depicting the concept would show it as the fear-mongering ridiculousness that it is." Asked whether he regrets it, Blitt responded: "The magazine just came out ten minutes ago, at least give me a few days to decide whether to regret it or not..."

And, if anyone is interested, here's the lengthy article about Obama in this week's issue (photo above from that article)...

Sphere: Related Content

Sportrait: Paul Bester

Meet Paul "Pretty Boy" Bester, a 19-year-old rugby player from South Africa now living in Georgia. He was discovered by Bruce Weber while playing rugby. Weber shoots him for this spread in August's L'Uomo Vogue.

More shots, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via Models.com)

Sphere: Related Content

News: Syrian, Luke Macfarlane, Batman, Seattle Opera, Outfest,

Killer of Daytona Beach cross-dresser sentenced to life in prison.

Becks is a Sharpie in new print campaign.

Gay Syrian Jojo Jako Yakob to be deported from Scotland: "It has now emerged that an immigration tribunal has turned down his request to stay in the UK, despite accepting that Yakob is gay and that Syria criminalises and represses homo– sexuality."

He came out shirtless: Matthew McConaughey has a child.

Kenyan bishop threatens to quit over gay marriages: "The Reverend Thomas Kogo, a bishop at the Eldoret ACK Diocese, has issued the quit notice, saying he could not support a church that condones homosexuality. Kogo, who has just returned from a pilgrimage in Israel, said the faithful must uphold the sanctity of the Anglican family. He said those advocating for gay marriages were driven by desire for money and wealth. 'God recognises marriage between man and woman, and there is no way we will accept homosexuality and gay marriages. The Bible is very clear on the matter,' he said."

Boy George speaks to Newsweek about denial of visa: "I am hardly a threat to national security. I am just a performer trying to do his job. I have called America home at different times in my life. I love America, and the American people have always treated me with love and kindness since I went there as a 19-year-old boy with my band Culture Club."

Turkish oil wrestling!

SAS Scandinavian Airlines launches dedicated gay website: "The website is unique in its personalised aspect, providing a ‘gay’ counterpart to the popular SAS crew tips, offering tips from SAS’ own gay crew members on the best offerings in Stockholm and Copenhagen."

Gay and lesbian Christians to protest Pope Benedict's arrival in Sydney: "The protest, calling for equality for gay and lesbian followers, will take place at the Pitt Street Uniting Church this Sunday, coinciding with Pope Benedict XVI's arrival in Sydney. Catholic writer and educator Michael Kelly said gay and lesbian people had been marginalised and condemned by mainstream churches, particularly the Catholic Church. He labelled the 'version of Christianity that is coming to Sydney' as propaganda. 'We call on gay and lesbian Christians ... to join us in standing up for the goodness of being gay, and not allow right-wing religious propaganda to silence our faith, hope and love,' he said."

Batman refuses to work with Robin.

Brothers and Sisters' Luke MacFarlane interviewed at the Rome Fiction Festival.

L.A.'s Outfest film festival begins tomorrow. Here's the official site. It's opening with the gay hockey film Breakfast with Scot. Also, here's a new piece from indieWire on the state of queer cinema...

Indian actor walks off talk show after being asked about sexual orientation: "What sort of a question is that Sajid? First you call me for your chat show, and then ask me such stuff!"

American Idol's 'gay stripper' David Hernandez spotted sucking female face in San Diego.

Seattle Opera announces three LGBT nights for upcoming season: "At these designated performances, patrons may pay $100 for discounted main-floor orchestra seating, private intermission receptions (with wine, hors d'oeuvres and desserts) and admission to preshow lectures. The inaugural event — an Aug. 22 presentation of 'Aida' — will be hosted by Seattle Opera trustee JJ McKay and Washington state Sen. Ed Murray. Tickets for the evening are on sale now." (site)

Sphere: Related Content

Genre Heads to TV to Boost Readership

I can't remember the last time I saw any magazine take to the airwaves in an effort to boost readership, but Genre has launched a nationwide TV advertising campaign on MTV's LOGO network that will run until the end of the year.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

UPDATE: Robb in our comments notes, A Bear's Life magazine takes ads out on on LOGO as well..

Previously
Genre Puts on The Ritz [tr]
Genre Fakes Cover Story to "Sell" Idea of Relationship Longevity [tr]
The Goings-On at Genre Magazine [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

Netrags

A service modeled after Netflix is about to potentially revolutionize the magazine-publishing industry. According to CNBC "Media Money" columnist Julia Boorstin:

"Time Inc. has an answer to the Netflix generation—it's called Maghound and it launches in September. You pay a monthly fee and can mitch and max [sic] subscriptions from a range of titles. It seems like a great way to try new magazines or load up before a slew of plane trips—unlike regular magazine subscriptions you can cancel whenever you want and you aren’t locked into the magazines you pick. You can get three titles for $3.95 per month, five for $7.95, and seven for $9.95. The company is expected to have 300 magazine titles participating by the launch, 400 by the end of the year."

I’m not sure how I feel about this, as a magazine editor myself. My initial thought is that it could be great in the short term, but I think my industry's real problem is that we have moved too heavily into the subscription model in the U.S. Most publishers deliver magazines at cost or less; magazines have become devalued. The newsstand model is a more effective way to keep magazines' values up. Until print disappears entirely...

Of course, the newsstand model does not benefit gay publications, which may not find welcome shelves in many areas. And magazine distribution in America needs an overhaul, too—currently, distributors squeeze a prohibitive amount of cash out of publishers, and you're happy to sell 30% of your run. The waste is obscene.

Would you try a service like Maghound?

If you’re interested in publishing matters, I recommend you send a subscribe e-mail to bosacks@aol.com to receive informative updates on all things related to that industry.

Sphere: Related Content

"I'm Like The Boy Next Door, But Just A Little Bit Off"

So says Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, who takes on the gay cause—despite not being gay himself—in a new Out (August 2008) cover story:

"When I'm going down the street, I get called a fag all the time. We have iPhones, and I'm still getting called the same names as when I was 13."

In a candid interview in which he likens himself to Andy Warhol and says no one has ever had to come out to him since his openness is well known, Wentz lobbies hard to be seen as not only a gay ally, but a fellow queer.

Just one who happens to have sex with Ashlee Simpson.

"'People treat sexuality the same way that [during] Jim Crow [white] people treated African-Americans,' he tells me. 'It’s totally dehumanized.' It could be his view from the stage—Fall Out Boy audiences skew toward teenage girls, and dudes who like mosh pits and teenage girls—but Wentz shrugs off the idea that whatever bias remains will survive another generation. 'The actual acceptance of gay marriage is inevitable,' he says. 'It’s just like how the next generation of kids are going to all have tattoos.'"

Thnks fr th spprt!

More images AFTER THE JUMP.

Sphere: Related Content

The Diary of Sean Avery, Hockey Player and Vogue Intern

Sean Avery, the New York Ranger pro Hockey player-turned Vogue intern, has an entertaining diary up at Men's Vogue with some equally as entertaining photos in various states of undress.

Writes Avery: "The cafeteria in the Condé Nast building — which houses Vogue and Men's Vogue and Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and about every other magazine you've ever heard of aside from The Hockey News — is filled with some of the best-looking and best-dressed women in New York. Even aside from that distraction, my first attempt at getting lunch didn't go so well. You see, I needed two trays to hold my plates of beef stroganoff and my salad (which alone could probably feed four) and my two bottles of water and my Jello for dessert. To have two full trays in the Condé Nast cafeteria is like seeing a hockey player wearing skinny jeans — it just doesn't happen. And while my stick-handling on the ice keeps getting better and better, my tray-handling leaves a bit to be desired. I still can't find the girl who fled the cafeteria with beef stroganoff spilled all over her, but just in case she's reading this: You can find me on the twelfth floor, and I owe you a new outfit. I now limit myself to one tray at a time."

One more shot, AFTER THE JUMP...

In the Crease [men's vogue]
(images: Hannah Thomson - Men's Vogue]

Sphere: Related Content

Rob Marciano's Fashion Forecast: Hot and Dressed

Vman posted a spread on CNN weather hunk Rob Marciano in various states of dress, along with a short interview. Here are a couple of the queries:

How did you get into meteorology?

"I've been a lifelong weather geek. I would drive my parents crazy. I knew exactly when every weather guy was on every channel, and I would switch back and forth trying to get them all. I learned early on that meteorology isn't an exact science—telling your teacher you didn't do your homework because the weatherman said it was going to snow doesn't really work."

You had a moment of notoriety after you questioned certain claims in An Inconvenient Truth on air. Was that a surprise to you?

"I knew as soon as I said it that there was going to be a backlash. In the end, it created a buzz of viewer interest, and we did an hour-long special on the myths about global warming. I think Al Gore's message is a great message. I just want the facts to be accurate, and fact is that global warming did not cause Katrina."

More shots AFTER THE JUMP...

Where's the underwear and swimwear? We can only hope that Vman has got some for the print edition.

More at Vman....

Sphere: Related Content

Mr. Sandman Bring Me a Dream, and Make it Chad White

Chad White rolls in the sand in the new issue of L'Officiel Hommes #12 (which also features Garrett Neff) in a spread called "Solaire" by photographer and stylist Milan Vukmirovic. Kind of appropriate for this blistering heat we've been having on the east coast.

Six more shots AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
Chad White + Puppy: Best in Show [tr]
Chad White is Dead and Marilyn Manson is Responsible [tr]
Chad White Has Attitude [tr]
Chad White Decides His Hair Should Match His Name [tr]
Michael Jackson Meets Chad White [tr]
Chad White: The Doll You Can Dress Up [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

A Garrett Neff Explosion

Model of the moment Garrett Neff, known to many as the face and body of Calvin Klein Man and Calvin Klein jeans, seems to be everywhere these days. Out just posted a Georgia O'Keefe-inspired shoot featuring the beauty called "Splendid Isolation" shot by Greg Lotus which you can check out here (and with regard to the previous post, let's hope that antler was one shed naturally).

Neff is also featured prominently in the new "Sport & Beaute" issue of L'Officiel Hommes, below.

One more shot from inside that shoot, AFTER THE JUMP...

You can find a preview of this here, here, and here.

Previously
Garrett Neff for Calvin Klein Jeans [tr]
Fabien Baron Looks Back for Calvin Klein Man with Garrett Neff [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

Hayden Christensen and Friend Brighten Up GQ Style Italy

I'm not sure who's cuter on the spring/summer issue of GQ Style Italy photographed by Guy Aroch, but I think the pup wins out.

Previously
Hayden Christensen Knows You'll Still Wonder if He's Gay [tr]
Hayden Christensen Teleports to the Cover of Details [tr]
Hayden Christensen and the Gay Aesthetic [tr]
Chad White + Puppy: Best in Show [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

Fashion Meets Videogames in New French Magazine

Model Simon Nessman is the cover face for a new magazine out of France which fuses fashion with gaming. It seems to be happening all over. Wii approve.

related
Guitar Heroes [tr]
Does Gaming Turn You On? [tr]
Karl Lagerfeld to Appear in Grand Theft Auto [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

VMan/Ford Models Modeling Contest Winner Announced

LAst week I posted the finalists, in the Vman/Ford Models Model search who were on their way to L.A. for a photo shoot with Hedi Slimane.

Well, the winner has been crowned and his name is Petey. Whether or not you agree with the "types" chosen, as you can see, compared to their audition photos, a little hair and make-up and a photographer, Hedi Slimane, who knows what he's doing can go quite a long way. Styling by Nicola Formichetti.

Check out the runners up and their shots, AFTER THE JUMP...

This is AJ, above. And Adam, below.

related modeling poses
Finalists Announced for VMan/Ford Models Model Search [tr]
Karl Lagerfeld Worships Model Brad Kroenig in New York [tr]
David Gandy the New Dolce & Gabbana Briefs Dandy [tr]
Kerry Degman and Oraine Barrett Steam Up Out's Hot Issue [tr]
The Eyes Have it [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

Jon Barrett Named Editor-in-Chief of The Advocate

Jon Barrett, who many of you know as the most recent writer of our TowleTech column, has been named the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and Advocate.com. Jon was previously Features Director for O at Home, and worked as the Senior Editor for Cargo, and as a Senior Editor for Real Simple. Barrett was the Advocate’s Senior News Editor from 1997-2003. We wish him the best of luck!

Sphere: Related Content

Marc Jacobs in Andy Warhol Drag Homage

Designer Marc Jacobs covers the June/July 08 issue of Interview magazine (celebrating what would have been Warhol's 80th birthday on August 6), donning false eyelashes and a classic white Warhol wig for a series of portraits that seem to shift from illustration to photograph.

Two more shots, AFTER THE JUMP...

Sphere: Related Content

A&F's 'Naughty' New Quarterly

Here's the cover of the new "adult" Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly which is being released across the pond and at Barack Obama rallies only. If the cover is any indication, the catalog features male photos from behind (so I'm not sure how it's much different from the old ones) and the women (as well as anyone non-white) seem to have been vanquished from this land of Adam & Steve. It's rumored to cost $200 bucks.

It appears someone made a Bruce Weber collage and then got busy with the Photoshop "colored pencil" effect.

Full cover (possibly NSFW) AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
Obama's Abercrombie Boys: Case Closed [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

Kerry Degman and Oraine Barrett Steam Up Out's Hot Issue

Out magazine pulls five of Major Models' major men for its annual double June/July hot issue, photographed by Richard Phibbs.

Featured on the cover are Kerry Degman and Oraine Barrett, joined by Nate Nesbitt, Joshua Sarrazola and Tyler Garceau, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
The Eyes Have It [tr]
Viva Hollywood's Vinci Has Crybaby Meltdown Over Gay Role [tr]
Josh Beech and Hedi Slimane Do Vogue Hommes International [tr]
Tony Ward Beards Up for Jack Pierson [tr]
Chad White + Puppy: Best in Show [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

Is Miley Cyrus a Whore in Sheep's Clothing?

This is what makes a scandal? What's prompting forced apologies is Disney's fear that their billion-dollar Hannah Montana cottage industry is about to go down the drain. As evidenced by the Vanity Fair article, Miley Cyrus' generation is much further along than her parents' and their sexuality more fluid:

"Before I met Cyrus, an editor at a tabloid told me that all the celebrity weeklies have been ratcheting up their focus on her. With Lindsay Lohan rehabbed and Britney Spears under psychiatric care, the tabs are looking to Cyrus to flame out, or at least do something mildly outrageous. In December, some pictures made it onto the Net showing Cyrus and a girlfriend sharing what looks like a Twizzler and almost kissing, prompting a brief, halfhearted spate of 'lezzie' rumors. Silly. But still, I ask, did she feel betrayed that someone, presumably a friend, had posted the pictures? 'It was me,' she says, 'on my MySpace. For me, I was like, That’s two girls—it’s not a big deal. But they got spread around. Like someone copied and pasted and said, Omigod, look at this, and blah blah blah. I was just like it didn’t affect me. Everyone’s like, Maybe she’ll learn her lesson this time. Nope.' If she had been chewing gum, this could have been nicely underscored with a snap."

Sphere: Related Content

Meet Vogue's New Intern, New York Ranger Sean Avery

Sean Avery, who plays left wing for the New York Rangers, and is also the most hated player in the NHL according to the New Yorker, is going to be a summer intern at Vogue:

"Avery’s more conventional provocation techniques, such as trash-talking, wife-slagging, face-rubbing, slew-footing, slashing, diving, and flopping, may irritate his adversaries even more on account of his unconventional off-ice persona. Not for Avery the typical prairie-boy self-effacement of the hockey man. He has said that he finds sports, and athletes, boring, and that he’d like to be an editor of a fashion magazine. (He’s planning to do a summer internship at Vogue.) Unlike most hockey players, he sees nothing wrong with the fact that he likes to 'smell nice occasionally.' He has said that he prizes his black patent-leather Yves Saint Laurent high-tops, 'a lovely cashmere throw from a friend who works at Calvin Klein,' and his Philippe Starck machine-gun-shaped lamp ('It lets you know there’s a man living in the house'). For a while, he wore black nail polish on one hand—'my fighting hand.' He told one magazine,'Sometimes I’ll wear a scarf to the game and my teammates have no idea what to do.'"

WWD reports: "He wrote a letter to Anna Wintour expressing his desire to work [at Vogue] (presumably his day job helped the missive get some attention). Avery will report to 4 Times Square this summer, though his first day hasn't been confirmed (a Vogue spokesman said it depends on how well the Rangers do in the playoffs)... The spokesman said Avery likely will work with a variety of editors, including European editor at large Hamish Bowles. There's also talk of him working at Men's Vogue. And the spokesman claimed that, like most interns, the 28-year-old Avery will be expected to do traditional assistantlike tasks — making copies and messengering couture gowns, for instance. Interns clamoring for a staff position would eagerly do such tasks to secure a $30,000-a-year, low-level editorial position."

According to this NYT piece from last October from which some of the info above was culled, his next big purchase was to be the entire Dior men's collection for spring, he never uses a towel more than once, his washer-dryer is the one item he won't part with, his favorite artwork is a photo of Andy Warhol, he is "defined" by his big and colorful Taschen art books.

Like this one?

AFTER THE JUMP, some recent dirty tactics from Sean Avery which resulted in a new "unsportsmanlike conduct" rule from officials...

Sphere: Related Content

'Head in a Net' Trend Catching On

When I saw Terry Richardson's shots of Robert Downey Jr. in the most recent issue of GQ I thought back to the most recent cover of Numéro Homme I had seen, featuring model Sean O'Pry photographed by Greg Kadel, without the decorative loogie, of course.

It seems Terry Richardson saw it too, or this "head in a net" trend is catching on big time. Kind of like "Dick in a box" but with a fishnet stocking.

AFTER THE JUMP, one more glam shot of Downey Jr. showing off the new trend for summer (it breathes!).

Sphere: Related Content

Tom Ford for Hong Kong's Prestige

A commenter in the earlier Marc Jacobs post snarked, where is the obligatory Tom Ford post? Since I don't aim to disappoint, here you go. Ford shows off one of his holes for the latest issue of Hong Kong's Prestige magazine. Hey, at least it's not this look again.

And here's the full interview to go along with it, along with one of the questions.

I’ve heard that you’re a hygiene fanatic who takes baths three times a day.

I take baths, yes, but it’s really nothing to do with hygiene. Sometimes at my ranch, I won’t bathe for three or four days. I take baths because when I’m in the city and working, I find it relaxing when I get up in the morning and need to wake up slowly. I’m not a great morning person, so I lie in a hot bathtub and just kind of come to life. Then I take a bath before I go out to dinner, as I’m exhausted by the day and I feel like I need to lie in that bathtub, so I can put on a crisp shirt and go out to dinner and then when I come home I want to lie in the bath and wash all the cigarette smoke off myself from wherever I’ve just been . . . and just relax enough so I can go to sleep . . . because I don’t sleep very well. So it isn’t a cleanliness thing. In fact, I think Americans are often too clean. And sometimes I don’t use soap when I take these baths. The goal isn’t to soap myself up and scrub everything off. It’s just to sort of lie in the hot water. It’s relaxation.

Sphere: Related Content

PlanetOut Sells Magazine and Book Publishing Biz

In a $6 million cash deal, PlanetOut Inc. agreed to sell its magazine and book publishing business — including Out and The Advocate — to Regent Releasing, owner of Here! network, today.

According to San Francisco Business Times, "A formal agreement should be done by April 30 and the deal should close by August 31."

Sphere: Related Content

Vanity Fair's 'Green Issue' Madonna Globe is Up for Auction

Anybody need the largest paperweight ever, or maybe that Atlas costume for next Halloween?

The globe, which took 10 days to complete, is made of plaster and marble dust with a recyclable polystyrene core, according to the magazine. It's going up for auction today with proceeds to benefit Madonna's Raising Malawi Charity. Madonna signed the globe as well and drew a heart over Africa.

And if you missed that video the other day, it's AFTER THE JUMP...

Sphere: Related Content

Out Names 50 Most Powerful Gays and Lesbians in America

OUT magazine has released its second annual "Power" issue, ranking the 50 most influential gays and lesbians in America. They write: "The rankings were determined by scoring each candidate on these criteria: (1) political clout; (2) pop-cultural resonance; (3) individual wealth; and (4) current personal profile."

At least one of them has never officially come out of the closet.

Check out who made the list, AFTER THE JUMP...

50. Kelly Bush
49. Benny Medina
48. Brian Swardstrom
47. Susan Arnold
46. Martina Navratilova
45. Jonathan Burnham
44. Bob Greenblatt
43. Adam Rose
42. Bryan Lourd
41. Carolyn Strauss
40. Christine Vachon
39. Jon Stryker
38. Lorri L. Jean
37. Simon Halls & Stephen Huvane
36. Annie Leibovitz
35. Randy Lovely
34. Craig Zadan & Neil Meron
33. Jim Nelson
32. Jeremy Bernard & Rufus Gifford
31. Rosie O'Donnell
30. Sheila Kuehl
29. Adam Moss
28. Tim Gunn
27. Jasper Johns
26. Fred Hochberg
25. Tom Ford
24. Suze Orman
23. Anthony Romero
22. Nick Denton
21. Nate Berkus
20. Andrew Sullivan
19. Greg Berlanti
18. Christine Quinn
17. Martha Nelson
16. Perez Hilton
15. Brian Graden
14. Rich Ross
13. Jodie Foster
12. The New York Times Gay Mafia
11. Scott Rudin
10. Peter Thiel
9. Marc Jacobs
8. Joe Solmonese
7. Jann Wenner
6. Andrew Tobias
5. Tim Gill
4. David Geffen
3. Anderson Cooper
2. Barney Frank
1. Ellen DeGeneres

(image source)

Sphere: Related Content

Morrissey Wins Apology in Court for Damaging Article

Music magazine The Word apologized in court to Morrissey for publishing a damaging article following last December's profile of the singer in the New Music Express. As you may remember, Morrissey sued the NME after what he said was a failure to classify his remarks on immigration, in an article which he said amounted to "character assassination."

The Word's piece was a review of Morrissey's album, which said: "For his waving of the flag (for publicity too, it would seem), for his ingrained habit of paying lip service to anti-racism while talking like an old Tory immigration spokesman, and for his abandonment of everything that made The Smiths a band for outsiders, Morrissey should be ashamed of himself."

According to The Guardian, "[Morrissey's] solicitor, John Reid, told Mr Justice Eady that the closing paragraph could have been construed to suggest that he was a racist, held racist opinions or that - as the child of migrant parents - he was a hypocrite. Reid said that The Word's publisher, Development Hell, in which MediaGuardian.co.uk owner Guardian Media Group has a minority stake, and editor Mark Ellen did not intend the article to have the suggested meanings. Reid added that the firm wished to make it 'absolutely clear' that it dissociated itself entirely from any such inferences. Development Hell's solicitor, Caroline Kean, offered the firm's 'sincere apologies' to Morrissey. Morrissey welcomed the news and vowed to continue his libel complaint against the NME."

Said Morrissey: "I am obviously delighted with this victory and the clearing of my name in public, where it is loud and clear for all to hear. The NME have calculatedly tried to damage my integrity and to label me as a racist in order to boost their diminishing circulation. Word magazine made the mistake of repeating those allegations, which they now accept are false and, as a result, have apologised in open court. I will now continue to pursue my legal action against the NME and its editor until they do the same."

Morrissey accepts 'racism' apology [guardian]

Previously
Morrissey to Sue NME for Failing to Clarify Immigration Remarks [tr]

AFTER THE JUMP, the video for "Stop Me".

Sphere: Related Content

News: Johnny Depp, Eureka Springs, Clark Gable, Bounty Killer

BOOK: Clark Gable was gay for pay. "David Bret’s angle on Clark Gable is this: Gable was 'gay for pay' and 'rough trade,' and he enjoyed having sex 'for bucks.' In addition, he 'would sometimes scrub his penis until it bled' and used a device to prolong erections. If these tidbits from the book’s first few pages aren’t too much information for you, you’re in luck. This breathtakingly trashy biography does not skimp on sordid anecdotes."

Johnny Depp the new, uh, face of Trojan condoms?

Gawker goes to the NYC Black Party.

T.R. Knight steps out with boyfriend Mark Cornelsen: We all have AIDS.

Survey shows increased support for gay marriage in Ireland: "Eighty-four per cent of respondents to an opinion poll conducted this month by Lansdowne Market Research said they supported civil marriage or civil partnerships for gay and lesbian couples. This is the same figure as a similar survey carried out in November 2006. However, 58% said gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry in registry offices, compared to 51% in the previous survey."

Did Heath Ledger father a love child?

Could Al Gore be brought in for clean-up duty at the convention? "Let’s say the elders of the Democratic Party decide, when the primaries end, that neither Obama nor Clinton is viable. Let’s also assume — and this may be a real stretch — that such elders are strong and smart enough to act. All they’d have to do would be to convince a significant fraction of their superdelegate friends, maybe fewer than 100, to announce that they were taking a pass on the first ballot at the Denver convention, which would deny the 2,025 votes necessary to Obama or Clinton. What if they then approached Gore and asked him to be the nominee, for the good of the party — and suggested that he take Obama as his running mate? Of course, Obama would have to be a party to the deal and bring his 1,900 or so delegates along."

Madonna on the paparazzi: "The paparazzi are out of control. I haven't been to Los Angeles in quite a while, and I don’t watch television here or in England, and I was told there's now a television show where the paparazzi are the stars of the show—is that true? That they film each other doing paparazzi jobs? Which gives them more fuel. I usually found that type kept their distance—they definitely do in England, because it's illegal to photograph children. But that's not how it is here. They get this close, and don't care how much they scare your children. Being famous has changed a lot, because now there's so many outlets, between magazines, TV shows, and the Internet, for people to stalk and follow you. We created the monster."

Gay couple faces harsh realities in move from New Jersey to Idaho.

Is Regent Entertainment circling gay publications Out and The Advocate?

HIV-positive Canadian Martin Rooney takes on U.S. travel ban: "I said I was on disability. He said what's my disability. I said I have HIV. He hauled me into a backroom. ... He put on a set of rubber gloves to hold each of my fingers. Nobody else wore rubber gloves. Then he fingerprinted me, photographed me, ran me through the FBI's most-wanted list and told me to go back to Canada and not return until I came back with a waiver. I felt like I was being treated like a terrorist."

Arkansas gays converge on Eureka Springs for 'Diversity Weekend': "Homosexual and transsexual residents say that living in Northwest Arkansas has its benefits, such as the small-town atmosphere, natural beauty, and amenities such as shopping and restaurants. But many lament the limited social venues and a lack of connectivity within their own community. 'There is a fairly large population of people that are gay, lesbian or bisexual, but there is no community,' said Fayetteville resident J. Judd Harbin."

Ricky Martin battles human trafficking in Cambodia

Human rights groups halt concerts by 'murder music' singer Bounty Killer: "In Germany, Bounty Killer's performance in Essen was cancelled and other German concert dates are now in doubt as gay human rights groups are coordinating a Europe-wide campaign to halt his 'Deadly Alliance' tour of the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland."

Sphere: Related Content

Madonna Doesn't Need an Excuse to See Timberlake's Butt

Here's the cover of Vanity Fair's new Green Issue, featuring Madonna. Maybe they told M-Dolla the "Green" issue was about money.

She called in to Z100 yesterday and said she wouldn't be singing some of her past hits ever again unless she got a lot of it: "I'm not sure I can sing 'Holiday' or 'Like A Virgin' ever again. I just can't – unless somebody paid me like $30 million or something. [Like if] some Russian guy wants me to come to the wedding he's going to have to a 17-year-old, you know it."

She also told the hosts why she administered a B-12 shot to Justin Timberlake's hind quarters when they were recording Hard Candy:

"First of all, I've seen enough butt ... The reason I gave him a B-12 [shot] is because we only had a certain amount of days in the studio and I didn't want him to use that as a lame-ass excuse not to come to work. Okay? It's got nothing to do with butt. I promise you. Listen, I don't need to give him a shot to see his butt. Duh."

Listen, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
Does Madonna Now Want to be Known as 'M-Dolla'? [tr]
First Look: Madonna Hard Candy Album Cover [tr]
Vegas Man Spends 4 Months Authenticating Madonna 'Sex' Photo [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

This Man is 22 Weeks Pregnant