Magazine Covers of the Year

The American Society of Magazine Editors has announced the finalists for its annual magazine cover awards. These three magazine covers featuring Marc Jacobs, former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad doing a Larry Craig toe-tap, are the finalists for "Cover of the Year".

You can check out the rest of the categories here.

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Iran President Ahmadinejad Compares Gays to Traffic Offenders

After a speech in which he declared "Zionist murderers" to have undue influence over American and European interests, and said the "American empire in the world is reaching the end of its road, and its next rulers must limit their interference to their own borders," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talked to Larry King on a variety of topics. See the interview in six parts here.

King asked Ahmadinejad about his statement last year, "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals."

After declaring that homosexuality is "against human principles," Ahmadinejad responded that those who violate the country's laws against homosexuality are like traffic violations in America: "The law is the law. It's law. And it must be enforced, of course."

Ahmadinejad also declared that he has no interest in how people behave in their own homes.

Traffic offenders in America, however, aren't rounded up and hanged in public.

Watch the clip (it begins at about 1:43) and read the transcript, AFTER THE JUMP...

***TRANSCRIPT***

KING: By the way, you mentioned human rights in Israel. Don't you have some human rights problems of your own in Iran?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): What do you mean by human rights problems?

KING: People protesting that they don't have the same rights as other people? Homosexuals -- you said last year, you denied there were homosexuals. There's homosexuals everywhere.

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): I said it is not the way it is here. In Iran this is considered a very -- obviously most people dislike it. And we have actually a law regarding it and the law is enforced. It is a law that was passed. It was legislated. And it is an act that is against human principles. A lot of things can happen. It can cause psychological problems, social problems that affect the whole society. Remember that God rules are to improve human life. In our religion, this act is forbidden and the Parliament has legislated about it. Not now, 70 years ago. This is something that happened 70 years ago, before the Islamic Republic became --

KING: So what happens to gay people?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Let me -- well, of course, nobody has held protests. You are -- are you concerned for 70 million Iranian people or a few homosexuals? Let's assume in Iran -- let's assume in the United States that 200 million people drive cars and a million violators are rounded up and they just basically violate driving laws. Should we be worried for the 199 million people whose safety you must be concerned about or the one million violators? The law is the law. It's law. And it must be enforced, of course. Of course we do pay attention that in Iran nobody interferes in the private lives of individuals. We have nothing to do with the private realm of people. This is at the not private, public morality. In their own house, nobody ever interferes.

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Larry Craig and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Among 2007 Notable Quotables

Larry Craig's quote "(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom" and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statement "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country" made a list of year-end "best quotes" compiled by Fred R. Shapiro, an associate librarian and lecturer at the Yale Law School. Shapiro is the editor of The Yale Book of Quotations.

See the full list AFTER THE JUMP...

10. "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history."

Former President Jimmy Carter, referring to the Bush administration in an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper

9. "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man."

Sen. Joseph Biden, referring to rival Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama

8. "(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom."

Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig, explaining why his foot touched the foot of an undercover police officer in an airport men's room

7. "I'm not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, referring to Republican Vice President Dick Cheney

6. "There's only three things he (Republican presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani) mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11."

Sen. Joseph Biden, speaking during a debate for Democratic presidential candidates

5. "I don't recall."

Former U.S. Attorney Alberto Gonzales' repeated response to questions from members of Congress about the firing of U.S. attorneys

4. "That's some nappy-headed hos there."

Radio personality Don Imus, referring to the Rutgers University women's basketball team

3. "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during a speaking engagement at Columbia University in New York

2. "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us."

Lauren Upton, the South Carolina contestant in the Miss Teen America contest, when asked why one-fifth of Americans cannot find the U.S on a map

1. "Don't tase me, bro."

Andrew Meyer, a senior at the University of Florida, after being hauled away by campus police during a speech made by Sen. John Kerry

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News: Mars Glacier, Tobey Maguire, Royal Blackmail, Lakota Tribe

New York radio host Steve Malzberg says gays don't care about the hangings going on in Iran or the statements of Ahmedinejad.

Tobey Maguire steps out in a military buzz-cut.

Royal blackmailers Ian Strachan and Sean McGuiganplead not guilty The junior member of the Royal Family, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was not directly involved and is not due to be a witness. The two men were charged that "between January 1 and September 12, this year, with a view to gain for yourselves, made an unwarranted demand for £50,000 from a male with menaces".

Remember the battle over the estate of dead hedge fund manager Seth Tobias and his go-go boy pal Tiger? Well, a new porn star has come forward to discuss his relationship but his interview sheds no light on the banker's mysterious death: "'Seth was a really good guy, a great guy. I had a lot of fun,' Parker, 24, told PageSix.com. The porn star from Memphis, Tenn., said he met Tobias 3½ years ago at Micky's, a gay bar in West Hollywood. They met four or five times over the next year and a half at Parker's house in the Hollywood Hills. 'Seth knew I was a hustler and knew how much I charged . . . I did what I got paid to do . . . I was very well taken care of.'"

Active glacier found on Mars: "We have not yet been able to see the spectral signature of water. But we will fly over it in the coming months and take measurements. On the glacial ridges we can see white tips, which can only be freshly exposed ice."

Ted Haggard photo found in home of New Life Church gunman: "Among the items taken from a search of gunman Matthew Murray's home was a picture of former New Life pastor Ted Haggard, according to police documents released Wednesday. Murray lived in the Englewood home in with his father, mother and brother. The family was very devout and the parents had home-schooled both children, neighbors said. According to the police documents, officers confiscated a Beretta, ammunition, a pamphlet entitled 'Fall of America,' literature on Youth With A Mission, a Bible, a journal, a pistol, a homicide investigation manual, prescription pills, several hard drives, gun cases and boxes of ammunition."

Uruguay's new civil union law offers hope to Brazilians.

Apple settles lawsuit with Think Secret rumor site. Site shuts down.

Colin Farrell's mane event.

Lakota tribe withdraws 150-year-old treaty with the United States, secedes: "We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us. This is according to the laws of the United States, specifically article six of the constitution. It is also within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and put into effect by the US and the rest of the international community in 1980. We are legally within our rights to be free and independent."

MSNBC: Larry Craig a winner, Mike Huckabee a loser.

You can still vote for the Hottest Brazilian of 2007.

He may be an irresponsible turd like K-Fed but at least Jamie Lynn Spears picked a cute one.

She's lucky he's dead because Mr. Whipple might have squeezed her to death.

I never did trust those calorie-counters on the cardio machines at the gym: "Even if you wanted to get a rough estimate of the calories an average person your size might burn at the gym, you might not want to trust the displays on cardio machines, with the possible exception of treadmills, said William Haskell, an exercise physiologist at Stanford. And with treadmills, the calories are not accurate if you hang on the bars. Dr. Haskell once studied people using treadmills. Hanging onto the rails reduced the number of calories burned by 40 to 50 percent. The same thing happened with stair-climbing machines. 'I’ve seen people hanging on stair climbers who think they are doing 1,200 calories an hour,' Dr. Haskell said. 'They probably are doing 600 calories an hour.' As for the calorie counts on machines like stationary bicycles and elliptical cross trainers and stair climbers, all bets are off, researchers said."

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Gay Clay Doll Created in Response to International Homophobes

If only it talked and said, "Screw you, Putin."

A NSFW ceramic doll with a body based on Russian photographer and artist Slava Mogutin and a face inspired by "Edino Fonseca, a notoriously homophobic Brazilian priest and politician who proposed using taxpayers' money to establish clinics to cure gay people from their homosexuality," is on sale at the Leslie Lohman Art Gallery in New York, according to Mogutin, who writes about it on his blog (NSFW).

The clay figure was created by New York-based Brazilian sculptor Fernando Carpaneda and, according to Mogutin, "is a tribute to the president of The Leslie Lohman Gay Art Foundation, Charles Leslie."

Mogutin adds: "The doll is featured in four models: Skinhead Charlie, Priest Charlie, Arab Charlie and Jewish Charlie. Priest Charlie is dressed in a Gothic priest's robe, like the one used by Marcelo Rossi, a Brazilian Catholic icon. Arab & Jewish Charlie are made in tribute to the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the mass murderer of gay people in his country. The doll is also dedicated to the Pope, one of the most homophobic religious leaders in history. Charlie the Gay Doll comes with two penis options: uncircumcised flaccid or erect. The doll's penis was based on the artist's own."

Mogutin's body was chosen for the doll because of Russian President Vladimir Putin's notorious homophobia.

For those of you wanting an alternative to traditional Russian nesting dolls, the limited-edition Charlie doll is 12-inches (tall!) and $300.

I'VE TURNED INTO A DOLL!!! [slava mogutin] (site NSFW)
The Essential Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation (parts of site also NSFW)
Fernando Carpaneda [sculptor - official site]

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Time: Russian President Vladimir Putin "Person of the Year" [tr]

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News: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Dirty Laundry, Woody Harrelson

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a blogger.

Movie theater in heart of Chelsea in NYC closes first black gay film to play there in years despite huge gross, according to Keith Boykin: "The news surprised the film's producers, who had set a goal of grossing a respectable $4,000 to $5,000 per theater, or per screen average (PSA). Instead, they were pleased to gross more than $12,000 at the Chelsea Theater alone...The New York theater management expressed concern that 'the producers may have bought the gross.' They expressed suspicion because there were $1,500 in advance ticket sales for Sunday before the theater opened. The theater called this '"highly abnormal for a Sunday movie.' But the advance ticket sales were actually the result of an extensive viral campaign that included Internet postings, blog articles, email campaigns and even text messages. In addition, the producers promoted the movie on radio and television throughout the week leading up to the opening. The real problem is that the theater can't believe that black gay people would actually come to the movies in such numbers because they don't realize we exist."

The Hills' season finale announcement packs about as much punch as the show itself.

Paris Hilton assists in rescue of injured Oompa-Loompa.

Police probe possible gay-bashing in Somerville, Massachusetts: "A man allegedly started taunting Daloia and her group of six friends earlier in the evening at the On the Hill Tavern in Magoun Square. Gorton said the same man then confronted several of the women at a Dunkin' Donuts, saying, 'You're a [expletive] lesbian' and the like while his sister flashed her breasts. Daloia was knocked unconscious, [Don Gorton, chairman of the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project] said; her friends, he added, received "bruises all over their faces and parts of their bodies." Daloia has been experiencing post-traumatic stress since the incident, he continued. She now fears for her safety and no longer wants to talk to the press."

Director Paul Schrader explains to New York's HX magazine why Woody Harrelson, who plays gay in Schrader's upcoming film The Walker, won't do any press for it: "His agent told me he doesn't like himself in it. I think he wanted the character to be a little more fey than I did, a little more comically fluffy, and I didn't see the character that way."

Surveillance video released by hotel where former Washington Rep. Richard Curtis had his encounter with hustler Cody Castagna: "The video shows both Curtis and beau Cody Castagna entering and leaving the posh Davenport Hotel Towers together the night of October 26, 2007, after meeting initially at a Hollywood Erotique Boutique store. Additional surveillance video shows Curtis leaving an envelope containing the payment for Castagna." (video)

Ancient Polar Bear jawbone discovered: "The find is a surprise because polar bears are a relatively new species, with one study claiming they evolved less than 100,000 years ago. If the Svalbard jawbone's status is confirmed, and further discoveries can show the iconic Arctic beasts have a deeper evolutionary heritage, then the outlook for the animals may be more positive than some believe."

Rare tigers making comeback in India?

Colorado councilwoman resigns rather than remove offensive joke she posted online: "The page-long joke, posted by councilwoman Sandra Tucker, described the tale of a white male who has a 'nightmare' in which he wakes up to discover that he has 'been turned' black, gay, Jewish and disabled. The joke uses terms such as 'negro,' 'queer' and 'fairy,' and also pokes fun at orphans, Mexicans, Jews, HIV-positive patients, drug addicts and those with physical disabilities. The punch line of the joke comes when the person having the nightmare also finds out he is a Democrat, a 'fate worse' than all the rest."

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NIE Report Contradicts White House 'World War III' Iran Rhetoric

A recently released intelligent assessment on Iran's nuclear weapons program concludes that it was halted in 2003, the New York Times reports:

"The conclusions of the new assessment are likely to reshape the final year of the Bush administration, which has made halting Iran’s nuclear program a cornerstone of its foreign policy. The assessment, a National Intelligence Estimate that represents the consensus view of all 16 American spy agencies, states that Tehran is likely keeping its options open with respect to building a weapon, but that intelligence agencies 'do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.'"

The video above, via AmericaBlog, shows Bush warning the media about the prospects of World War III should Iran acquire the ability to develop nuclear weapons. Problem is, that press conference was held months after Bush had already been told of the NIE report referenced above.

Here are a few responses from Democratic leaders.

Today at a press conference, Bush backtracked on the World War III comments, saying "nobody ever told me" to back down with the rhetoric, and denied that he had details of the report.

Said Bush: "I was made aware of the NIE last week. In August, I think it was John — Mike McConnell came in and said, We have some new information. He didn’t tell me what the information was. He did tell me it was going to take a while to analyze."

Writes Think Progress: "Yesterday, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said, 'when the President was told that we had some additional information, he was basically told: stand down; needs to be evaluated; we’ll come to you and tell you what we think it means.' Later in the briefing, Hadley reversed course and said, 'In terms of stand down, they did not tell the President to stand down and stop talking about Iran’s nuclear program.' White House officials are obfuscating on what they knew and when they knew it because the answer has the potential of further damaging the credibility of what they have asserted about Iran in the past few months."

Bush said there would be no change in the U.S. policy toward Iran as a result of the report.

U.S. Says Iran Ended Atomic Arms Work [nyt]
An Assessment Jars a Foreign Policy Debate About Iran [nyt]
A Blow to Bush's Tehran Policy [washington post]
Bush: DNI Told Me ‘We Have Some New Information, He Didn’t Tell Me What The Information Was’ [think progress]
Mainstream media gives Bush a pass on Iran lie, they're all one big happy club [americablog]

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News: The Joker, Ted Kennedy, Iran, Brendan Fraser, Sheep

Another kind of gay panic? UK woman may have been killed because she discovered boyfriend's gay identity on his mobile phone.

A look at Brazil's new gay magazine, Junior.

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offers to be an observer at U.S. presidential election: "The proposal came in a speech to volunteers with the Basij, a pro-regime militia. He said he was prompted by a belief that Americans would vote against the current administration in a truly free poll. However, the terms of Ahmadinejad's offer appeared to betray some confusion about the potential candidates. 'If the White House officials allow us to be present as an observer in their presidential election we will see whether people in their country are going to vote for them again or not,' he said."

British traffic warden spat on by homophobe.

Online bookie writes €100,000 check to sponsor the Bingham Cup gay rugby tournament: "He said the event was highly appropriate for their brand, before adding this was not the type of company that does what people might expect a bookmaker to do. 'This might raise a few eyebrows when it comes to town, but we're not scared of that.' Richie Whyte, the Bingham Cup's tournament director, said he was delighted at the deal. 'Paddy Power has an innovative and risk taking approach to the market.'"

Mitt Romney's anti-gay marriage message hitting Iowa mailboxes.

Heath Ledger as the Joker - revealed...yay or nay?

Missoula, Montana holds rally against anti-gay hate crimes: "Two recent instances of alleged anti-gay violence in Missoula provided the impetus for the rally. Earlier this month, [Jess] Keith was beaten by a group of four women who she said verbally assaulted her with homophobic remarks. That same weekend, a 22-year-old University of Montana student was attacked by four unknown men while crossing the campus footbridge. The victim was shoved to the ground and kicked repeatedly in the chest and back, police said, and his assailants screamed anti-gay epithets during the attack. Sgt. Casey Richardson and Capt. Dick Lewis of the Missoula Police Department were on hand to visit with audience members and show their support at the rally. 'We want everyone to know that we’re available,' Richardson said."

Madonna in deep shit for dyed sheep.

Brendan Fraser's hair makes a comeback.

Ted Kennedy signs multi-million book deal to write memoirs: "Neither Kennedy's office nor the publishing house would reveal the size of the package, but a publishing figure familiar with the deal said Kennedy's payment was one of the largest in history, eclipsing the $8 million given to New York Senator Hillary Clinton. Former President Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair each got a reported $10 million for their memoirs."

Rainbow flag, hung in honor of visit by openly gay legislator Sen. Scott McCoy, snatched from flagpole at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah. McCoy: "Obviously someone had a problem with the fact gay people were on campus. I find it hard to believe this person just coincidentally took it."

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News: Doris Lessing, Young Frankenstein, Madonna, Golden Compass

POLL: More than half of straight Americans want gays treated equally.

Major sex exhibit opens in London: "The first item on display is a 50 centimetre (20 inch) plaster fig leaf which was used to hide the private parts of Michelangelo's "David" from Queen Victoria in the 19th century."

Florida's Okeechobee County School Board bans "sex-based clubs" to halt formation of gay-straight alliance: "In a unanimous vote Tuesday, school board members adopted the policy that bans any club that is 'sex-based or based upon any sexual grouping, orientation or activity of any kind.' District officials have said the new policy, which takes effect immediately, aims to ban clubs that challenge the district's abstinence-only education."

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's Matt Foreman posts new op-ed on ENDA.

Madonna cuts $100 million+ deal with Live Nation. NYT: "The deal, which was first reported yesterday on The Wall Street Journal’s Web site, is the latest example of how tough times for record labels and concert promoters have set off a free-for-all over the rights to the various revenue streams created when a musician becomes a star. Instead of sharing in only one piece of the income — say, CD sales — companies are angling to share in all of an artist’s business lines, like publishing, merchandise sales and endorsement fees."

Young Frankenstein's Broadway transition experiences pre-opening controversy: "The latest members of the Down-on-Mel Club are some members of the Dramatists Guild - furious at him for not paying his dues - and a small but vocal group of gay people who work backstage and bristle at what they believe are some insensitive jokes in the show."

Bloggers in the backseat: David and Trent test drive Manhattan's newest cinematic experience.

REPORT: U.S. funding anti-gay groups in Africa.

Ricky Martin still fabulous.

Into the great wide open: three visitors have had to be rescued after falling into Doris Salcedo's gigantic crack at the Tate Modern. More on the vast crack that is "Shibboleth".

Doris Lessing wins 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Final trailer for The Golden Compass arrives.

Michelle Rodriguez sentenced to six months in prison.

Jeffrey Montgomery, director of Michigan's Triangle foundation, steps down after 16 years: "Spurred to bring awareness to anti-gay violence, he and two friends founded the advocacy group the Triangle Foundation in 1991, and Montgomery was suddenly a point person for the area's gay community. 'We were making enough noise to get noticed,' said Montgomery, who remembers living off his savings when the organization got started. Today, the Triangle Foundation is one of the state's leading gay rights and advocacy organizations with a $1 million budget and programming that ranges from victim services to camps for gay, lesbian and transgender youth."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's aide says the translator at Columbia misquoted his remarks about gays: "'What Ahmadinejad said was not a political answer. He said that, compared to American society, we don’t have many homosexuals,' presidential media adviser Mohammad Kalhor said."

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #184

CIARA DURKIN: CNN coverage of the slain lesbian soldier serving in Afghanistan. The circumstances surrounding her death remain a mystery.

DEBBIE HARRY: Her performance on yesterday's Today show.

MITT ROMNEY: Turns his back on man with muscular dystrophy when he is asked about medical marijuana.

IRAN STUDENT PROTEST: You may have heard about a rare student demonstration against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in which he was called a "dictator" among other things. Here is some video. More here.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here!

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How SNL's "I Ran" Was Put Together

The NYT goes behind-the-scenes on SNL's digital short "I Ran":

"By yesterday afternoon, just four days after its network premiere, the various versions of the video posted on YouTube had been viewed nearly 300,000 times, according to tallies posted on the site. For Mr. Samberg and his main collaborators — Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone — 'I Ran' is something of a sequel. Last year, NBC posted an uncensored version of a boy-band video the group made — the cleaned-up title was 'Special Treat in a Box' — in which Justin Timberlake and Mr. Samberg each appeared to be making a gift of their male anatomy. Thus far, that film has been seen more than 29 million times on YouTube, and last month it won an Emmy...While the cast’s main goal was to have fun, Mr. Samberg said, the film has a political undertone. 'No one around here,' he said, 'is super fired-up about a guy who is denying the Holocaust and saying there are no homosexuals in his country.'"

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SNL's "Iran So Far" with Samberg, Armisen, Levine and Gyllenhaal

Andy Samberg Fred Armisen and Maroon 5's Adam Levine riff on Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in this brilliant digital short. And the Jake Gyllenhaal cameo is just icing on the cake.

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Ahmadinejad: "In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals" [tr]

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