News: Spain, Ryan Reynolds, Google Wave, Fort Worth, Bangladesh

Richard Hatch freed from prison.

Why is the investigation of the police raid on Fort Worth's Rainbow Lounge taking so long?

Marc Jacobs glams it up for Nars.

Get ready to see Ryan Reynolds in drag.

Pew poll on civil unions and same-sex marriage shows uptick in support for the former, but numbers virtually unchanged for the latter.

NYT hetero-normalizes David Hockney.

Senator Udall wants Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal plan from Pentagon within 30 days. Lieberman "committed".

Spanish court orders new trial in brutal murder of gay couple following protests and outrage over acquittal: "Yesterday, mincing no words, the Tribunal called the lower court ruling "defective, absurd, illogical and arbitrary"and ordered a new trial, according to El Pais. The Tribunal also dismissed petitions to reduce the sentence for setting the apartment on fire. The verdict is a win for efforts by Triviño's mother, Marta Pérez Triviño, to bring her son to justice. She will still have to withstand what must be the unbearable pain of seeing her son's murder go to trial a second time."

John Mayer on online outreach: "I would rather tell the world to eat my a**hole before I would delete my Twitter account."

Police: Attack on Jake Raynard not a hate crime.

Queer as Folk's Randy Harrison set to play Andy Warhol in Pop at Yale Repertory Theater.

Two gay Bangladesh refugees say they'll have sex to prove they are gay on their fourth attempt to get protection Visas in Australia: "A Federal Court judge recently criticised the Refugee Review Tribunal for its treatment of the pair, who first applied for asylum in 1999, finding it was deliberately biased against them. In a scathing summation, Justice Spender found three previous tribunals had unreasonably twisted facts to deny the men were homosexual, using unsubstantiated claims they were brothers who had been married to women."

Gallup: Hillary Clinton now more popular than Obama.

Kris Allen wants to hit you baby, one more time.

Ryan Gosling had a yummy show in NY last night.

Butt Magazine to publish 54-week 2010 pin-up calendar.

George Michael and Kenny Goss step out in London.

Arjan presents a guilt-free download of the Magistrates remix of Mika's new single "Rain".

Coalition of 17 international human rights groups strike out at Uganda: "Over the course of the last year, there’s been an increasing pattern of homophobic discourse at play in Uganda, including a conference that occurred several months ago, in which a number of US evangelical leaders came to Uganda to promote reparative therapy and other types of human rights violations against Ugandan LGBT people…and our feeling is that the bill is targeting not just LGBT people, but freedom of expression and a broad level of political discourse in general."

Google Wave acts out Pulp Fiction and Good Will Hunting.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg again changes promises on what votes he can provide from  Senate Republicans on marriage equality: "Less than a month after defending his support for Republican state senators, saying he could get their votes for gay marriage, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said conservatives in that body will not support what the mayor termed 'our number one priority' at a recent campaign event with gay supporters. 'Those will not be the Republican votes that I will get, but they will be there for other things that are important to the city,' Bloomberg said in an hour-long interview with Gay City News and its sister papers, The Villager, Downtown Express, and Chelsea Now.

News: Irving Penn, Blood Donation, Jesus Luz, Moon Impact, Poe

Impact of Moon by probe to be broadcast live on NASA TV tomorrow morning.

Photographer Irving Penn dies at 92.

Madonna buying posh Upper East Side apartment for Jesus Luz.

Gay travel agents converge on Tel Aviv.

Tracklist for Susan Boyle album includes Madonna and The Monkees.

Teen talk: My parents don't know my boyfriend's parents are gay. "My mom is asking to meet Robby's 'mom and dad.' She has spoken with one of Robby's dads on the phone but she doesn't know another dad exists. I don't want this to come between my parents and Robby. Should I just break up with him now and avoid doing this or lie and tell my mom that his parents don't want to meet?"

WATCH: OneRepublic's video for "All the Right Moves".

Levi Johnston workout photos.

Self-assessment, right of gays to donate blood at issue in Canadian court case: "Kyle Freeman, 36, relied on his own self-assessment that he wasn't infected with any sexually transmitted diseases when he lied about having sex with men on a donor-screening questionnaire...Freeman is suing the agency, claiming he didn't answer the question truthfully because Canadian Blood Services violated his Charter right to equality regardless of his sexual orientation when it asked him whether he had ever had sex with other men, even once, since 1977. The discovery Freeman had syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease that can damage the heart, brain and eyes if left untreated, was made only after Canadian Blood Services screened his donated blood."

Mika plays with puppets on Spanish TV.

Dozens join lawsuit against Chicago police officer Richard Fiorito.

15 gay TV characters who never came out of the closet but should have.

Edgar Allen Poe to get funeral he never had: "On Sunday, Poe's funeral will get an elaborate do-over, with two services expected to draw about 350 people each - the most a former church next to his grave can hold. Actors portraying Poe's contemporaries and other long-dead writers and artists will pay their respects, reading eulogies adapted from their writings about Poe."

The superheroes of your dreams.

Several prominent Twin Cities religious leaders speak out for marriage equality: "Retired Bishop Lowell Erdahl of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Rabbi Jared Saks of Temple Israel in Minneapolis are among those speaking at a Capitol news conference."

Poll: "Whatever" is most annoying conversational word.

Romanian-born German novelist Herta Müller wins Nobel Prize for Literature: "Announcing the award in Stockholm, the Swedish Academy described Ms. Müller, 'who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed.' Her award comes on the 20th anniversary of the fall of Communism in Europe."

Mika Labels Himself: 'Call Me Bisexual'

The coy until now pop star Mika tells Dutch magazine Day & Night to call him a bisexual if they feel the need to label him:

"I've never ever labeled myself. But having said that; I've never limited my life, I've never limited who I sleep with. So, whatever. (…) Call me whatever you want. Call me bisexual, if you need a term for me."

He also recommends the label-less route for everyone else:

"There are ways of being a role model without having to always having to establish yourself with a label. Let's say if you're a 16-year-old guy, and you're not sure about your sexuality, you should be as free as you want...Having a role model who makes you feel like it's alright to do whatever you want, without the pressure of a label, I think that's a good thing as well. I think there's a million different ways to do it, there isn't only one. And I hope I'm right."

And guess what? Today, Septbember 23, is Celebrate Bisexuality Day!

News: Caster Semenya, Asbury Park, Alan Cumming, Tyra Banks

NY Sex offender who beat gay man to death gets 20 years for manslaughter.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition winners announced.

If looks could kill: Cynthia McFadden is not afraid to go there with Tyra Banks.

REPORT: South African runner Caster Semenya has no womb or ovaries. "Tests conducted during the world athletics championships in Berlin last month, where Semenya's gender became the subject of heated debate following her victory in the 800m, revealed evidence [of] both male and female sexual characteristics."

The NYT visits a revived Asbury Park, NJ: "As is often the case in a town in a process of renewal, gay men and lesbians have a significant presence and deserve considerable credit for the current reawakening."

Madonna to introduce Janet at VMA's?

Federal regulators side with gay adoptive father in Florida over subsidy to foster parents.

WATCH: Whitney Houston's video for "I Look to You".

Alan Cumming to release album: "The album title comes from the naturalization test I took to become a citizen of the U S of A. In the test, there is a bit where the man says a sentence and you have to write it down to prove your prowess in English. My sentence was ‘I bought a blue car today,’ which initially I thought was really sweet and childlike, but on closer examination I realized that it’s all about consumerism and gas guzzling, which rather brilliantly encapsulates America’s financial and energy crises in one fell swoop. [The album is] made up of songs and stories about my ten years living in the states culminating in my becoming a citizen."

Interview with Sacramento man who is trying to get a voter's initiative on the ballot in California that would ban divorce.
 

Vampire gives blood.

Sotomayor questions "corporate personhood".

Actor Michael Fassbender covers fall issue of NYT T Men's Fashion mag.

Kids grow up so fast.

Guilt-free download of Mika's new song "Blame It On The Girls".

Fort Worth gay bar Stampede heavily damaged in fire: "Then, just before 2 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, a fire broke out in a storage area at Stampede and quickly spread to the rest of the building, causing $60,000 worth of damage. The cause of the fire was believed to be electrical, and authorities don’t suspect any foul play."

Ian McKellen to receive lifetime achievement award at San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain.

Barry Manilow and Phil Spector: separated at birth?

ACLU wants Survivor winner Richard Hatch freed from jail: "Lawyers for the ACLU of Massachusetts on Wednesday sought the “Survivor” winner’s release from the Barnstable County jail in Bourne. Hatch was taken into custody Aug. 18 at his sister’s Newport home after giving TV interviews that the federal Bureau of Prisons said it had not approved. He was serving home confinement for failing to pay income taxes on his $1 million prize for winning the first season of the show. He was convicted in Providence in 2006...The ACLU said Hatch has a right to criticize the government."

News: Tyra Banks, Seattle, Bee Gees, HPV, Jim Verraros, Austin

Minnesota Congressman Tim Walz called "f*cking faggot" on conference call: "The Mankato Democrat wasn't on the line to hear the anti-gay slur; in fact, he ran about five minutes late to his own availability, following a trip to Afghanistan. Before Walz came on the line, someone said, "Come on Walz, you f---ing faggot," according to his staff and two reporters who were on the call.

Samantha Jones collides with Dee Snider.

Birther to rebut Obama's health care speech tonight.

David Beckham visits Ellen Degeneres, shows off his Ellen undies - video.

CNN: Gay Latino Americans "coming of age".

More than two dozen men arrested in undercover sex stings in Seattle park: "Over five days, investigators have arrested 28 men. Three arrests were made Thursday. Those arrested live in Pierce, King and Thurston counties, Troyer said. The activity is taking place during all hours of the day. 'If we had the manpower, we could have arrested 100,' Troyer said. 'They have created their own trails off the main trail.' Investigators have taken the names of others found in the woods." Savage: How is this not entrapment?

Lady Gaga rumored to appear at OUT magazine fashion week party.

Gay men continue to account for most new cases of HIV in Australia.

South African runner at center of gender debate gets femme makeover.

Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival kicks off: "This year we received about 400 films in the mail that we had to go through and determine what we were actually going to show. We accepted only 100, so it's very interesting to see what themes come up every year, for example this year we've got a lot of lesbian-themed interest films, whereas normally we only get about 25 percent, this year was closer to 50."

Spirits having flown: Brothers Robin and Barry Gibb to reunite for first time since Maurice's death.

6,000 attend 20th anniversary of Pride in Calgary, Canada.

Gay couple adopts in Bakersfield.

Images from the 2009 Mr. Gay Brazil Contest. And the winner is...Thiago Silvestre.

FDA weighs approving HPV vaccine for men: "We're supportive in general of giving vaccines to boys for a number of reasons. Clinical trials have shown it's pretty effective -- 90 percent effective in preventing genital lesions [in boys]. Trials in a subset of gay men also found the vaccine to be effective in preventing external lesions, so the signs are pretty clear that it works in guys."

Jim Verraros and hubby Bill Brennan wedding photos.

AfterElton talks to Glee's Matthew Morrison: "I think from my Broadway days and now doing this show, some people are calling this the gayest show on TV — it's gayer than Ellen Degeneres. Yeah, I definitely have a ton of gay fans, which I'm happy with."

Mika buys drinks for hundreds of his Twitter followers.

Tyra Banks reveals her real hair in season opener.

Kevin Smith's next film may be inspired by Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred Phelps: "It's certainly not Phelps himself but it's very much inspired by a Phelps figure. And to me, too, the notion of using a Phelps-like character as a villain, as horrifying and scary as that guy can be, there's even something more insidious than him that lurks out there in as much as a public or a government that allows it and that's the other thing that I'm trying to examine in a big, big way."

FALL MUSIC PREVIEW: Mika, Basement Jaxx, Gossip, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand, Gary Go, La Roux, Florence + The Machine

MODERN TONIC

The editors of Modern Tonic present a weekly music update here on Towleroad. The rest of the week, they scan the pop-culture landscape for movie, TV, book and Web recommendations in their daily email.

SPECIAL EDITION: FALL 2009 MUSIC PREVIEW   

Fall: The time our thoughts turn to new sweaters, pumpkin lattes and world-class divas who want to rule the music charts through the end of the year. This autumn, at least three of them — Madonna, Mariah and Barbra — are stepping up with big new releases (all on the same day no less, September 29). But they're not the only ones we're excited about: There are plenty of up-and-comers, newly beloveds and at least one old friend, Robbie Williams, trying for the umpteenth time to break America. Go, Robbie!

RETURNING ARTISTS:

Muse — The Resistance (9-15)
Resistance is futile, though The Resistance most certainly is not. The first track and single, “Uprising,” is rousing anthemic Queen glam rock, and it’s followed by bluesy riffs (“MK Ultra”), a prog-rock epic in three minutes (“United States of Eurasia”), and an actual three movement symphony (“Exogenesis Symphony”) that’s a classical gas. Muse’s stadium-scale ambitions make the term “over-the-top” obsolete. But because they do it with enormous hooks, towering vocal pyrotechnics, and a knowing wink we forgive them their indulgences. Their idea of “big” is massive – musically and conceptually – and that’s the type of size queen we love.

Mika — The Boy Who Knew Too Much (9-22)
Whereas Muse love the brawny theatricality of Queen, Mika (pictured above) channels Freddie Mercury, the flamboyantly insouciant pop star. His follow-up to the madly successful Life in Cartoon Motion offers more of the same — bright melodies (“We Are Golden”), good-time hooks (“Blame It On the Girls”), dance-friendly grooves (“Rain”) — with extra added depth. The ballads “I See You” and “Lady Jane” are heartbreaking. The boy just keeps getting better, regardless of how much he already knows.

Basement Jaxx — Scars (9-22)
It’s been over a decade since Basement Jaxx had us bopping to its funky debut Remedy. With Scars comes new guest vocalists Yoko Ono, Sam Sparro, Santigold and more, but those dance-fueled grooves just get better with age, if first single “Raindrops” is any indication.

Gossip — Music for Men (available digitally now; on CD 10-6)
A zaftig lesbian with a voice bigger than her girth rides the muscular music of her two cohorts for a gay rock breakthrough that’s longer on party jams than political tirades. “Heavy Cross” pounds like Cyndi Lauper meets Gang of Four, “Love and Let Love” is a funky Madonna rip and — in case you miss the message — “Men in Love” is a frenzied hump fest with a chorus for the ages. “Nah nah nah nah — men in love WITH EACH OTHER!”  Sing along, children.

Also: Bananarama — Viva (import, 9-14); Marié Digby — Breathing Underwater (9-15); Rufus Wainwright — Milwaukee At Last!!! (CD/DVD, 9-22); David Gray — Draw the Line (9-22); Landon Pigg — The Boy Who Never (9-29); Zero 7 — Year Ghost (9-29); Massive Attack — (EP) (10-6); Noah and the Whale — The First Days of Spring (10-6); Raveonettes — In & Out of Control (10-6); Katherine McPhee — Unbroken (10-6); Erin McKeown — Hundreds of Lions (10-13); Sufjan Stevens — The BQE (10-20); Serena Ryder — Is It O.K. (11-3); Amerie — In Love & War (11-3); Jamie Cullum — The Pursuit (11-10).

SUPERSTARS:

Madonna — Celebration (9-29)
Technically it’s not a new release, but a collection of remastered hits selected by Her Madgesty and her fans. But why do you wanna argue with us, people? Do you need an excuse to celebrate the achievements of She who was born Ciccone? How about two new songs — one co-produced by dance-meister Paul Oakenfold? Ready to celebrate now? We thought so.

Mariah Carey — Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (9-29)
In which Mimi covers Foreigner’s soaring ballad “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Like her or not — the internet leak of the track last week proved what her voice can do with a song as transcendent and emotional as this. Produced with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, there’s plenty to satisfy everyone here — from bold ballads (“H.A.T.E.U.”) to street savvy pop jams (first single “Obsessed”). If she knocks this one out of the park, she’ll have scored an R&B comeback trifecta.

Barbra Streisand — Love Is the Answer (9-29) 
In the exclusive “making-of” video posted on Amazon.com, La Streisand says her latest album — a collection of jazz standards produced by Diana Krall — goes back to her roots. We’re not sure where the intersection of Broadway and Jazz Street is, but she’s not an icon for nothing, and if any voice can light up old warhorses like “Make Someone Happy” and “Here’s to Life” hers would be it.

Robbie Williams — Reality Killed the Video Star (11-10 – digital only)
We still root for Robbie Williams to break out in America every time he puts out a record. His latest, produced by Trevor Horn (Pet Shop Boys, The Art of Noise), has a sound that reportedly dips into Williams’ Northern roots — meaning, well, we’re not sure. Manchester rave? Northern soul? We don’t really care — a talented bloke with a great ear for melody, a sense of humor and an outsized personality, he’s still the ex-Take That member we’d most like to take home (we were going to say “to our mothers,” but we really just want to take him home!). (See his brand new video here.)

Also releasing:  Nelly Furtado — Mi Plan (9-15); Backstreet Boys — This Is Us (10-6); Rosanne Cash — The List (10-6); Shakira — She Wolf (10-13);  Tina Turner — Tina Live (CD/DVD, 10-20); R.E.M. — Live at the Olympia (10-27); Sting — If On a Winter’s Night… (10-27); Nirvana — Live at Reading (11-3); Leona Lewis — Echo (11-17); Britney Spears — The Singles Collection  (11-17, unconfirmed); Norah Jones — The Fall (11-17).

DEBUT ARTISTS:

Gary Go — Gary Go (available digitally now; on CD 9-15)
This British singer — born Gary Baker — isn’t afraid of a soaring, arena-friendly chorus or a relentless positivity in his lyrical outlook. Check out the single “Wonderful” for proof. Discover him quickly, before he becomes the rom-com falling in love/breaking up scene go-to serenader.

La Roux — La Roux (9-29)
With her reedy voice and ginger mega-quiff Elly Jackson, with multi-instrumental partner Ben Langmaid, have revved up the ‘80s revival and become U.K. chart-toppers in the process. It’s possible to resist pop nuggets like the Yaz-tastic “Bulletproof,” but we ask: why? Put on your Doc Martens and stomp up a storm. 

The Temper Trap — Conditions (10-13)
Oh, the male falsetto! From Smokey Robinson to Bronski Beat and Sigur Ros, the sound of a man reaching for the heavens with that most feminine of instruments is soul-stirring. This quartet from Melbourne adds alt-rock muscle to Dougy Mandagi ‘s spectral vocals in a way that will rouse your inner soprano. If you find yourself negotiating the high notes of “Sweet Disposition” — also featured in (500) Days of Summer — or cooing “ooh baby” along with the thrusting “Push” we assure you you’ll never feel more manly. FREE DOWNLOAD OF "DOWN RIVER" HERE.

The xx — xx (available digitally now; on CD 10-20)
Their vibe: low-key. Their visual style: austere. Their music: minimal. And their vocals: an intimate boy/girl sing-speak. So why is this South London quartet a hot property right now? Because their 11-track debut balances love’s ecstasy with its menacing undertones, and its subtle musical and lyrical concentration never smack you in the face with fake “look-at-me” showmanship. Instead, it compels you to listen. Imagine that. FREE DOWNLOAD OF "BASIC SPACE" HERE.

Florence + the Machine — Lungs (10- 20)
Available digitally since July, the U.S. CD release of Florence + the Machine’s Lungs gives us reason to revisit her much-hyped debut. Was all the critical caterwauling worth it? On second (and third and fourth, etc.) listening, Ms. Florence Welch’s deeply English, pagan, mysterious, over-the-top and unashamedly passionate songs sound better than ever.

Also releasing:  Kid Cudi — Man on the Moon: The End of Day (9-15); Alan Cumming — I Bought a Blue Car Today (9-22); Asteroids Galaxy Tour — Fruit (9-22); N-dambi — Pink Elephant (10- 6); Kristina Train — Spilt Milk (10-20); Space Cowboy — Digital Rock Star (11-3).

BOXED SETS / REISSUES:

Duran Duran — Rio Collector’s Edition (9-22); Kraftwerk — The Catalogue (10-6); Hall & Oates — Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates (10-6); Dolly Parton — Dolly (10-27); Bee Gees — Ultimate Bee Gees - 50th Anniversary Edition (11-3).


BONUS FALL MUSIC PREVIEW DOWNLOADS

Spiral Beach — “Domino”
From their second release The Only Really Thing (out 9-22), Canada’s Spiral Beach interpolates The Munster’s theme riff over a go-go beat that’s an invitation to frug wildly. Add 60’s girl-group harmonies and you’ve got a killer B-52’s rip that could pass for the real thing. FREE DOWNLOAD HERE.

Greg Laswell — “Your Ghost”
This San Diegan singer-songwriter goes the Covers route on his forthcoming EP (out 10-6), and we can’t wait. Why? This spooky lament – a cover of a Kristen Hersh solo song. It’s just as haunting as the original, but with added muscle. FREE DOWNLOAD HERE.

Erin McKeown — “The Foxes”
This lapsed folkie previews her forthcoming Hundreds of Lions (out 10-13) with a music-hall ditty about – and we quote – “love can’t be fun if you don’t put in the work.”  This girl’s working, so start loving her now. FREE DOWNLOAD HERE.