Neil Patrick Harris Lets it All Hang Out

Last night on How I Met Your Mother, Neil Patrick Harris attempted to test the theory: "If a date is going bad, you strip naked and this will help you get the girl into bed. It’s guaranteed to work 2/3 of the time."

More shots AFTER THE JUMP...

Even Josh Radnor got into the act:

(Radnor image via afterelton)

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News: Leonard Matlovich, Bulgaria, Focus on the Family, Connecticut

Comprehensive Prop 8 Update HERE.

Obama to take presidential radio address to YouTube, beginning this Saturday.

Memorial plaque to civil rights activist Leonard Matlovich to be dedicated tomorrow. From a press release: "The author of a November 12 article in The Washington Post wrote, "His last speech was in the rain in Sacramento, six weeks before he died, and he was hoarse and tired and dying, and he talked about love. A Georgia native who grew up in the military, he had the knack for taking your heart and making it catch for a moment, like the way he announced on national television that he had AIDS. He seemed to make people want to be braver than perhaps they were." The public event will begin at noon, Saturday, November 15th, in the Spencer Andrew Ceremonial Room of San Francisco's LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street at Octavia."

Connecticut: 66 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples since Wednesday. "The state Department of Public Health has received data from 130 of the state's 169 cities and towns so far. A total of 94 licenses were issued Wednesday from those municipalities, including 28 to opposite-sex couples. Public Health Department spokesman William Gerrish says couples have 65 days to have their nuptials 'solemnized' by a minister, justice of the peace or other officiator."

Anderson Cooper visits The Tonight Show - VIDEO.

Ryan Gosling's bringing sexy back.

Focus on the Family planning layoffs.

Swastika and anti-gay slur drawn on Jewish student's locker at Saugus High School in California: "Her son Todd, a 15-year-old sophomore, is Jewish, but he is not gay, she said. 'They were mortified. They were frightened by the experience,' said Marcia Davis, who works as an instructional assistant at Saugus. 'It's not random. Somebody knows he is Jewish and is intentionally doing this.' Lt. Brenda Cambra of the Santa Clarita sheriff's station said the department is investigating the incident as a hate crime."

25-year-old Brazilian sentenced to 27 years in jail for murder of French tourist during Sao Paulo Gay Pride weekend in 2007.

Jared Leto has GQ Style.

Governor of Russian Tambov region cleared of criminal complaint over remarks: "The governor of the Tambov region of Russia has been cleared of charges by an appeals court following an anti-gay outburst reported in the daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda last May. And in a separate, but related case, the Tambov city authorities give the reason that they banned a gay march was because the closure of streets 'breaches the rights of drivers'...'Tolerance? To hell! Faggots must be torn apart and their pieces should be thrown in the wind,' the newspaper reported the Governor as saying."

Entertainment Weekly: Neil Patrick Harris is #25 of top 25 entertainers of the year.

Daniel Craig gets waxed.

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News: Bolthouse Farms, Diamond, Emmys, Transgender Win

Transgender woman wins groundbreaking sex discrimination suit brought by ACLU: "A federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., ruled today that the Library of Congress discriminated against Diane Schroer when it offered her a job and then rescinded it after learning she was transgendered...Other courts that have considered the issue have said Congress only intended for the anti-discrimination statute to protect men and women, but not people who change their sex, the ACLU said."

Record-breaking white diamond found in Lesotho.

Till Death: Portia de Rossi to become Portia DeGeneres.

India high court sets deadline to hear arguments from government on decriminalization of homosexuality: "That the government appears to be running out of time to take a final stand on this issue also became clear on Friday when HC made it clear that it would go ahead with its verdict without reference to the stand of the Union Cabinet if it continues to sit on the issue later than the date fixed by the HC."

A complete list of last night's Emmy Award winners...

Christina Aguilera opts for futuristic astronaut vibe on new album.

Anti-gay attack at Belgrade Gay Fest: "A group of 20 or so youths, wearing surgical masks and hooded tops attacked festival participants on September 19, seriously injuring one U.S. national, who suffered a broken arm and concussion, while several participants from Serbia also received minor injuries. The police, it is added, reacted quickly, one attacker was arrested, and a number of others taken in for questioning."

Californians Against Hate holds protest against Bolthouse Farms outside Ralph's supermarket in L.A.: "...because of a $100,000 contribution by William Bolthouse, Jr. to the Protect Marriage – Yes on Proposition 8 Campaign. William Bolthouse’s huge financial support was one of the main reasons that this constitutional initiative qualified for the November 4th ballot. His money helped enable Protect Marriage to hire hundreds of paid professional petition circulators to collect the signatures necessary to qualify this initiative for the November ballot. If passed on November 4th, Proposition 8 would eliminate same-sex marriage in California."

Producer David Zucker on his new right-wing comedy An American Carol and being Republican in Hollywood: "Most political comedies say both sides are bad. We're saying, 'F— it.' We're taking a side...{in Hollywood] you sort of feel like you have to hide [your conservatism]. When you meet, you give each other a secret look — 'Are you a Republican, too?' It's the new gay."

Joan Rivers addresses leather crowd at Folsom Street Fair benefit gala.

Damien Hirst paid $200 for the shark he sold last week in formaldehyde for $21 million.

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka hit the Emmy red carpet.

Goldmine: Beckhams net $202 million on perfume line.

Sarah Palin draws crowd of 60,000 25,000 in Florida, far exceeding the number of people Bush attracted four years ago.

Vancouver-area high school pulls course with gay content: "The elective course, which deals with issues ranging from homophobia to animal rights, has caused controversy amongst religious groups that worry it's too malleable to the individual beliefs of teachers."

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News: Gay Bashing, Adele, Kanye West, Gus van Sant, Obama Benefit

TIME: Sarah Palin's Alaskanomics.

Barack Obama is throwing a major reception in Beverly Hills next week at which Barbra Streisand will perform. Those with the $2,500 to pony up who want to attend should use this link we're told, and the contributions will be registered as coming from the LGBT community.

British recording artist Adele says gay interest in her song "Chasing Pavements" has caused her chances at a U.S. career to dive: "Some weirdo on the Internet wrote that Chasing Pavements was about being gay, which isn't true at all. Because of that some radio stations in the States wouldn't play it. The guy wrote it on the Urban Dictionary website, which I've used for years and 'chasing pavements' was never on there as a slang term before." She says he isn't interested in breaking in America anyway: "I don't like flying. I hate it, and I don't want to start taking Valium, so I'm not going to get over there much."

Kanye West arrested at LAX for felony vandalism. (VIDEO)

Drill Baby Drill: Bush's Interior Department in new "sex for oil" scandal.

Gus van Sant to be honored at IFP's Gotham Awards: "In recognition of Van Sant's fearlessness in using film to explore LGBT issues, IFP announced a new initiative aimed at inspiring the next generation of LGBT filmmakers. IFP is teaming with the The Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School in New York City. IFP, courtesy of Deloitte Financial Services LLP, is donating 45 video cameras to the school. IFP hopes to work with the producers of NewFest, The New York LGBT Film Festival, to create a series of training and mentoring sessions. Select works by youth members from The Hetrick-Martin Institute and students from Harvey Milk School will be invited to screen during the next edition of NewFest (June 4 - 14th, 2009)."

No additional arrests so far in Boston gay bashing.

Gay victim of attack in Washington DC on life support after robbery and assault. Officials are weighing incident's validity as hate crime: "The Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU) of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department is reporting that two men from Maryland were attacked during a robbery on the evening of Sunday, Sept. 7, at Eighth and N Streets NW. According to the GLLU report, the incident was classified as a hate crime 'based upon the victims' actual or perceived sexual orientation,' and due to the proximity of the attack to Be Bar, a lounge that caters to the gay community, located at 1318 Ninth St. NW, about a block from the attack in D.C.'s Shaw neighborhood."

L.A.'s legendary Laugh Factory launches gay Friday night show: "The World Famous Laugh Factory owner, Jamie Masada is launching a weekly midnight Lesbian and Gay show, ‘Thank Gays It’s Friday,’ on Friday September 19th, 2008. In 1982, The Laugh Factory was the only comedy club that launched the first ever-mainstream gay standup show: ‘Coming Out of the Closet’ which ran for 18 years."

Sarah Palin gets an inaction figure.

Handlers for actress Shorheh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog, 24) distance themselves from Values Voters Summit, remove Aghdashloo from promotional materials...

California Episcopal church calls on gay priest to be its new rector: "'He’s a priest, not a gay priest, he’s a priest,' St. Mark’s Senior Warden Olivia Flisher said in defense of Reverend Randall Day, who will start his position as the new church-elected rector in October."

AfterElton has posted a lengthy interview with Neil Patrick Harris in which he addresses acting, Anderson Cooper, Dan Savage, and Old Spice, among other things.

Homophobic South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford is being awarded the first "So Gay" award by the state's LGBT community.

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Neil Patrick Harris Crushes on Anderson Cooper, Strives for 'Normalcy'

Neil Patrick Harris talks to OUT magazine for their September issue and expresses his joy over the recent visibility of same-sex couples in the news surrounding the California same-sex marriage legislation ("I think that speaks way more than the 'God Hates Fags' signs."). He also talks about what he believes his own role to be as a visible gay man:

"My job is jester -- not advocate. I’m on a situation comedy responding to [Josh Radnor’s character] Ted Mosby and his wacky adventures -- that’s my job right now. If people want to comment about where I go to dinner, they are welcome to, but it’s not my job to respond to those statements. The Internet stuff threw me for a loop because I didn’t understand where the vitriol was coming from. I thought I had been representing well, and in turn it seemed like I was quickly condemned to step to the plate, and I was fine with that. I’m striving to be an example of normalcy. Because I’m noticed as an actor, people are aware of what’s happening in my life, and that I can’t change, and if I tried to, it’d be an uphill battle. I’d be angry and bitter. I’m a big proponent of monogamous relationships regardless of sexuality, and I’m proud of how the nation is steering toward that. Then you can look around and say, 'I really deeply feel like I’m in love with this person, there are people who feel the same thing, and those models are normal.' The 'normal' couples were sort of in the shadows for the past 15 or 20 years because you sort of needed other people to come forward and speak out."

Harris also confesses to a crush on Anderson Cooper:

"Mmmmmmmm. Anderson. He’s dreamy. Just dreamy. I’ve been a fan of his since season 1 of The Mole. I just thought he was so cool when he talked in this cool, low, secret-agent voice -- 'If you can accomplish this task...' Listen, no one can tell anyone how big their steps should be or when they can take them. You can take issue with someone making overtly denying statements, and you can take issue with people straight-up presenting themselves as someone that they’re not -- because I think that’s kind of shady and not very stand-up. But you can’t fault someone for going through the process at their own time. You can’t. But again -- to speak to the public nature of things -- it is in our capacity to respect the job descriptions that people have separate from the life that they live. And I don’t care about the person on the news…I literally tune in to hear the news. I might find them dreamy, but I don’t really need to know much more about them."

recently
Neil Patrick Harris Casts a Gay Spell as Sesame Street's Shoe Fairy [tr]
Neil Patrick Harris Now a Horrible Doctor [tr]
Neil Patrick Harris Plays 'Pretend' Again for Old Spice [tr]

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Neil Patrick Harris Casts a Gay Spell as Sesame Street's Shoe Fairy

And by "gay" I mean "happy"...

If you thought Feist was cute, watch Neil Patrick Harris play a Shoe Fairy on the 39th season premiere of Sesame Street.

Watch it here.

Harris spoke to AfterElton about the role: "Not the shoe fairy – the fairy shoe person. It’s quite a different connotation. I was asked by Sesame Street to be a part of a song and I just leapt at the opportunity. Jim Henson was the only person I ever wrote a fan letter to as a kid and I’m a wild fan of puppets and the Henson Company in general. They wrote a song, wanted me to sing it. There are all these different mythical characters this season. Sandra Oh plays another type of fairy that Abby Cadabra creates and so we got to do this big musical number with puppets and dancing. It was a great, great afternoon. It’s one demographic that I have yet to win over."

He's casting his best spell:

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2008 Emmy Nominations Announced

Nominations for the 2008 Emmy Awards were announced this morning. Boston Legal, Damages, Dexter, House, Lost, and Mad Men, were nominated for Best Drama, while Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, The Office, 30 Rock, and Two and a Half Men, were nominated in the Best Comedy category.

Neil Patrick Harris got a nod for Best Supporting Actor for his role in How I Met Your Mother, and no, Britney did not get a nod for Guest Actor in a comedy series.

I've clipped analysis from ABC as well as Neil Patrick Harris and Kristin Chenoweth reading the nominees, as well as a partial list, AFTER THE JUMP...

DRAMA SERIES:
"Boston Legal," ABC
"Damages," FX
"Dexter," Showtime
"House," Fox
"Lost," ABC
"Mad Men," AMC

COMEDY SERIES:
"Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO
"Entourage," HBO
"The Office," NBC
"30 Rock," NBC
"Two and a Half Men," CBS

ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
James Spader, "Boston Legal"

ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Sally Field, "Brothers and Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit"
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"

ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men"

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"
Kevin Dillon, "Entourage"
Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Rainn Wilson, "The Office"

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Ted Danson, "Damages"
Michael Emerson, "Lost"
Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages"
William Shatner, "Boston Legal"
John Slattery, "Mad Men"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal"
Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers and Sisters"
Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy"
Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment"
Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Kristin Chenoweth, "Pushing Daisies"
Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live"
Jean Smart, "Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, "Two and a Half Men"
Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty"

REALITY HOST:
Tom Bergeron, 'Dancing With The Stars'
Heidi Klum, 'Project Runway'
Howie Mandel, 'Deal Or No Deal'
Jeff Probst, 'Survivor'
Ryan Seacrest, 'American Idol'

REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM:
"The Amazing Race," CBS
"American Idol," FOX
"Dancing With The Stars," ABC
"Project Runway," Bravo
"Top Chef," Bravo

REALITY PROGRAM:
"Antiques Roadshow," PBS
"Dirty Jobs," Discovery Channel
"Extreme Makeover Home Edition," ABC
"Intervention," A&E
"Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List," Bravo

MINISERIES:
"The Andromeda Strain," A&E
"Cranford," (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS
"John Adams," HBO
"Tin Man," Sci Fi Channel

ACTOR, MINISERIES OR A MOVIE:
Ralph Fiennes, "Bernard And Doris"
Ricky Gervais, "Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale"
Paul Giamatti, "John Adams"
Kevin Spacey, "Recount"
Tom Wilkinson, "Recount"

ACTRESS, MINISERIES OR A MOVIE:
Catherine Keener, "An American Crime"
Susan Sarandon, "Bernard And Doris"
Dame Judi Dench, "Cranford"
Laura Linney, "John Adams"
Phylicia Rashad, "A Raisin in the Sun"

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE:
"Bernard And Doris," HBO
"Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale," HBO
"The Memory Keeper's Daughter," Lifetime
"A Raisin In The Sun," ABC
"Recount," HBO

See the complete list of Emmy nominees here...

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Neil Patrick Harris Now a Horrible Doctor

In today's NPH news, the trailer for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog hit the internet this week. It's a project writer/director Joss Whedon started during the WGA writer's strike, a three-part series to be aired on the internet. Neil Patrick Harris stars as Dr. Horrible, and it also features Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day.

Says Whedon: "It’s the story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he’s too shy to talk to."

Watch the trailer, AFTER THE JUMP...

Recently
Neil Patrick Harris Plays 'Pretend' Again for Old Spice [tr]
Spice up Your Life with Neil Patrick Harris [tr]

Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

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Neil Patrick Harris Plays 'Pretend' Again for Old Spice

Neil Patrick Harris "used to be a doctor for pretend" and shoots the live action version of his Old Spice ad in the halls of this "pretend" hospital. Love it!

And here's the print ad, if you missed it.

Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Spice up Your Life with Neil Patrick Harris

Not only can Neil Patrick Harris convincingly play a heterosexual womanizer on TV, he can also hawk traditionally macho brands to consumers. Harris appears in a really great ad for Old Spice antiperspirant in this month's GQ (p. 47).

The ad references back to his Doogie days, reading, as he's pictured placing a stethoscope on a patient's nose: "Body odor protection recommended by former TV doctors, like me."

It also reads, in the small print, "Take it from me, I used to be a fake doctor."

(AfterElton also spotted the ad in Entertainment Weekly)

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Neil Patrick Harris' 'Straight' Acting Titillates Even Himself

Neil Patrick Harris offered a soundbyte to the Hollywood Reporter reflecting on his coming out and the reactions people have had. He's perhaps one of the best examples that a gay man can play a straight role without any of the oft-predicted career fallout — in fact even he gets off on his love scenes with women.

Says Harris: "There have been very few negative repercussions about my revelations about my personal life, partly because I was on the show already playing Barney, partly because I was very candid with everyone in my work world about my life so it asn't like this big scandalous revelation. It was a nice moment of clarity and exhalation to see that everyone kind of shrugged...there's a lot of people that appreciate that an actor acts," joking, "I made out with Cobie Smulders last week on the show, and when I watched it I got an erection. And she's a chick, you know what I'm saying?"

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Neil Patrick Harris Gets a Piece of Britney Spears

I know several gay men who would consider giving a nut to be in a NPH/Britney sandwich. From last night's How I Met Your Mother.

Check out a clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

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News: Orcas, Dax Shepard, Homecoming King, Alabama

NPR runs heartbreaking piece on two boys who identify as girls: "It’s really hard for him. He’ll disappear and close a door, and we’ll find him playing with dolls and Polly Pockets and … the stuff that he’s drawn to...He really struggles with the color pink. He really struggles with the color pink."

Dax Shepard appears to be acting out the role of Abercrombie door dude in the new film When in Rome.

Neil Patrick Harris's Barney shows off his new trophy date, Britney Spears. Watch it.

Jay Bakker to spend Mother's Day in honor of the late Tammy Faye pressuring megachurch pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church to sit down and talk to LGBT activist group Soulforce: "I want to celebrate my mother's life, and help spread the message she lived and preached. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as 'us' and 'them.' We hope the families of Lakewood Church will open their hearts and minds to us and sit down and have a conversation and share a meal. ... Let's put our differences aside and share the love and hope of Christ."

Details on the first dates of Madonna's "Sticky and Sweet" world tour.

Arizona Christian group Alliance Defense Fund has hand in New York same-sex marriage cases.

Shawnee Mission East High School loves its gay Homecoming King.

Investigators say photographers won't be charged for photos of teenage water polo players that turned up on gay porn websites: "The Orange County district attorney's office says a four-month investigation determined Scott Cornelius and Allen Rockwell didn't commit any crimes. Cornelius, a University of California, Irvine, police employee currently on paid leave, is still being investigated by the university to determine if he violated college policies. Photographs of youths as young as 14 taken by Cornelius and Rockwell appeared on homosexual pornographic Web sites. But district attorney's office spokeswoman Farrah Emami says 'legally there were no criminal charges we could file.'"

Killer whales photographed hunting dolphins for the first time ever.

Matt Foreman's new perspective.

Your money's worth: Mario Lopez embroiled in Broadway bicep controversy.

Two card stud.

Alabama legislature passes two pro-gay bills: "In an email from State Rep. Patricia Todd, she announced that the Alabama House of Representatives passed the Hate Crimes Bill sponsored by Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery by a vote of 46 to 44, mostly along party lines. While the fate of the bill is unsure as it moves to the Senate, this is huge progress, as the legislation was defeated last year. Also passed (unanimously) was an anti-bullying bill sponsored by Rep. Betty Carol Graham of Alexander City and Sen. Parker Griffith of Huntsville. This is also going to to the Senate."

Truce Off: McGreevey's fail to reach a settlement in their divorce trial.

Don't sit on the benches in New York subway stations unless you want bedbugs.

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News: Tom Hanks, Costume Gala, McCain Judges, Santacruzans

House owned by gay escort to socialites James Hunt Barker burns in Palm Beach, Florida.

Britney back as Neil Patrick Harris' trophy gal on How I Met Your Mother.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Costume Institute gala was themed Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, but I didn't see many capes or codpieces.

Matthew McConaughey to play Captain America?

In anticipation of Brothers and Sisters' big gay wedding this weekend, GLAAD has put together a handy reference guide to weddings of same-sex couples on broadcast networks.

Publishers Weekly on the state of gay book publishing: "In my view, it is clear that today there is less and less visible publishing of gay and lesbian books. Carroll & Graf, Alyson and Harrington Park Press—in recent years the most energetic publishers of gay/lesbian fiction and nonfiction—have all either failed, drastically reduced their list of GLBT titles, or have been undergoing serial management/ownership changes. As for what most folks would consider the mainstream publishing houses, they are publishing far less of what could credibly be labeled 'gay or lesbian books' than they were 10 years ago. But what I find more distressing is that even those books that they do publish are packaged and promoted in such a way as to downplay or ignore the gay or lesbian aspect of the book."

"Official celebrity" Tom Hanks releases video endorsement of Barack Obama.

Beloved Provincetown local "Dixie" dies in accident at home.

McCain wooing conservatives with promises on judges: "McCain promised to appoint judges who, in the mold of Roberts and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, are likely to limit the reach of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. 'They would serve as the model for my own nominees if that responsibility falls to me,' McCain said in his prepared speech."

McCain aides attribute Hagee endorsement to "poor vetting": "McCain’s aides attribute the Hagee controversy to poor vetting. But even some Republicans (not affiliated with the campaign) privately wonder how the pastor’s extreme views slipped through without notice. McCain personally wooed Hagee for more than a year." Frank Rich: "Any 12-year-old with a laptop could have vetted this preacher in 30 seconds, tops."

Is Banksy the Michelangelo of graffiti?

If Brad Pitt and U2's The Edge were a gay couple with a family, this is what it might look like.

Filipino Cardinal bans gay Santacruzans: "Parishes that allow cross-dressing homosexuals to play female saints in religious festivals are insulting the Virgin Mary, the nation’s top Catholic cleric said Monday. 'We should keep sacred what is sacred,' Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said as he admonished parishes for allowing male homosexuals to play Saint Helena and other female roles traditionally given to local beauty queens. But leaders of the gay community maintained that “Marian devotees” among them deserved a place in the Maytime tradition."

Ian Strachan to appeal conviction for gay blackmail of British Royal.

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News: Tim Gill, Penis Thieves, Singapore, Anti-Gay T-shirt

Gay activist and philanthropist Tim Gill scaring the crap out of the religious right. Pat Robertson: "What are the Christians doing about this? The answer is 'absolutely zip'. There was an organization that I founded but it's not there anymore. To my knowledge, there is no other Christian grassroots organization that is even coming CLOSE to what Tim Gill is doing on the left for homosexuals."

Brazilian gay magazine DOM launches online.

Police arrest 13 men in the Congo for stealing and shrinking penises.

Toby Maguire gets his bear on.

Singapore's state-owned television station was fined $11,040 for broadcasting a program that featured a gay couple and their adopted child: " The Straits Times reported that Singapore's Media Development Authority said the episode of home and decor series Find and Design, in which the host helped the couple decorate a nursery, 'normalizes and promotes a gay lifestyle.' The pro-government newspaper said the censor had also objected to scenes of the couple and their baby as well as the host's acknowledgement of them as a family, because it broke a rule 'which disallows programmes that promote, justify or glamorize gay lifestyles.'"

Pittsburgh gay rights advocate Randal G. "Randy" Forrester dies of cancer at 60.

UK mother jailed for anti-gay abuse, daughter given supervision: "Canterbury magistrates heard the pair, both of The Halt, Whitstable, carried out a campaign of hate between 13 March and 17 May 2007. They called the men names and Reeves drove her car at one of them. The court was told that the pair began abusing Michael Harris and Shires Crichton, of Kingston, Kent, when both men sided with another neighbour in an ongoing dispute. During the sentencing, the chairman of the magistrates told Reeves: 'Although there was no evidence of violence, the psychological affect on the victims has been far reaching. In your case there are strong aggravating factors. Those factors are that you made homophobic gestures and remarks over an extended period and you showed no remorse.'"

Neil Patrick Harris opens up to Howard Stern about his sexuality.

Lipstick Jungle hottie Robert Buckley may want to use some sunscreen.

Cynthia Nixon making plans to marry.

Is Chace Crawford being gay framed on Craigslist?

Now that's a chest.

Greg Siff talks about his new play The Nothing Boys opening on May 3 in L.A.

Court rules that teen can wear "Be Happy, Not Gay" T-shirt, reversing two earlier rulings: "In issuing this reversal, though, the court basically upheld the validity of the Naperville school's rule forbidding derogatory comments, oral or written, that refer to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. 'High school students are not adults, schools are not public meeting halls, children are in school to be taught by adults rather than to practice attacking each other with wounding words, and school authorities have a protective relationship and responsibility to all the students,' says the court's opinion, written by Judge Richard Posner."

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Ellen Degeneres Chops Neil Patrick Harris' Head Off

Neil Patrick Harris visited Ellen Degeneres yesterday, and after a bit of chatter about the Harold & Kumar sequel and American Idol, she took him to the guillotine and chopped his head off.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

The beheading is in part two.

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News: Neil Patrick Harris, Hip-Hop, Kevin Rudd, PETA, Zac Efron

Australian PM Kevin Rudd presented with first major gay rights challenge of his administration as ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope asks him to allow same-sex civil unions.

Tiny Wookie takes leak on the ruler of the Naboo people.

Anti-gay South American Anglican Archbishop defies requests to stay away from Canada: "Archbishop Gregory Venables, who claims to represent 15 breakaway Anglican congregations in Canada, will speak Friday at a gathering in Delta of the conservative Anglican Network in Canada. Venables, who has been criticized as a rogue archbishop by Anglican colleagues in South America and elsewhere, is recruiting Anglican congregations in Canada and the U.S. that have opposed the ordination of homosexuals and the church blessing of their relationships. The primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Fred Hilz, wrote a public letter to Venables on Monday urging him to stay home and saying that entering his North American jurisdiction 'will further harm the strained relations' between Canadian Anglicans."

Ewan McGregor makes light of skin cancer scare: “It was great fun having skin cancer, it was great, I really enjoyed it.”

Richard's Quest: The CNN reporter's Central Park thought process flowchart.

Zac Efron gives big to cancer patient in the UK.

A night out with Neil Patrick Harris at The Magic Castle: “I’m not the guy who goes to Skybar,” Mr. Harris said. "I’m not good with that random small talk with people I’ll never meet again. I prefer to take a friend somewhere eventful." He also says he's looking forward to welcoming Britney back to his show.

PETA offers $1 million prize for test tube meat: "The organization said it would announce plans today for a $1 million prize to the 'first person to come up with a method to produce commercially viable quantities of in-vitro meat at competitive prices by 2012.' The idea of getting the next Chicken McNugget out of a test tube is not new. For several years, scientists have worked to develop technologies to grow tissue cultures that could be consumed like meat without the expense of land or feed and the disease potential of real meat. An international symposium on the topic was held this month in Norway. The tissue, once grown, could be shaped and given texture with the kinds of additives and structural agents that are now used to give products such as soy burgers a more meaty texture."

Former MTV executive Terrance Dean promises to out DL players in the hip-hop industry in new book.

Investigators suspect gay angle in New Delhi murder.

Janet Jackson, who is set to receive a GLAAD award in L.A. this weekend, talks to E!'s Marc Malkin about AIDS, drag queens, Ellen Degeneres, and Lawrence King: "He was finally coming into his own and being himself and being OK with who he was. He was feeling good about that and not living in this shell and pretending to be someone else. He was letting all of that go and saying, 'This is me.' But being murdered for being who you are, for being real—we were crushed by that."

Neil Haskell, from So You Think You Can Dance, has joined the New York cast of Altar Boyz.

Clay Aiken is Tyra Banks' reward for 500 episodes.

ACLU asks Florida judge to reopen case on Okeechobee gay-straight alliance: " The lawsuit was recently dismissed by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore after its lead plaintiff Yasmin Gonzalez graduated and the club itself dwindled down to zero members, leading the judge to drop a requirement that the group be allowed to meet while the lawsuit was pending. The lawsuit was initially filed in November 2006 under the federal Equal Access Act after the student group claimed the school district would not allow it to meet at Okeechobee High School. The school district claimed it was banning the club in part because it was a 'sex-based' club and could conflict with abstinence-only education."

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Neil Patrick Harris Says Britney Spears Not Necessary for Success

Though he praised her professionalism and How I Met Your Mother saw its best ratings ever as a result of her appearance, Neil Patrick Harris warns that "stunt" guest stars like Britney Spears may cause the quality of the show to suffer.

Said Harris: "I'm in the minority that our show does not need stunt casting in order to succeed. I worry that if they start `Will and Grace'-ing us too much, that the show will suffer. And we're all really proud of the content of the show. I mean, viewership is not our game. It's the network and the studio's game, you know. It's the promotion department's game. We wish we weren't opposite an awkward reality dancing competition. But we have no say about that. I just am a real fan of our content. I think we have a great show going, and I hope it's not screwed up by the desire for 700,000 more viewers."

Neil Patrick Harris: Say no to Britney! [ap]

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News: Oscar Wilde, Tasmania, Project Runway, Erotic Jesus

Gay property developers driven from Tasmania by homophobic locals after dead kangaroo is found nailed to door. Stephen Roche: "It's been an interesting ride. But I don't feel as though I've been pushed out at all. It's a very small minority that have had any sort of homophobic prejudice. Tassie's probably got a way to go with acceptance of gay people."

Shopping with Milo Ventimiglia.

Lifetime poaches Project Runway from Bravo and NBC is MAD AS HELL.

Joe.My.God reports on the National Gay & LEsbian Task Force's New York Leadership Awards which said good-bye to Executive Director Matt Foreman.

Over 100 "pro-family" leaders applaud Romania's bigotry.

iTunes Canada removes Jamaican dancehall "Murder music": "This action followed a campaign led by the Canadian LGBT rights group Egale and Stop Murder Music. The songs include advocating or approval of killing gays: 'iTunes is exercising its corporate responsibility by pulling this murder music and raising the bar for other retailers and distributors to do the same,' says Akim Larcher, founder of SMM. He calls iTune’s decision a victory for the gay community in Canada and in the Caribbean."

Oscar Wilde brand alive and well and living in Paris: "In his day, Wilde - iconoclastic, bisexual, Irish - found fame and, briefly, fortune by dint of genius, charm and application. In his own time, he was an outsider and an exotic. Now he’s one of us. We understand his craving for celebrity. We share his obsession with youth. ('Youth is the one thing worth having,' he wrote in The Picture of Dorian Gray.) Gay or straight, we are easy with his sexuality. Indeed, so prejudiced are we in his favour, we tend to overlook the fact that most of the young men in whom he took an interest were little more than boys."

Christian radio station miffed over Wisconsin school district's dress-up day: "Students at Pineview Elementary in Reedsburg had been dressing in costume all last week as part of an annual school tradition called Wacky Week. On Friday, students were encouraged to dress either as senior citizens or as members of the opposite sex. A local resident informed the Voice of Christian Youth America on Friday. The Milwaukee-based radio network responded by interrupting its morning programming for a special broadcast that aired on nine radio stations throughout Wisconsin. The broadcast criticized the dress-up day and accused the district of promoting alternative lifestyles."

Will you make it to third base with Neil Patrick Harris. These bitches did.

UC-Berkeley blood drive encourages gay men to find donors to take their place.

Sex and the City girls the star attraction at a benefit for The Point Foundation.

Erotic Jesus exhibit sparks outrage in Austria: "The source of the dispute, which Austrian media has dubbed Vienna's version of the Mohammad caricature row, is a retrospective honoring Austria's cherished artist Alfred Hrdlicka, who turned 80 earlier this year...The Church hastily removed the main picture, 'a homosexual orgy' of the Apostles as Hrdlicka describes it. But the protest has continued, much to the surprise of the small Cathedral Museum which is nestled down a narrow street in Vienna's historic Gothic quarter. The museum's director defends both Hrdlicka's work and his decision to host the artist's controversial versions of biblical imagery in a museum tied to the Catholic Church. 'We think Hrdlicka is entitled to represent people in this carnal, drastic way,' Bernhard Boehler said in his small museum office, across the street from Vienna's imposing St. Stephan's Cathedral. He said the museum never intended to offend people but that art should be allowed to provoke a debate."

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News: Gayle King, Hunky Jesus, Yale, Charlie Crist, Tibet

A dog's life: NYC penthouse purchased for Gayle King in name of Oprah's recently deceased cocker spaniel, Sophie.

San Franciscans battle it out to be Hunky Jesus in Easter competition: "Catholics have labelled the annual pageant blasphemous, considering that previous entrants have included 'old school Jesus', 'surfer Jesus' and 'zombie Jesus', an irreverent take on the Easter message of Christ rising from the dead."

Last night's How I Met Your Mother guest starring Britney Spears was the show's highest rated episode ever.

18-year-old charged with stabbing death of gay man appears in Brooklyn court: "The defendant, Omar Willock, is charged with a hate crimes offense...At Willock’s arraignment last spring, Hynes told reporters that Willock 'shouted anti-gay remarks' at Roberto Duncanson, taunting him even as he tried to get away from Willock. Willock allegedly followed Duncanson, who’d been trying to avoid the confrontation, which had its roots in an verbal exchange earlier that same night, when angry words were exchanged between the two men. Willock had claimed that Duncanson stared at him in an unwanted manner, though the incident did not become violent. When Duncanson returned along the same route later that evening, Willock is alleged to have renewed his taunts. Witnesses told police the two engaged in a brief fistfight, culminating in a chase that ended with Duncanson’s stabbing death."

Florida Governor Charlie Crist loves women.

Yale University appoints first openly gay residential-college master, tapping acclaimed singer Richard Lalli MUS ’86 to lead Jonathan Edwards College: "He will be joined by his partner, Michael Rigsby MED ’88, who will add the designation of associate master to his current title: medical director of Yale University Health Services. Lalli, an adjunct professor of music, has taught at Yale since 1982; both are already JE fellows and freshman advisers in the college. 'This is a great occasion. It’s probably the greatest occasion of my life,' Lalli said to JE students after University President Richard Levin announced his appointment over dinner Wednesday night in Commons." College master is one of Yale's highest recognitions.

Gay Syrian applies for asylum in Scotland: "After Mr Yakob's terrible ordeal in Syria, it is unacceptable that the Home Office would consider sending him back. There is a very real risk that he would suffer further ill treatment or even possibly death. He has sought asylum in Scotland and I will make an immediate representation to the Home Office in an effort to overturn their ruling before his final hearing in May."

OP/ED: Repeal of gay rights laws in Oregon would have chilling effect.

Chinese paramilitary police open fire on mass crowd of monks, nuns, and Tibetans: "Residents of Luhuo said that a monk and a farmer appeared to have been killed and about a dozen people wounded in the latest violence in Tibetan areas of China. Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, said that one officer was killed when police confronted a 'lawless mob' in Luhuo. The demonstration began at 4pm when about 200 nuns from Woge nunnery and a similar number of monks from Jueri monastery marched towards the Luhuo Third District government office. They were joined by several hundred farmers and nomads, witnesses said."

Ashton Kutcher plays douchebag in new film.

How does Priscilla Presley stay looking so young? Special facial injections of auto lubricant.

Gay sex expert Michael Alvear spent three months filming couples and analyzing the footage: "I don’t think that people are really that aware of their contributions to the breakdowns in a relationship, and the cameras are able to cut through all the false perceptions that they have about themselves. I’ve always believed this through writing and advising people about sex—the question, 'What are you unaware of that, if you became aware of it, you could change and make the situation better?' That’s what the cameras allowed people to do—become aware of the things they’re not aware of. It’s like a mirror that way."

Gay Wisconsin man settles lawsuit alleging two men