News: Womanizer, Marc Jacobs, Baldness, Tina Fey, ACORN

McCain debuts new speech, portraying himself as underdog: "Allies are calling this 'hitting the ‘reset’ button' on the campaign, with McCain re-emerging after a long Sunday strategy session with a feisty tack that uses candor and humor, at a time when his rallies have become known for raucous rage and clumsy attacks. But it’s more like hitting the panic button."

Britney Spears' new "Womanizer" video.

Tina Fey "done" if Palin wins: “We’re gonna take it week by week. If she wins, I’m done. I can’t do that for four years. And by ‘I’m done,’ I mean I’m leaving Earth.”

Jacob Reitan, graduate student and former head of Soulforce, pens open letter to Ellen DeGeneres asking why she has not donated to Proposition 8: "Why is this? You make tens of millions of dollars a year. You and Portia recently got married. Surely, you know how important keeping that right is to you and your family. If we are to win, we desperately need your financial support." It's a question that has been simmering. Donate to No on Prop 8 HERE.

Karen Ocamb: Are Democrats and Obama throwing gays under the bus with regard to Prop 8?

Hilary Duff, Lance Bass, Jennie Garth work the red carpet at GLSEN's Respect Awards...

Mormons speak out against the Church of Latter Day Saints' campaign for ban on same-sex marriage.

Scientists discover genetic variants that boost the odds of male baldness: "he two variants are located on a stretch of DNA on Chromosome 20, according to a study carried out on 1,125 men of European descent. These variants are present in one in seven Caucasian men and provide novel insights into the cause of this common and sometimes distressing condition,' the team said."

Barack Obama received endorsements from 15 newspapers on Sunday: "Backing Obama: In Ohio, The Blade in Toledo and the Dayton Daily News; the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Tennessean of Nashville, the Wisconsin State Journal. the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times, and in California the Fresno Bee, Sacramento Bee, Contra Costa Times, The Herald of Monterrey, and The Sun of San Bernardino (which had picked Bush over Kerry). Joining the Obama team in battleground states were the Muskegon (Mich.) Chronicle, the Lehigh Valley (Pa.) Express-Times and Springfield (Ohio) News."

Marc Jacobs, his skirt, and his boyfriend take the streets of Manhattan.

Miami Herald recommends "no" vote on anti-gay Amendment.

Scissor Sisters to play surprise gig at New York's Mercury Lounge?

Orlando Gay Pride focused on "emotional pleas" to defeat Amendment 2, and police chief Val Deming's pledge to fight anti-day hate crimes: "'We will not tolerate any individual who would threaten to do harm because of someone's race, religion, political affiliation or sexual orientation,' she said. Demings' remarks came 10 years to the day of the death of Shepard, who was beaten, tied to a split-rail fence and left to die on a Wyoming prairie. She was followed by the parents of Ryan Keith Skipper, a 25-year-old gay man who was killed in Polk County in 2007, and Sean William Kennedy, a 20-year-old Greenville, S.C., man who died in 2007 after being punched in the face because he was gay."

Kylie Minogue musical waiting in the West End's wings?

Rupert Everett to star opposite Christine Ebersole in Broadway revival of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit. Performances to start at the end of February.

Hugh Jackman in his birthday suit.

ELECTION THEFT: A warning about what the Republican Party may be trying to do with the recent ACORN scandal. Here's something else to read for anyone who's fallen for the GOP's Dixie-chicking of ACORN.

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News: Senegal, Orlando, Jake Gyllenhaal, Genetics, Edmund White

Company to offer service sequencing an individual's complete genetic make-up for $5,000.

Senegalese entertainer who was forced from his country after appearing in magazine photos of a 'gay wedding', has found refuge in New York: "I'm fabulous. I feel good."

Orlando to become first central Florida city to offer benefits to partners of gay employees: "Orlando city commissioners are expected to approve the plan on Monday. There are currently 18 Orlando city employees who would benefit from the measure, which would cost the city about $37,000. 'It's going to be a good thing. It shows we're progressive. It will help us attract good people. Benefits are an important package if you're going to work for government, and this will help us compete with other government agencies,' Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan said."

He Bopped: Robert Downey Jr. on his former compulsions..."I was a compulsive, serial masturbator, but it was the best thing I could have been. I utilized that organ and rode it for everything it was worth."

Columbia International University in South Carolina warns Soulforce they'll be arrested should they try to enter campus today.

Brad Pitt shows his support for Obama.

Report reveals that lesbian soldier Ciara Durkin, who died under 'mysterious circumstances' at an Afghan airbase, took her own life, and sent text messages before she did it: "According to the report, Ms Durkin was found lying against shipping containers behind the chapel. It found that she shot herself in the head while sitting on the ground, leaning back against the containers. Just before she died, text messages were sent from her phone to a friend saying she was going to take her own life. The report does not draw any conclusions as to why the soldier took her own life, but sworn statements from fellow soldiers on the base suggest she was dealing with a range of stressful issues."

Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour arrives in the U.S.

Signing smack: Project Runway's Jack Mackenroth's thoughts on New York fashion week: "I know some of the designers from other seasons were talking smack about the Project Runway finalists and all their families were right in front of them. I was hanging out with Martin Ritchie, the deaf model on Janice Dickinson’s Modeling agency and we were signing that the Rock and Republic collection was terribly boring so anyone who new sign language within eye view may have 'overheard' us."

Hillary Clinton steps in for Joe Biden at HRC dinner in Washington D.C...."[McCain's] not a maverick. He's a mimic." HRC statement on death of Biden's mother-in-law.

O.J. Simpson guilty on 12 charges in robbery-kidnapping case.

Jake Gyllenhaal goes solo in London.

John Barrowman just wants a little respect.

Rolling Stone eviscerates McCain: "In its broad strokes, McCain's life story is oddly similar to that of the current occupant of the White House. John Sidney McCain III and George Walker Bush both represent the third generation of American dynasties. Both were born into positions of privilege against which they rebelled into mediocrity. Both developed an uncanny social intelligence that allowed them to skate by with a minimum of mental exertion. Both struggled with booze and loutish behavior. At each step, with the aid of their fathers' powerful friends, both failed upward."

British MP once caught up in internet underwear scandal appointed Deputy Leader of the Commons.

Edmund White on his new biography of Rimbaud, and Rimbaud's relationship with Paul Verlaine: "I think it’s quite clear that Rimbaud was the top in the relationship, and I think that’s something that straight people don’t usually grasp very well. They often see the younger boy as being a sort of stand-in for a girl—maybe that comes out of the classical Greek model. But this idea of a tyrannical younger boy frightening and controlling an older married man is something that people who are gay and who’ve lived in gay life recognize as a possible variation of that situation."

Ugandan government promises strengthening of anti-gay laws.

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News: Obama iPhone, WTC, Stacey Q, Orlando, Matt Lucas

WTC site buildings to rise by 2012, developers say...

Kansas mayor wins prize for appearing in blackface drag...

Annie covers Stacey Q's "Two of Hearts".

Church trial begins for Presbyterian minister Janet Edwards, who stands accused of marrying a lesbian couple in 2005.

Protestors in Orlando target Magic owner over his support of anti-gay marriage amendment: "The protesters were calling attention to DeVos' contribution of $100,000 to Florida4Marriage, a group that supports Amendment 2, which would add the existing ban on gay marriage to the state constitution. Opponents say the measure could also deny domestic-partnership benefits for unmarried couples -- gay and straight. 'He's the biggest contributor to the amendment from Orlando,' said Jennifer Foster, who helped organize the protest, which drew about 30 people. 'And he's getting $1 billion in taxpayers' money to build the arena. That sends a bad message.'"

Liar: Mario Lopez said his shirtless days were over.

Russell T. Davies (Torchwood, Queer as Folk) to present £25,000 prize at gay and lesbian Iris Prize Festival in Cardiff Wales this weekend. Said Davies: "This year's shortlist includes work from an astonishing 11 countries, which confirms that gay and lesbian film making is alive and kicking around the world! I'm thrilled that so many of the film makers are making the trip to the festival and I'm sure that Cardiff will be a very special place with Iris and all her friends."

Little Britain's Matt Lucas to play Tweedledee and Tweedledum in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, scheduled for a 2010 release. Shooting is currently underway.

Broadway actor Nick Adams appearing as Rocky in The Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Lyric theatre in Oklahoma City: "...once again, I 'm wearing nothing."

David Letterman: Top Ten Things Overheard at Sarah Palin’s Debate Camp.

Larry Flynt producing Palin porn film.

Court date pushed back for Vancouver gay basher: "Appearing briefly in provincial court Tuesday on behalf of the accused, Danny Markovitz, Kandola's lawyer, asked that the matter be put over so that he may have full disclosure before proceeding with the case. To date, he said all he has been provided with is a copy of the victim's police statement." Attack inspires another Vancouver gay bashing victim to come forward.

Obama takes campaign to the iPhone: "Over the weekend, the campaign launched a volunteer-developed application that iPhoners can download. 'Obama '08', which is free through the Apple.com iTunes store, features several options aimed at supporters and undecided voters.

May contain nuts: Chef releases testicle cookbook.

Steve Fossett ID card, items found in remote area of California: "They found some miscellaneous ID and actually some cash in the area, and the ID has the name of Steve Fossett on it. We're not certain that it belongs to Steve Fossett but it certainly has his name on the ID which are some miscellaneous pilots and/or aircraft licenses. We found no wreckage. We have found a sweatshirt in the area as well. And it's certainly been out in the area for some time as it's quite faded." UPDATE: San Diego firefighter jurors deliberate for full day, begin again...

Racial and homophobic abuse from fans directed at footballer Sol Campbell under investigation.

High school student wins national writing award for piece about lesbian moms: "Described by foundation and contest organizer Bobbi Carducci as a brave account of a nontraditional family, Aitken-Young's 1,900-word essay 'Unequal' is broken into short chapters that explore how a female character raised by a lesbian couple deals with homophobia from a young age until she is a grandmother. 'She took a rather controversial subject and wrote about it beautifully,' Carducci said. Read it here.

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Two People Stabbed at Parliament House Nightclub in Orlando

It's not often you hear about stabbings at gay clubs, but that's what happened last night at Orlando's Parliament House:

"It happened around 1 a.m. Wednesday at the Parliament House on Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando. According to police, four people got into a fight in the bathroom. Police said two men were stabbed by one woman and one man. A third man was trampled during the incident, but he was not seriously hurt. The two stabbing victims were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. One man is in critical condition and the other in serious condition. Two men were arrested at the scene. No names have been released."

According to MyFox Orlando: "Investigators checking witness statements to determine what exactly started the fight, which may have been a result from an earlier altercation last week."

In March 2007, there was a shootout at Studz bar in Orlando, and in June 2006, we posted about an attack and robbery that occurred outside the Parliament House.

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Orlando Orders Male Nipples Erased from WWE Billboard [tr]

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Orlando Orders Male Nipples Erased from WWE Billboard

WWE wrestlers John Cena, Triple H, Randy Orton, Big Show, and boxer Floyd Mayweather appear over Orlando in a billboard for WrestleMania XXIV — but their nipples don't.

When asked about the nipple-less billboard, Orlando's mayor Buddy Dyer seemed to think it was because of city law. Said Dyer: "Apparently there's an ordinance that prohibits them from being displayed."

Turns out that's not the case:

"What happened, said a similarly uncomfortable city spokesman, Carson Chandler, was that city staffers asked the WWE and folks to create banners that weren't too provocative. And somewhere along the way, the nipples were airbrushed out before the giant sign reached Orlando."

WrestleMania's lead-in: 'Nipplegate' [orlando sentinel]

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Orlando Murder-Suicide involving GOP Consultant a Lovers' Row?

There's a story breaking out of Orlando this morning, where a GOP consultant and two others were found dead in a home.

According to the AP, "Authorities have not determined a motive for the deaths of Ralph Gonzalez (pictured, right), 39, his roommate, David Abrami, 36, and a friend, Robert Drake, 30. Investigators found weapons and signs of a struggle in the house, but they did not say what the weapons were or which man they believe was the killer. The men are believed to have died several days before the bodies were discovered Thursday. Gonzalez was executive director of the Georgia Republican Party from 2001-2002. He managed U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney's 2002 campaign and was president of Strategum Group, an Orlando-based political consulting firm that represents Republican candidates. 'He was a born political consultant. He had bravado, he was intense, and he lived and breathed tactics and strategy,' Feeney said. 'He was an adviser and strategist for me and became a very good friend.' Abrami, an attorney, was active in Republican politics as well."

Brad Blog has been following the story and has details on the backgrounds of the men involved.

Florida Today originally ran the story with the above headline ("Lovers' fight may have sparked three deaths"), which I screengrabbed from Google News. All language about a "lovers' fight" has since mysteriously disappeared from the report.

Cops seek motive in deaths of 3 men [orlando sentinel]

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Shootout at Studz Gay Bar in Orlando

Reports out of Orlando describe a dangerous shootout last night as an armed intruder attempted to enter the Studz gay bar on Mills Avenue at closing time when an employee was taking out the trash. The bartender at Studz pulled out a gun and exchanged gunfire with the intruder, who then fled. The bartender was shot in the melee and taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries.

Said an investigator: "The suspect fled the scene, possibly into a vehicle. We have searched the area and have not located anybody at this time."

No additional details were immediately available.

Last June, two gay men were attacked and robbed while leaving that city's Parliament House nightclub.

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Gay Men Attacked, Robbed in Orlando

Days before Orlando, Florida's annual Disney Gay Days event is set to begin, two groups of men have been attacked and robbed after leaving that city's well known Parliament House nightclub.

The police are not treating either incident as a hate crime. While the victims were left scared, according local news station WFTW, at least one of them, who had just won a trophy at the Orlando Fringe Festival Awards, was left with his sense of humor intact.

Chad Cronon: "I was able to use this 'Fabby Award' as a fabulous weapon to defend myself against this attack. When I did that, that's when the hammer came out, and I got popped in the back of my head. And as soon as I got hit in the head, Matthew got hit in the ribs and in nose, and we finally got away."

Who needs lipstick lesbian crimefighters when one has a Fabby Award?

In all seriousness, be extra aware if you're planning a visit to the Parliament House anytime soon.

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