News: Jodie Foster, Black Holes, Rush Limbaugh, Jordin Sparks

Harris POLL: Bush , Cheney at lowest approval ratings ever, at 28% and 25%, respectively.

Gay Hamilton inquired to New Zealand telecom about getting a broadband connection installed in her home but received an automated response saying that her email "was identified by [their] content filtering processes as containing language that may be considered inappropriate for business-like communication." Troubled at the company's apparent decision to flag "gay" as offensive, Hamilton, who incidentally happens to be gay, contacted the media. NZ Telecom soon responded, calling it an "embarrassing mistake": "Our systems internally detect a number of words, including both the words gay and heterosexual that could be deemed as inappropriate for use at work."

David Boreanaz takes a shirtless jog to show off his flesh and bones.

Rush Limbaugh mocks Obama's race by playing "Barack, the Magic Negro", a "parody" song set to "Puff, the Magic Dragon". (via AmericaBlog)

Are black holes portals to other universes?

Jodie Foster to play Hitler filmmaker and Nazi propagandist Leni Reifenstahl in new film: "Riefenstahl has come to symbolise a marriage of artistic genius and political evil. She herself refused to sign a contract for Foster's project while she was still alive, mainly because Foster would not give her the right to reject any of the film that she felt was wrong. She was also thought to prefer Sharon Stone over Foster as an actress better suited to play her."

"Piano man" Andreas Grassl, who was discovered in 2005 soaking wet in a black suit with the labels cut out on the south coast of England after having a mental breakdown, is now living a more normal life in Basel, Switzerland.

Kylie Minogue collaborating with Scottish electro producer Calvin Harris.

Several cool alternatives for presenting your digital photos.

Is this the first photo ever seen taken by an Apple iPhone?

Is American Idol contestant Jordin Sparks the new Mandisa? "One would never guess this from her time on the show since she's all smiles, but it seems that the pimped one might be a little more political than anyone thinks. The picture on the left comes from Jordin's MySpace, and she's been linked to many conservative organizations. She has performed at a Right to Life concert (anti-abortion) and other such events, and it's rumored that she liked Mandisa from last year because of her values (Mandisa was very religious and was quoted as saying she would be uncomfortable singing at a gay event)."

Most aid from overseas for Hurricane Katrina victims went unclaimed: "Allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash. But only $40 million has been used so far for disaster victims or reconstruction, according to U.S. officials and contractors. Most of the aid went uncollected, including $400 million worth of oil. Some offers were withdrawn or redirected to private groups such as the Red Cross. The rest has been delayed by red tape and bureaucratic limits on how it can be spent."

Madonna is a strawberry blonde who's all about business.

Bigmouth strikes again: Roseanne said to be contender to replace Rosie on the View. O'Donnell, however remains a hot commodity.

Roseanne Apologizes for Her Comments About Gay People

Roseanne Barr issued a series of apologies yesterday for comments she made on a radio show which she regularly co-hosts. In her comments, which you can read here, Barr called politically active gays "narcissistic," saying that, like Evangelicals, gays and lesbians only care about themselves, particularly on a political level.

On her blog under a post entitled "My Bad", Barr said she was sorry for the comments, and urged folks to call into her radio show and "let [her] have it":

"I deeply regret that I have offended gay people. I said things that I do not really mean, before I had thought them through... I was wrong and I seriously apologize! Call me up today and let me have it! I will apologize and try to make clear what I really meant to say... which was that everybody needs to unite right now, and step outside of their own neighborhoods, groups, races and classes to stop Bush's war on our country and our people. I love gays and I hate division. I am just a big idiot with a big mouth sometimes. I will learn to be more careful! Please forgive me, I am so sorry!!!! Call (909) 888 - 5222 between 5 - 6 pacific time to give me your two cents."

Later, she clarified her apology with a second note of contrition and a call to action:

"The leaders of gay groups need to align with the leaders of Acorn, and other groups of poor and desperate Americans and fight against those who oppress all of us! I have met too many gays who are Republicans, and I cannot understand how they could choose that! Let's all leave our own bedrooms, kitchens, neighborhoods and groups and meet each other to form a diverse army that stands for Democracy and Economic Justice!!!! (Again I apologize for any pain or hurt I have caused those whom I have always loved and befriended)."

News: Roseanne Barr, Condoms, Solomon Islands, Ptown

West Village condom shop Condomania shuts after 16 years.

One of our favorite Provincetown haunts, the Atlantic House, was shut down this weekend after a little bit of a raw sewage spill. Let's hope they get it cleaned up before the season starts.

Patricia Todd, Alabama's first openly gay legislator, says she's more than a one-issue lawmaker: "I like to say I'm a representative that happens to be gay. I'm not the gay representative."

An undercover spy reports from inside the new Abercrombie & Fitch London store: "The interview room at the Abercrombie & Fitch headquarters was packed. The woman interrogator asked which three words I'd use to describe myself. I repeated what the girl before me had said 'I'm approachable and friendly'. My interviewer smiled and wrote this down. She informed us that the company had a 'tagline' which we would have to use when greeting customers. She explained, very seriously, that it was, 'Hello, how are you?' 'How did you come up with that?' I asked. She said a company of marketing consultants had worked intensively at developing it. They wanted to audition me to see if I could deliver the line - this was make or break. 'Hello, how are you?!' I said clearly. 'Very good' she reassured me."

The recent major earthquakes have sent the Solomon Islands three meters out of the sea: "Corals that used to form an underwater wonderland of iridescent blues, greens and reds now bleach under the sun, transforming into a barren moonscape surrounding the island."

Roseanne Barr says gays and Evangelicals operate from the same place: "Never once in my 54 years have I ever once heard a gay or lesbian person who’s politically active say one thing about anything that was not about them. They don’t care about minimum wage, they don’t care about any other group other than their own self because you know, some people say being gay and lesbian is a totally narcissistic thing and sometimes I wonder. I’ve never heard any of them say anything except for 'accept me ‘cause I’m gay.' It’s just, it’s screwed. It’s no different than the evangelicals, it’s the same mindset. They want you to accept Jesus and you guys want us to all believe it’s ok to be gay. And a lot of us, a lot of them, I do, I don’t give a damn who anybody has sex with, as long as they’re not underage and an animal. I don’t give a damn, it’s none of my damn business. I’m just sick of all the divisiveness, it’s not getting any of us anywhere."

Futureworld: UK Ministry of Defence issues grim prediction.