News: Thailand, Dick Cheney, Brazil Wedding, Diva Clinton

Jay Leno and Ryan Phillippe are still on good terms after the "gayest look" incident. Said Leno: "No, we talked about it before. We're friends. I mean, it's a talk show. That's what you do."

Same-sex weddings, civil unions, commitment ceremonies big business in New England: "Throughout the Northeast, competition has spiked among wedding sites, hotels, resorts and inns as the travel industry has realized that same-sex ceremonies can draw scores of guests, who turn these destinations weddings into weekend stays."

Ashlee Simpson is another straight woman who loves that gay guys love her man.

Red Cross in Thailand changes screening process for gay blood donors: "Gay-rights activists had complained that one question, which was meant to target people more likely to have diseases transmitted by sex and drugs, had effectively blocked all gay men from donating by only asking about same-sex relations. 'We didn't mean to hurt anyone,' said Soisaang Pikulsod, director of the Thai Red Cross National Blood Centre. 'It was just to ensure the highest possible safety of our patients.' The Red Cross will rework the form to include more questions about all types of sexual behaviour, gay or heterosexual, that could increase the risk of diseases such as AIDS, she said."

Kathy Griffin and Adnan Ghalib in most obvious paparazzi punk'd ever.

Dick Cheney has either a naked woman or an alien entity in his lenses. Or Lynne Cheney, in which case it would be both.

American Idol loses one of the guys [SPOILER].

Gay-friendly college fairs a budding trend: "Students are coming out at a much younger age. That process isn't beginning in college or after college like we may have seen 10 or 20 years ago. So these high school students who are out come looking for a range of things that show a college will generally have students like them, and a university with an inclusive mission."

Judge tosses Florida lawsuit filed by high school student denied the right to form a gay-straight alliance: "The former student, Yasmin Gonzalez, has graduated, so she's no longer affected by the school's decision to ban the club, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore said in a ruling Wednesday. Gonzalez's attorneys with the ACLU tried to maintain her stake in the case by seeking nominal monetary damages, but Moore ruled she isn't entitled to any money because she wasn't claiming violations of due process. 'We were surprised and disappointed by his interpretation,' said Rob Rosenwald, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. Rosenwald plans to ask the judge to reconsider. Attorneys for the school board declined to comment."

Brazil televises "tacky" gay wedding.

George Michael = God?

East Village Boys offer T-shirt that big shooters wear with pride.

TPM suggests "diva theory" behind Hillary's appeal: "Hillary is the diva, the fabulous woman who is fabulous just because she says so. She's the woman who is abused (by her husband), ridiculed (by the press), hated (by Republican mouth-breathers), yet she's still standing. She's like from some exploitation film where the heroine is beaten and barely raped before pulling a knife out of her sock and slicing the mean guy's balls off. Her supporters have stood by her and fought her battles with her - and sometimes for her - since the 1990s. The emotional connection runs too deep. R-e-s-p-e-c-t, she shakes her finger. Find out what it means to me. And the crowd eats it up." Can any shallower arguments be made?

Michigan's Aquinas College cancels speech by gay rights activist. President: "I'm not trying to keep people from seeing him. I'm trying to prevent the college from sponsoring an event that displays an attack on Catholic teaching values."

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Jay Leno on 'Gayest Look' Controversy: That's What Comics Do

Last Friday, Jay Leno spoke with KMXB radio in Las Vegas about the "gayest look" controversy.

Here's the audio.

I've also transcribed it.

Said Leno: "You know, it's really odd how on our show we have plenty of gay guests and plenty of gay guests who you know - 'how's your relationship going, how's your family going' — Melissa Etheridge, with everybody else. To me I never made fun of gay rights or even gay marriage. Do what you want to do. But to me — fashion, lifestyle, hair, you know that kind of stuff — you're a comic. Thats what you do. And what it was was Ryan Phillippe, who grew up in a strict Baptist background, he came to New York as an actor and his first job was playing a single gay teenager or young man. So I said 'what was that like, coming from a Baptist background?' And he said 'well a little tricky with my parents, they didn't quite get it.' And then I said 'ok, so you were a single good-looking guy on a soap opera' and I made the mistake, I guess, of saying alright, 'Give me your gayest look now. Give me that soap opera gayest look. Well, apparently 'gayest look' offended somebody and, you know. But what happens in these things is it then builds to — I would read the blog, 'I didn't see Jay Leno's anti-gay tirade but I heard he went on and on!' So it's one of these things where it just builds and builds and you go look, I'm a comic. If I offended anybody, I'm sorry, this is my job to make a laugh and we're a live show and maybe you say something that's inappropriate and I apologized, and it's as simple as that....(jokes) well I am in rehab now!"

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Jay Leno Apologizes for Requesting Ryan Phillippe's Gayest Look

Jay Leno has apologized for remarks he made to Ryan Phillippe when Phillippe appeared on his show to promote the movie Stop-Loss. Leno mocked Phillippe's first role as a gay teen on One Life to Live before pointing at the camera and asking a visibly disturbed Phillippe to give it his "gayest look."

Said Leno in a statement: "In talking about Ryan's first role, I realize that what I said came out wrong. I certainly didn't mean any malice. I agree it was a dumb thing to say, and I apologize."

The incident prompted an angry letter from Avenue Q scribe Jeff Whitty, who wrangled with the late night host about his homophobic remarks during the Brokeback Mountain days, and inspired the creation of My Gayest Look, a website at which you can find dozens of pictorial messages for Jay Leno (including mine).

My Gayest Look [for jay leno]
Avenue Q Scribe Jeff Whitty Offers Jay Leno His 'Gayest Look' [tr]
Jay Leno Asks Ryan Phillippe to Give Camera His 'Gayest Look' [tr]

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Ryan Phillippe Keeping a Close Eye on Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon prepare to vacay in Cabo San Lucas. Don't think for a moment that Ryan Phillippe hasn't employed his magazine cover spies to keep a watchful eye.

Yeah, there's been a dearth of Jake Gyllenhaal posts here lately, because, well, since he's entered this showmance or whatever it is, it's all been pretty boring. But, for those of you who have been salivating for some shirtless shots, your gift is AFTER THE JUMP...

(image source)

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #266

REAL WORLD HOLLYWOOD: The trailer for the new season.

RYAN PHILLIPPE: Phillippe visits Ellen Degeneres and they talk about his first acting role as a gay teen on One Life to Live but she does not ask him for his 'gayest look'. (source: queerty)

RECESSION: The movie.

SEX AND THE CITY: Starring Bea Arthur. (source: a socialite's life)

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Avenue Q Scribe Jeff Whitty Offers Jay Leno His 'Gayest Look'

UPDATE: There's now a whole website!

You may remember the clip I posted last week of Ryan Phillippe's appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in which, after mocking Phillippe's first acting role as a gay teen on a soap, Leno pointed at the camera and asked Phillippe to give his gayest look.

You may also remember that in April 2006 Avenue Q scribe Jeff Whitty challenged Leno on his mockery of gay people. Whitty's challenge, in which he wrote Leno a letter which was followed up by a half-hour chat, was picked up by mainstream news outlets.

Well, Whitty got word that Leno was up to his old tricks again, so he's published another letter to the comic on his site, along with a photo of his gayest look, which you can see AFTER THE JUMP...

Here's Whitty's gayest look:

You can read his new letter to Leno here.

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News: Barney Frank, Bullied, Missing Emails, Steve May, Birdwatcher

White House has new excuse for missing emails: we threw away the hard drives.

Mangina: Make Me a Supermodel's Perry demonstrates how to do "a proper tuck".

Ryan Phillippe gives Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon his blessing.

Arizona Republican Steve May rescinds Congressional bid after mom and pop refuse to release him from family business: “(My parents) always see my behavior as erratic because they’re dishonest. Sobriety showed me that they were engaged in … evil behavior that I want nothing to do with."

Judge anticipates more dirt in McGreevey divorce trial: "If Dina Matos McGreevey presses a claim that she was duped into marrying New Jersey's gay ex-governor, she'll likely endure a mountain of embarrassing evidence exposed at the trial. 'This week was just the tip of the iceberg,' Union County Superior Court Judge Karen Cassidy cautioned the warring former first couple at a hearing Thursday."

Kate Beckinsale tells Allure she'd rather eat vagina than sushi: "I have to say, sushi freaks me out more than almost anything. At least a vagina would be warm. [laughs] My publicist has literally turned a funny color and is going to go have a lie-down. He's throwing up now, as well. I find a lot of things kind of funny and I often say what's on my mind, and then get nine texts from all my friends going, 'What's the matter with you?' But I haven't ever made a big attempt to have any particular image. And I don't really worry about it."

Good news, Wentworth Miller fans. Prison Break has been picked up for a fourth season.

Mr. DeMille, your estate is ready for its close-up.

Barney Frank calls for decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana on Real Time with Bill Maher: "Frank offered no details on his legislation, and it's not at all clear that he could ever get it to the House floor for a vote. A Frank aide was unaware of his plans other than his statement on HBO. Frank has introduced legislation in previous years to allow the use of 'medical marijuana,' although the bills never made it out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Asked by [Bill] Maher as to why he would push a pot decriminalization bill now, Frank said the American public has already decided that personal use of marijuana is not a problem. 'I now think it's time for the politicians to catch up to the public,' Frank said. 'The notion that you lock people up for smoking marijuana is pretty silly. I'm going to call it the 'Make Room for Serious Criminals' bill.'"

Hire your own paparazzo.

Bullying Billy: The NYT explores the case of one Fayetteville, Arkansas boy whose parents say has become a target for torment.

Mika steps up security after death threats: "Apparently the 24-year-old crooner has been forced to step up security after receiving some dodgy death threats from over-zealous fans. But the Grace Kelly star seems determined to put on a brave face, insisting: 'I'm absolutely fine - don't worry about me - I'm not scared.' In fact, far from shying away, he's promising to be much more flamboyant. 'I want to make my shows even more dramatic,' he told us."

Rediscovering God: Britney Spears negotiating to sing gig at Mel Gibson's Holy Family Catholic Church in Malibu.

Welsh TV birdwatcher Iolo Williams says his tight-fitting shorts have found him a new audience: "The dad-of-two, married to wife Ceri, told Wales on Sunday: 'A friend of mine, a girl who lives in Newport, told me about one of her mates who is gay, and said they have an informal gay club. One thing they did was tape my S4C programmes wearing my tight shorts and would get together in a bar to watch it. I was a little bit surprised at first but absolutely delighted. If they all watched my programmes it would probably double my audience!' Game-for-a-laugh Iolo said he’d would be more than happy to pop out for a pint with his newfound fanbase."

I Love My Boo: NYC safe sex campaign targets young Black and Latino gay and bisexual men. "One of the elements of this campaign that I love is that the language reflects it's target audience. It's current and even a little hood. ... Beautiful images of brothers loving and respecting each others bodies and souls. Now that's not something you see everyday."

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Jay Leno Asks Ryan Phillippe to Give Camera His 'Gayest Look'

Ryan Phillippe appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Wednesday night doing promotion for the film Stop-Loss and the first topic Leno brought up was Phillippe's first acting role as a gay teen on One Life to Live.

No matter that the role was a serious one in which a gay son came out to his father. Leno had to squeeze as much of a joke out of the fact that his first acting role was a gay part, even asking Phillippe to look into the camera and give his "gayest look."

To Phillippe's credit, he seemed annoyed with the line of questioning.

Watch it as well as the One Life to Live clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

Here's Phillippe on One Life to Live back in 1993:

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Ryan Phillippe Talks Stop-Loss in W Magazine

W magazine interviews Ryan Phillippe about his role in the upcoming Kimberly Peirce flick Stop-Loss. Shirtless, of course. The article, which doesn't get much out of the actor about the actual film, also references Phillippe's TV debut, which I've clipped for you below...

Previously
Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum and Co. in Stop-Loss [tr]
Ryan Phillippe the Patriot [tr]

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Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum and Co. in Stop-Loss

Promo images for the film Stop-Loss, about an Iraq war veteran (Ryan Phillippe) sent back to Iraq for a second tour of duty) have begun to trickle out. Here are a few new ones featuring the cast (Rob Brown, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Phillippe, Channing Tatum, and Victor Rasuk) as well as a few solo shots of Phillippe and Tatum.

The film is co-written and directed by Kimberly Peirce, who as you may remember, directed the much lauded a999 film Boys Don't Cry. The film's site has been up for a while and has already generated nearly 300 comments on the Stop-Loss policy, which is the involuntary extension of a servicemember's enlistment contract. Check it out here. See the trailer AFTER THE JUMP...

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News: Virgin Galactic, MRSA, Mary Oliver, Israel, Chace Crawford

Opponents of anti-gay marriage amendment in Florida declare war: "Jon Kislak, a prominent South Florida businessman and chairman of Florida Red and Blue, a statewide bipartisan committee, said they will form a 'truth squad' to tell how much damage the proposal could have on Floridians."

Jason Chambers, host of The History Channel's Human Weapon, wants to know if anyone is up for a little tea-bagging?

The Uk's Guardian looks at the MRSA scare.

Genre editor Neal Boulton back with a woman? Source: "I have been living off and on in New York unbenownst [sic] to Neal for one year. Let it be known that I am not homophobic because I, like his wife Claire, and his entire secret troupe of girls, were never in the dark that he was blatently [sic] bisexual. However, what annoys me is that he is the Editor In Chief of a gay men’s magazine and blatently [sic] goes around like he did the other night at The View (a gay bar in Chelsea) making out with women (a red headed one this time) who come on to him without a care in the world (to the suprise [sic] of the bartender), yet stands up and writes in his editor’s letter that he is gay!"

Milo Ventimiglia grows (or tries to grow) a strike beard.

New website launches for religious gay community in Israel: "Itay, one of the founders of the site, explained to Ynet that this new website is innovative in its approach to homosexuality and religion. 'Up to now the only website catering to the religious gay community was atzat-nefesh (www.atzat-nefesh.org), which was basically run by straight people that publicly stated that a religious person cannot be gay. They tried to ‘turn’ gay religious people straight, which is something that we know cannot be done. We try to help people reconcile their religious beliefs and their sexual orientation,' he explained. The founders of the HOD site, young religious individuals themselves, founded the site as part of an overall larger agenda to not only remain part of the religious community, but to reach out to the religious world and attempt to garner its acceptance."

Does Daniel Day-Lewis' milkshake bring all the boys to the yard? Defamer thinks so...

Seattle poetry fans go wild for Mary Oliver: "Poet Mary Oliver's appearance Monday at Benaroya Hall is the fastest sellout in the 20-year history of Seattle Arts & Lectures. It is sparking ticket action on the local Craigslist, where tickets to rock concerts and sports playoffs are regularly bought and sold, but rarely to poetry readings...The Northwest may just be the epicenter of popularity for Oliver, a reclusive, 71-year-old poet from Provincetown, Mass., who is known for her direct, positive verse set in the natural world. She has won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, but her work is not the dense verse favored by academia."

Anti-gay conservative Alan Keyes blames Massachusetts' same-sex marriage 'fiasco' squarely on Mitt Romney.

Bishop of Liverpool issues apology for opposing gay cleric.

Ryan Phillippe: Just call him arms.

Civil partnerships slow in the UK: "The honeymoon appears to be over for gay weddings after the number of homosexual couples getting "married" plummeted by more than half last year. Figures from the Local Government Association show the number of single-sex civil partnership ceremonies fell by around 55 per cent during 2007, the second full year such unions were permitted. Gay community leaders, however, dismissed the dramatic fall as a 'normalising process'. They said the introduction of civil partnerships in late 2005 prompted a flurry of marriages involving longstanding homosexual couples keen to make their relationships official. Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights group Stonewall said: 'There was a big pent up demand from couples in long-term relationships to form civil partnerships, which is why so many did it early on after the law changed. A tailing-off would be logical.'"

Virgin Galactic mogul Richard Branson thinks 'space tourism' will quickly morph into practical continent-hopping: "Virgin boss far from starry-eyed about his pending trip into the fringes of space...insists he did not have a lifelong dream to become an astronaut. Instead, he is keen on understanding a technological advance he predicts will produce important spin-offs. He believes there's no reason technology similar to that used by Galactic will not eventually be used for sub-orbital flights between continents. Instead of cruising back down to the same place, passengers will be able to go to another spaceport on another continent."

Chace Crawford and Pete Wentz and a whole lotta ironed hair.

Gay and lesbian couples line up for domestic partnership registrations in Oregon: "Couples exchanged rings, toasted each other and broke into cheers Monday as other same-sex pairs emerged from the red-brick Multnomah County Building waving certificates declaring them newly registered domestic partners. It was the first day of registration in Oregon after U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman lifted a temporary injunction imposed pending resolution of an argument over petition signatures. The ruling on Friday made Oregon the ninth state to approve spousal rights in some form for gay couples."

BBC radio presenter Nigel Wrench charged with drugging, raping another man.

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It's Ryan Phillippe Flashback Time

I've posted a few clips of the Luke and Noah gay teen love story currently taking place on As the World Turns. One of our soap-loving tipsters has pointed us to a clip from One Life to Live from 1993 (on the right), which is remarkably similar to a scene that played out on As the World Turns just last week in which a dad confronts his gay son.

One Life to Live was one of Ryan Philippe's first acting jobs, which brings us to the second half of this post.

After the jump you'll find a clip shot by David LaChapelle for Armani featuring a very young, and very nude Ryan Philippe, as well as Amanda Lepore in her first video appearance for the director. Probably not safe for work for some, due to a brief cameo by Ryan's heiney.

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News: Daniel Craig's Manhood, Liver, Semen Hazing, Firefighters

Dame Judi Dench on co-star Daniel Craig's one-eyed trouser snake: "It's an absolute monster! Maybe I shouldn't have said that. How uncouth of me!"

Ryan Phillippe ready to sow his wild oats again.

Human liver the size of a one pence coin grown from umbilical cord tissue in a British lab.

Pentecostal pop star-turned-preacher to fund defense of Scottish firefighters who refused to hand out pamphlets at a gay pride event: "They were concerned 'on religious and practical grounds' about the prospect of appearing in uniform alongside the marchers, some of who dressed as nuns or priests wearing stockings and suspenders. All nine were given written warnings for failing to take part and were ordered to attend 'diversity training' courses. Brian Herbert, the watch manager and the most senior member of the group, was demoted and had his salary cut by pounds £5,000." UPDATE: Firefighter appeals rejected...

Massachusetts football players to be charged with indecent assault and battery for pre-season football camp hazing in which they tossed semen from a cup onto their victim.

On your bike, son! Prince William misplaces his gun: "He was so concerned that he spent two hours pedalling around on a friend's bicycle in a desperate bid to find it." May cost him top honor at Sandhurst...

Surge in Swiss HIV rates troubling: "In Switzerland three out of every 1,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS. Over the years better prevention has reduced infection rates among drug users and immigrants, but since 2000 new HIV infection rates among gay and bisexual men have continued to rise. In 2005, 49.3 per cent of all men diagnosed as HIV-positive were gay or bisexual, whereas they represented 36.5 per cent in 2004. And by the end of 2006, the Federal Health Office expects 300 new cases. Yet according to the authorities this is a phenomenon that other western European countries are also having to come to terms with."

How does Ricky Martin get in great shape? Zumba: "Zumba is a Latin high energy exercise routine created by Beto Perez that combines aerobic interval training with latin style dancing."

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Ryan Phillippe the Patriot

Ryan Phillippe tries to grab some attention on the cover of this month's Interview magazine, wrapping himself in the mantle of the American flag to promote his new movie Flags of Our Fathers.

While wrapping oneself in Old Glory is a well-worn magazine cover trope, I couldn't help but be reminded that Phillippe is one fellow soldier away from a Gay.com ad.

Phillippe may need to grab some extra attention given Flags' disappointing performance at the box office this weekend. Here's to more covers like this one.

Two more shots after the jump...

(photo source: just jared, big bad blog)

You may have missed...
Ryan Philllippe and Channing Tatum do Stop Loss [tr]
Navel-Gazing [tr]

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News: Hong Kong, Pet Shop Boys, Tom Ford, Sunless Tans

Gays win in Hong Kong. The government has decided not to appeal a ruling that declared its ban on gay sex under the age of 21 unconstitutional. The law made gay sex under the age of 21 punishable by life imprisonment. Said, William Leung, the 20-year-old who challenged the law: "When you have a law that says committing certain things can put you in jail for life, it must be something really bad. It has to be something like serial murder or trafficking arms in huge quantities ... (not) being gay and having a fulfilling gay relationship."

Ryan Philippe: Scarface.

Pet Shop Boys "suave and lovable" in NYC concert, which was the second concert in recent memory to prominently feature a message about the misguided leaders George Bush and Tony Blair: "The concert was a reminder that these two have kept busy, recording elegant pop songs that often manage to be sly and silly at the same time."

Conservative UK Party forges agreement with gay rights organization Stonewall: "It seems to us absolutely the right thing to do. It’s not just about gay, lesbian and bisexual people . . . people should see us as a party that is inclusive and respectful of everyone in society. We haven’t always been seen as that."

Extract from Indian plant may provide key to safe, sunless tan based on experiments with rodents: "To our amazement the mice started to turn really dark, virtually jet black."

Dissecting the McConaughey bulge.

Vanity tacos: "Tom Ford was spotted at Tacqueria, a high-priced taco stand in London's Notting Hill neighborhood, swilling margaritas with Vanity Fair fashion guru Elizabeth Saltzman and writer/director Chris Weitz (presumably in the city to prep his adaptation of Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Material'). Ford asked the manager to turn down the lights above their table. Mission accomplished, he said, 'Great. Now we all look even more beautiful.'"

Which rising male R&B star likes to get friendly with the guys?

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Ryan Phillippe and Channing Tatum do Stop-Loss

It seems these days that every young actor must serve his country — on film. These are some shots from the set of Kimberly Peirce's Stop-Loss (named after the army's method of forcing troops to serve extended terms of duty) starring Ryan Phillippe and Channing Tatum.

It seems so many of the war films we're getting these days paint a picture of a more dissatisfied military. This one concerns a soldier who refuses to return to battle after a government order to do so.

Said Peirce in 2005: "This is a story about great guys who do the right thing by fighting for this country, and are then done wrong. The fatality rates for second and third tours are very high, and you understand why these guys feel like they've being asked to play another round of Russian roulette."

Peirce's last film was 1999's Boy's Don't Cry.

(photo source)

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Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Philippe: The Running Men

Apparently Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Philippe are workout buddies and share a trainer. And I love the Prefontaine shirt, though we've seen it before. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the post-workout shower.

(source)

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