News: Simon Doonan, Yahoo, Richard Cordray, Pinhole Camera

PayPal President Scott Thompson named CEO of Yahoo!

Photo: Toronto's pinhole year.

Sinead O'Connor calls off divorce after "beautiful evening of love making with nine (sic) other than husband".

Massachusetts Supreme court Justice Margaret Marshall stepping down: "A 2003 decision declared that the Massachusetts Constitution prohibits the state from denying same-sex couples access to civil marriage. The ruling made Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage."

Darren Criss makes debut in How to Succeed in Business Without really Trying.

Mariah Carey tweets photo of herself in hospital bed with husband Nick Cannon after he suffers "mild kidney failure" in Aspen.

The Martha Stewart Show has been canceled.

Barney's Creative Director Simon Doonan categorizes gay and straight foods: “Gay foods are more decorative; they’re more frivolous. The macaron craze is the ne plus ultra of gay fooderie. I can’t believe any red-blooded straight guy can even walk into a macaron shop. If you wanted to ruin a politician’s career, just publish a picture of him shopping for macarons.”

President Obama, in recess appointment, names Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: "Make no mistake: President Obama's move will provoke a huge fight from Republicans. Most will declare this use of a recess appointment to be unconstitutional, while talk of impeaching Obama will likely spread throughout the right-wing media."

VIDEO: Protester arrested for leading 'mic check' against National Defense Authorization Act at NYC's Grand Central Station.

Ryan Gosling hits the gym in his blue satin boxing shorts.

Meet Kirk and Nate Mueller, gay twins and iPad design wizards.

MIT researchers design suit that makes the wearer feel like a 70-year-old.

Ferndale, Michigan pastor Mark Bidwell dies: “My father was a vigilant supporter of the LGBT community and he spent the better half of his life advocating for LGBT rights,” said Bidwell’s daughter, Amy Dooley, 29. “Toward the end of his life he struggled with addiction which ultimately led to medical complications, including organ failure which led to his death.”

James Franco publishing a novel.

Ron Paul, secret winner of the Iowa caucuses? "That's because Paul's massive organizational push in Iowa focused on both winning votes, and also on making sure that Paul supporters  stuck around after the vote to make sure they were selected as county delegates — the first step towards being elected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention."

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1023

GSAs: LGBT students in Toronto talk about Gay-Straight Alliances.

DAMON CLAUS: Matt Damon tries to get kids to want water bottles for Christmas.

PARIS JACKSON: Michael Jackson's daughter talks to Ellen about being forced to wear a mask in public when she was younger.

REAL MEN: A short film.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

Elton John-Inspired Ballet Opens in Toronto: VIDEO

Love Lies Bleeding, a ballet inspired by Elton John, has opened in Toronto, Canada's XTRA reports:

Set to the classic pop songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, it follows a character called the Elton Fan. The production deals with drug abuse and HIV and includes a long kiss between the two lead male dancers.

Watch a baseball-themed number from opening night, AFTER THE JUMP...

Toronto Zoo Plans to Split Gay Penguin Couple, Force Them to Mate with Females: VIDEO

Buddy and Pedro, a bonded, inseparable pair of African penguins at the Toronto Zoo, are going to be split by zookeepers inan effort to breed them, the Toronto Star reports:

They have top-notch genes, so the zoo intends to separate them from each other and pair them with females for breeding. Given that African penguins are endangered, the move falls within a species survival plan among zoos.

Buddy, 20, and Pedro, 10, are in Toronto as part of the popular African penguin exhibit that opened at the zoo in May. The two, bred in captivity, were part of a group of 12 penguins — six male, six female — that came to Toronto from zoos in the U.S. Buddy and Pedro arrived from Toledo, Ohio, where they formed a connection as members of a bachelor flock.

Buddy and Pedro pair off every night, the paper adds:

“They do courtship and mating behaviours that females and males would do,’’ one keeper said in an interview.

Those behaviours include making a “braying’’ sound, almost like a donkey, as a mating call. They defend their territory, preen each other, and are constantly standing alone together. In fact when the Star visited the exhibit this week Buddy emerged from the water, followed a few moments later by Pedro. The two huddled together for quite some time..

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via buzzfeed)

Raelian Movement Will 'Reclaim' Swastika At Toronto Pride

Conservative Toronto mayor Rob Ford won't attend gay pride this year, but the Raelian Movement will.

Kind of like Scientologists, only more progressive and inclusive, the International Raelian Movement believes that Earth's humans were created by another human race, called Elohim, elsewhere in the universe, and jettisoned here to our homeland.

They also believe that the swastika, the once-peaceful symbol used by Nazis during their reign of terror and now incporated into the Raelian's logo, needs to be revived. And they're are taking their message to Toronto pride.

"For religions like Jainism and Buddhism, the swastika represented luck, well-being, harmony and piece," said Raelian spokesperson Diane Brisebois. "When people think of the swastika, they immediately think of the Nazis and we want to change that."

Another spokesperson remarked, "The goal is to return the swastika's true meaning of peace and harmony to this ancient symbol regretfully hijacked by the Nazis."

While I can understand where the Raelians are coming from -- it's akin to LGBT people reclaiming "queer" -- I think the swastika is so tainted and tarnished that it is beyond all redemption.

Toronto Mayor Under Fire for Skipping Pride Parade for Weekend at His Cottage

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has come under fire for being the first mayor to snub the Gay Pride parade there, the Toronto Sun reports:

Ford told reporters Wednesday he won’t march in this year’s parade, attended by an estimated million people, despite the fact every mayor of the mega-city has taken part in the annual event.

“I’m going up north,” Ford said. “I’ll be up at the cottage.”

Asked if he is expecting any backlash for missing the parade, Ford said he’s just upholding a family tradition.

“We’ve been in Huntsville for the past 30 (years), as long as I can remember, since I’ve been a little boy,” he said. “I’m carrying on a tradition my father had, last year I was there during the campaign, we’re there every year.”

Condemnation on Twitter and in other major papers may be having an effect, the HuffPost Canada reports:

The Toronto Star reports that Ford’s brother and chief advisor, Doug Ford, suggested the two could make the Pride parade after all.

"We have 20-odd people going up to our cottage for Canada Day, but if I can make it back I will, and we'll see if I can bring Rob," he said late Wednesday.