Earlier in the week, a poll confirmed Senator Obama as the gay choice for president.

Though supporters of Hillary Clinton had been holding out hope that the New York senator might make her way onto the ticket despite odds steeply stacked against her, Mr Obama opted to go with 65-year-old foreign policy expert Biden.

Just hours after news hit the press that the Obama camp hadn’t bothered to even vet Clinton for a possible seat on the ticket, The Associated Press reported Mr Biden would be Mr Obama’s choice for VP.

It is a decision that, according to The New York Times, fills in gaps in Mr Obama’s resume, rather than delivering a state, as many political pundits expected the Illinois senator to do.

The decision to name Mr Biden as his VP comes just days before Mr Obama heads to Denver for an essential part of his campaign—the four day Democratic National Convention, at which all eyes will be on whether Mr Obama can move Clinton supporters over to his side, rather than losing them to Republican challenger John McCain.

A recent USA Today poll suggested some 20-percent of Mrs Clinton’s supporters, primarily women, had switched their vote to Mr McCain after the New York senator lost the Democratic nomination.

Political pundits have suggested the VP could well decide whether Mr Obama will be able to woo enough of Mrs Clinton’s supporters over to his side to win the election.

Clinton supporters have suggested she is holding out for one of two options: A seat on the Supreme Court or a chance to run again in 2012.

Though Mr Biden isn’t near the same household name as Mrs Clinton, he has a rich history in White House politics. Mr Biden launched a failed run for the White House in 1988, where he infamously plaugerised a speech made by the then Leader of the British Labour party, Neil Kinnock. He tossed his name into the ring again this year.

Those inside the campaign say the choice of Mr Biden hits Senator McCain where it hurts. He is able to counter each of Mr McCain’s main criticisms. Mr Biden has a strong record on the war in Iraq and he able to add a few gray hairs to Mr Obama’s notably young campaign, the Chicago Tribune suggests.

Parts of this article are © GayWired.com

A banner advertisement touting Tom’s official website and celebrating his 25 years in film popped up on gay political blog Queerty.com, likely an advertisement placed through an ad network, such as Google.

Ad networks like Google typically scan participating websites for keywords and place ads accordingly.

Though it’s doubtful anyone on Tom’s advertising team lists gay as a keyword, a recent Queerty article on Scientology could be to blame.

Earlier this year, ads for then Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney appeared on Gay.com, ironic considering his campaign’s strong stand against same-sex rights.

Barack Obama’s campaign faced similar embarrassment when an ad popped up on Amazon.com next to the book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, a book many Jewish groups have complained is anti-Semitic.

An article titled “When Contextual Advertising Goes Horribly Wrong” illustrates the shortcomings of contextual advertising, citing a CNN.com story on a severed foot found floating off the coast of Canada running next to an ad for PutYourFeetUp.com, a moving company.

The ad illustrates four bare feet resting on a table.

Of course, it’s also theoretically possible a staff member for the A-lister purposely targeted the gay websites, thinking the gay community’s long-time fascination with Cruise’s sexuality would result in ample click through.

Though Cruise himself has never come out as homophobic, Scientology has been repeatedly ridiculed for its homophobic leanings.

© 2008 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved.

“It’s just incredible that he would die on July 4, the same day of the Declaration of Independence and the same day that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died, and he certainly is a patriot in the mould of those great men,” former North Carolina GOP Representative Bill Cobey, the chairman of The Jesse Helms Centre at Wingate University, told The Associated Press.

But that image of patriot wasn’t always what followed Helms’ career. A die hard conservative, the right-minded Republican was known for his often controversial views and conversation-stirring tactics.

Perhaps his most controversial stand was his argument against recognising Martin Luther King with a holiday.

“The legacy of Dr. King was really division, not love,” he said at the time, labelling King an “action-oriented Marxist,” according to Time magazine.

Later, in 1993, Helms took then President Bill Clinton to task for attempting to appoint an openly gay assistant secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“I’m not going to put a lesbian in a position like that,” he said in a newspaper interview at the time, according to the Associated Press. “If you want to call me a bigot, fine.”

Helms was often known for pushing AIDS funding to Africa, arguing it would better serve people there than Americans dying of the disease.

Helms had been plagued by health problems in later years. In 2006, his family announced he had been moved into a convalescent home.

© 2008 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved 

Clark is the latest of several Democrats to attack McCain’s wartime record.

A military advisor to Senator Barack Obama, Clark pondered on Sunday whether McCain’s military record was a qualifier for being commander in chief.

“I think it’s kind of sad,” McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said Monday on CNN’s American Morning.

“I think all the promise that Barack Obama made about trying to change the political dynamic and run a different kind of campaign is evidenced by the fact that he’s completely changed his political strikes and become sort of a partisan hack.”

The McCain campaign immediately called on Obama to condemn Clark’s comments.

“Sending Wesley Clark out as a surrogate for your campaign and attacking John McCain and his war record and his military experience and his service is, I think, just the lowest form of politics,” Davis continued on the CNN political programme.

Clark made the comments Sunday morning on CBS’ Face the Nation.

Moderator Bob Schieffer asked Clark to clarify comments he made in a recent interview with the Huffington Post in which he called McCain “untested and untried.”

Clark said he was referring to McCain’s lack of experience in setting national security measures.

“I certainly honour his service as a prisoner of war,” Clark said.

“He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in the armed forces as a prisoner of war.

“And he has travelled all over the world.

“But he hasn’t held executive responsibility. He hasn’t been there and ordered the bombs to fall.

“He hasn’t seen what it’s like when diplomats come in and say, ‘I don’t know whether we’re going to be able to get this point through or not.’”

When Schieffer countered that Obama had none of these experiences, nor had he “ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down,” Clark countered, saying, “I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be President.”

The McCain campaign has spent much of its time focusing on the five years the Arizona Senator spent as a prisoner of war after being shot down in Vietnam.

This isn’t the first time Clark has surprised military and conservative circles.

The retired general raised eyebrows when he appeared on the cover of gay magazine The Advocate during his failed 2004 bid for President.

“If Barack Obama wants to question John McCain’s service to his country, he should have the guts to do it himself and not hide behind his campaign surrogates,” retired Admiral Leighton “Snuffy” Smith said in a statement obtained by CNN.

“If he expects the American people to believe his pledges about a new kind of politics, Barack Obama has a responsibility to condemn these attacks.”

© 2008 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved.

Rev. Al Sharpton seems to think so, and while appearing on Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss Rev. James Dobson’s recent accusations that Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama is distorting the bible, Sharpton felt compelled to say something.

“I may have some very conservative personal feelings but I feel you have the right to live your life differently,” Sharpton said.

“I may think that what you do Anderson is gonna put you in Hell, but I’m gonna defend your right to get there.”

Sharpton appeared on the show with Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins and political journalist Roland Martin.

Perkins immediately countered with an offer that he’s going to try and “keep you from going there,” but after a moment of obvious blushing, Cooper spoke up for himself, telling Sharpton he’s is personally “not that concerned” about his afterlife.

Blogs have said Sharpton’s comment was a form of outing—sort of.

Cooper was the subject of a much discussed Out magazine cover last year which named the news anchor and Jodie Foster among the 50 most powerful gay men and women in America.

© 2008 GaySports.com; All Rights Reserved.

The Senator has apologised for referencing the assassination to a South Dakota newspaper, saying the comment was ill timed and she had no intention of offending anyone in the Kennedy family, according to the Associated Press.

Clinton made the comment just says after Senator Edward Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer last week.

“My husband (Bill Clinton) did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary, somewhere in the middle of June, right?” Clinton said in an interview with the Argus Leader newspaper editorial board.

“We all remember, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California, I don’t understand it.”

Clinton said the Kennedy’s have been on her mind in recent days and that she certainly didn’t intend to suggest any potential assassination of a man often compared to Kennedy, her rival for the nomination, Senator Barack Obama.

The topic, though, is a sensitive one, considering the Obama campaign worked last year to beef up Secret Service protection long before it’s typically offered to Presidential candidates.

“I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation, and particularly for the Kennedy family, was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that, whatsoever,” Clinton said.

A spokesperson for the Obama campaign called the comment “unfortunate” and said it “has no place in this campaign.”

© 2008 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved

Cue the commentators.

On last night’s Showbiz Tonight on CNN, PageOneQ reported that Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America spoke out about redefining marriage, comparing Ellen and Portia’s pending nuptials to what recently went down at the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saint polygamist compound in Texas.

“We need to look at the consequences of that and we can look at the polygamy community in Texas,” Wright said.

“There are consequences. When you redefine marriage to mean anything it can mean nothing.

“Once you start breaking down and claim that marriage can be something other than between one man and one woman, you do open the doors to it being anything.”

That same day, over on FOX News, an advertising expert suggested Degeneres might put her show out of business by making such a risky announcement on the air.

Laura Ries implied Degeneres might alienate advertisers and viewers by tying the knot.

Later, Fox overnight host Greg Gutfeld said Degeneres should keep her wedding plans to herself, and that speaking about it was the equivalent of talking about a bowel movement on the air.

© 2008 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved

McGovern told the Washington Post that after watching the returns on Tuesday night, he found it virtually impossible for Clinton to win the nomination.

He said that despite remaining close friends with the Clintons, he has a call in to the former First Lady to tell her of his decision to change his endorsement.

“I will hold them in affection and admiration all of my days,” he said of the Clintons.

Clinton is expected to travel to South Dakota tomorrow in anticipation of the state’s June 3 primary, with 15 delegates at stake.

McGovern said he has no regrets endorsing Clinton but that, “by any practical test”, Obama has won the nomination.

“She has run a valiant campaign. And she will remain an influential voice in the American future,” he said.

While McGovern acknowledges that Clinton herself needs to make the call as to when she’ll bow out, he said he feels now is the time to unite the Democratic Party, something easier said than done with two candidates vying for the nomination.

© 2008 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved

His string of horror thrillers have made him a guilty pleasure on the home video circuit and, with 2001′s The Brotherhood, he became known as the go to guy for the homoerotic thriller.

Now, with the flicks he’s making for here! Networks, including last year’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptation The Raven and his just wrapped Devil is a Woman, his images of toned college aged hunks in Speedos doing battle with supernatural forces have found a devoted audience.

In 1999, the director’s gift for turning the horror genre on its ear with his sexy man in peril twist led DeCoteau to form his own production company.

While he describes himself as the luckiest guy on earth, “a fan boy who got the keys to the Cadillac”, if you will, if Spielberg calls, well, he’ll answer.

GayWired.com: Tell me a bit more about your latest project. I know it stemmed from your love of films like Dangerous Liaisons and the adaptation, Cruel Intentions.

David DeCoteau: Yes! I decided I wanted to go back to the original book of Dangerous Liaisons. It was one of the first projects I pitched to Paul Colichman and Steve Jarchow (heads of GayWired Media and its parent company, Regent Entertainment), but we didn’t really have a home for it.

They had just done Gods & Monsters. So over the years we’ve been developing it and turning it into something that is the best it can be.

When here! was launched, that’s when we decided to fast track this and get it going.

GW: You’ve become known for making these films and essentially introducing the world to these leading men who go on to have huge careers. Are there any big stars you’ve passed on?

DD: Yeah, Brad Pitt. It was the writer’s strike of ’87 or ’88, television shut down essentially and almost every actor came in to read. Brad Pitt had not done Thelma & Louise yet, he was still relatively new and he was reading for everybody.

I remember he came in at 5pm to read for the role of the nerd, the lead in a film called Dr. Alien. He’s just so beautiful and so stunning, I would have loved to use him, but at that point, I really didn’t trust my instincts. Nowadays with nerds, I just cast really hot guys and put glasses on them.

It was one of those rare moments I didn’t trust my instincts, it was still really early in my career, maybe my fourth movie. And also James Franco. He read for me three times and I just didn’t see it.

GW: Well, I’d say you have a pretty good track record.

DD: I have a totally different casting process. I go through all the submissions, so if there’s 5,000 submissions, I go through every headshot. Then I pick all of the people who are coming in. Then I’m there at every pre read.

Most of the time, the director lets the casting director do all of that and then he gets to look at the top five.

The problem is, sometimes, if the character is supposed to be 5’11″ with brown hair and somebody like Riley Smith comes in, the casting director would go, ‘well, he’s blonde. Let’s not bring him to the director.’ I don’t want to miss one single potential star.

GW: How did your early career with Roger Corman help to shape the career you’ve gone on to have?

DD: Back in Portland, Oregon, where I’m from, I started to work in movie theatres at 15. I was working at the candy counter and worked my way up to projectionist when I was 16.

I used to show a lot of the Roger Corman films, so I kind of came into wanting to be a film maker because of the films of Roger Corman.

I wrote him a letter—I had started the Roger Corman fan club—and his assistant at the time was a woman named Gale Anne Hurd (who went on to produce most of James Cameron’s films).

She said, ‘If you ever come to L.A., I’ll set up a meeting with Roger.’ She set it up, I met with him, and he took an hour and a half off of his busy day. I was thrilled and he said, ‘If you ever move to Hollywood, let me know… I’ll try to put you to work.’

So I moved to L.A. when I was 18 and applied for the job. James Cameron was an art director there, so I got to know James really well and I became an all around production assistant at company. His whole model, his whole style of filmmaking was really liberating and empowering.

GW: When you struck out on your own and started your production company, was it out of a desire to exist outside the Hollywood system?

DD: Look, I want to direct a big Hollywood picture like any other director, it’s just that Paramount hasn’t been calling lately. This is what I do for a living.

Although I want to direct big studio pictures, I just can’t wait around and sit at Starbucks and talk about them. I come from very humble beginnings, I don’t have rich parents and I said to myself, ‘Look… I’ve got to start making movies,’ and in 1986, I raised some cash and made a micro budget movie.

Then the VHS revolution took off and I just couldn’t make enough movies. I just by default became an indie film maker.

GW: Certainly, having your own studio has allowed you the freedom to make movies more in line with your own tastes.

DD: I was making a lot of B movies and car crash movies and teen movies and sex comedies, when I turned 30, I came out of the closet, and I realised there were a lot of gay guys and gay women that dug movies the kind of movies that I like. So I just thought, well maybe I should start making movies that have a little bit more appeal to gay people.

GW: You walk such a fine line between being outwardly gay with your films and hinting at it. How do you know how far is acceptable?

DD: The films have provoked interesting responses Some people have said, ‘you’re the antithesis of what we want in a horror film.’ There’s no violence, there’s no naked chicks, there’s no misogyny. I’ve had my fans and I’ve had my critics.

A lot of people have said, ‘You make the gayest movies about straight guys I’ve ever seen.’ I want the best of all worlds. I want to be able to appeal to both. The films have a fairly sizable gay following, but they also have a big hetero female following. I’ve stumbled into a genre that is getting very close to the line, and so far, so good.

GW: I know a few times you’ve been able to go all the way—to have a gay or a bisexual character. Has working on films with here! made that easier?

DD: I did a film called Skeletons, which was a thriller about gay intolerance. I also did a black and white art house movie called Leather Jacket Love Story. And actually, in a number of the films, I’ve had openly bisexual characters.

Since here! is an LGBT network that celebrates diversity, there’s usually quite a few bisexual characters, and a few gay characters as well.

When you’re working in a genre—say the supernatural—and you’re doing a vampire movie, they’re notoriously androgynous. So you can kind of swing this way, that way… You’ve got 85 minutes to tell your story, you can’t tell a character’s entire sexual history, but you can usually figure it out.

Most importantly, now, I’m able to tell the stories the way I want to tell them. I’m a fan first, a director second. I’m a fan boy who got the keys to the Cadillac. I’m the luckiest guy on the planet.

For more information on David DeCoteau, visit www.RapidHeart.com. For more information on his forthcoming films, visit www.hereTV.com.

© 2008 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved

Granted, I’m sure all of us know a gay or two who partied a few too many hours past closing and wound up in the slammer for a DUI, but when even Nicole Richie can’t seem to find someone to guide her home in the wee hours of the morning, Hollywood, I fear, is in crisis.

Not all of Hollywood, mind you. Not the Reese Witherspoon’s and the Hilary Swank’s, who keep homes in Hollywood but spend the majority of their time away or on location. Not the Nicole Kidman’s or the Cate Blanchett’s or the Kate Winslet’s, who tend to appear in the headlines only when batting off raves from the critics. And young playboys like Jake Gyllenhaal and Channing Tatum tend to pop up at the appropriate amount of parties without being carried to the curb by a bouncer or a bodyguard.

We’re talking about the party girls, most of whom are known more for where they pop up and who they throw down with while waiting for the valet than any lofty career achievements. Sure, Lindsay Lohan made a huge splash in Freaky Friday and Mean Girls and basically stamped her name all over the Hollywood’s new ‘It Girl’ crown. And she scored solid if not spectacular reviews for her work in A Prairie Home Companion and Bobby.

But it’s very rare you see Lindsay on the cover of Vanity Fair because her work in a string of films is a revelation-she only pops up in the news when she slams her car into some unsuspecting working class joe or passes out at some trendy L.A. hotel.

Ditto for Britney Spears, who has never been known for her overwhelming talent. Sure, she can crank out a catchy dance hit and make a boa constrictor look sexy, but since her marriage and eventual separation from the suddenly dapper Kevin Federline, the only time the press pays attention to her is when she forgets to strap her baby into a carseat or leaves him at home with a nanny for days on end while she stumbles from one bar to the next-FYI, she didn’t start acting like this with Kevin. She’s been a mess for a long time.

The only difference these days is she takes her drunken and messy behaviour to the streets, her only visible means of support a towering and almost mothering Paris Hilton.

Who herself, just five months ago, found herself behind bars for having too much to drink at a party and swerving recklessly as she made her way down the coast. Her defence? She hadn’t eaten enough and was searching desperately for an In Out Burger. Yeah-because Paris Hilton totally looks like the type to roll up into an LA burger joint in the middle of the night and wait out her sobriety.

Photos of Britney Spears flushed and swaying, trying to start her Porsche Boxter as photogs tap on her window to see if maybe she shouldn’t call for a car-Perez Hilton leaked those.

The National Enquirer broke the story about Lindsay passed out at the Chateau Marmont, even though, according to her latest statement to the press (she’s fond of writing them herself these days, you know), she’s been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for a year. Yeah, note to Lindsay… as the son of a recovering alcoholic, those meetings are intended to make you stop drinking, not pack two weeks worth into one wild night.

Practically all of these girls have shown us their pantiless goods-public exposure started with the Mother Hen of all displays of public intoxication, Tara Reid, who has either cleaned up her act or is so low on the Hollywood totem pole, nobody wants her at their parties anymore.

And on several occasions we’ve seen these girls leaving a club or a party or an awards show so utterly hammered, they’re falling over, throwing up or, in the lowest of the low, they actually talk to the press, spewing out a string of insults directed at their friends (how many times have we seen Paris and Nicole or Paris and Lindsay publicly on the outs-if you laughed when your friend told America my crotch smelled like diarrhoea, I’d be pissed too).

It’s appalling, and the worst part of it is, we eat it up. I’m one of the worst offenders, admittedly, because I not only talk about it, I write about it (though, admittedly, I’m typically not encouraging it like some gossip columnists who seem to think Paris telling anyone who’ll listen who exactly she hates this week is a battle cry worthy of praise).

Sure, excessive alcohol and drug use in Hollywood is nothing new. We’ve all seen old footage of Bette Davis knocking back a few. We know pills were the end of Judy Garland, and Robert Downey Jr sat before a judge more times than I can even remember before finally sobering up.

And it’s not as if Lindsay, Nicole, Paris, Britney and a slew of other up-and-comers we’ll surely see on the covers of Us Weekly and Star soon enough are doing anything my friends and I haven’t done in our youth.

The difference is, we don’t have cameras following us around. We don’t have a billion dollar industry repeatedly hiring us for film and studio work, then acting surprised when we can’t make it to the set on time or we don’t show up in Florida for a scheduled recording session. We don’t have the same people who pay us to appear at their parties then turning around and leaking our drunken videos, photos and text messages to the press.

It’s a wicked circle, this world of Hollywood. Just as Louis B. Mayer and friends pumped Judy full of drugs to pep her up, then pumped her full of more drugs to put her down, only to be shocked when she became dependant, Hollywood is the ultimate pusher for thousands of young stars, they’re just going about it in a different way. The system sends the message that if you bitterly divorce your husband or stumble out of a party at 2am-if you fight with your best friend on a reality show or go for a joyride through Malibu with your baby in your lap, that’s worth more press than any ten film openings or appearances on Regis Kelly. Controversy sells. The rest is just icing.

Certainly, some stars escape the pressure. They’re either older and wiser, popping up in the tabloids for divorces and affairs rather than binge drinking and sudden bouts of unconsciousness, or they get the hell out of Los Angeles and, therefore, escape the tabloids.

I’m not sure what it’s going to take for these starlets to wake up-a couple more flops and Miss Lindsay might just find out. Britney could never put out an album again and, provided Kevin doesn’t make off with her cash and her kids, she’d be fine. Nicole’s always got Lionel to run home to and Paris, well… when your trust fund inheritance is $150 million and counting, you’d have to do a lot of damage to wind up on skid row.

It’s a scary beast to navigate, Hollywood-that’s for sure. And so long as tabloids and money hungry studio heads run the city, it’s not likely to get any better. I just long for a time when the work and the effort really counted for something, and the screwups and the attention whores wound up exactly where they belong-at the back of the class.

© 2006 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved.

Yes folks, you read it. Unfortunately, a reporter from the Dallas Voice quoted everybody’s favourite Dreamgirl Jennifer Hudson (yeah, you heard that Beyonce) saying homosexuality is a sin when he asked the budding starlet where she stood on gay marriage.

But looks can be deceiving and, like a reporter did last month with gay icon Carol Channing (she later defended herself and declared her love for the gay community in an interview with IN Magazine) Hudson, it would seem, was ambushed.

The discussion started with a recap of Hudson’s religious upbringing and quickly evolved into a commentary on her thoughts about gay marriage.

Now, a couple of thoughts. First, Hudson acknowledges that no one has ever asked for her opinion on gay issues before. Secondly, Hudson is a total novice when it comes to speaking to the press. Aside from a few quotes here and there while promoting American Idol, this is the first time the budding young star has ever sat down with reporters.

And so, she launched into the quote.

In her interview with the Advocate earlier in the month, this is what Jennifer had to say about the gay community: “I think the world of the gay community, and I feel like it’s an honour. The gay community is the hardest community to please, so if they love me, I must be fierce, honey.”

The Dallas Voice story was sent to just bout every gay publication in the United States, Gay Wired included. And while I admit I’m not thrilled about seeing the girl I sat there and punched buttons for night after night while she was on American Idol refer to me as a sinner, it’s evident when you read the whole quote what she’s trying to say … even more so when you read her response to the interview, “In a recent interview, I was asked how I reconciled being a Christian with performing at events for my gay fans. I find it upsetting that some folks equate being a Christian with being intolerant of gay people. That may, unfortunately, be true for some, but it is not true for me. I have talked often of my love and support of the gay community. I have said again and again that it was the gay community that supported me long before and long after American Idol, and kept me working and motivated. It is the gay community that celebrated my voice and my size and my personality long before Dreamgirls.

“Yes, I was raised Baptist. Yes, I was taught that the Bible has certain views on homosexuality. The Bible also teaches us not to judge. It teaches us to love one another as God loves us all. I love my sister, my two best friends and my director dearly. They happen to be gay. So what? While some search for controversy, I hope that my friends and fans who know me know where I stand.”

That says it all-perhaps her quote in the Dallas Voice isn’t phrased in the best way, but reading this, I have no doubt of her genuine love … and am getting fairly sick of writers forcing celebrities into the corner with agenda style reporting.

And, now how about something a bit less heavy-divorce, paternity and drug use.

While the UK press struggles for stories on gay divorces to coincide with the first year anniversary of civil partnerships, it is the straight couples who are splitting.

It seems that before Pam Anderson and Kid Rock went their separate ways, they sat down with GQ Magazine for an interview appearing in this month’s issue to discuss marriage. The result pretty much said what we learned last week-life hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing since the two said ‘I do.’

For starters, Kid Rock seems noticeably pissed that his broke friends couldn’t afford to see them walk down the Lido deck when they exchanged vows on a boat in St. Tropez in July. The wedding, he says, was designed for “whoever could afford to come,” adding, “None of my friends were there.” Anderson attempted to correct him, saying, “They’re all your friends, baby,” but Rock snapped, insisting once again, “None of my friends were there.”

They hit a rocky patch again minutes later when Rock insisted that singing the U2 classic “With or Without You” to his blushing bride ” … takes the gay meter right to the end.” Anderson, none too pleased with his use of the word gay, said, “That’s enough with the gay word. That’s not nice.”

But the problems started when the actress threatened divorce. When asked if his wife’s love of animals has had made any sort of impact on him, Rock joked, “Now I shoot the deer and she saves it.” Anderson, none too amused, fired back, “That’s divorce right there. You shoot anything, it’s over. That’s in writing.”

What, did Kid Rock join Dick Cheney on duck hunt or something? Me thinks this marriage was doomed long go, but it’s fun to speculate.

One relationship we’re pretty damn sure is doomed-Scary Spice and Eddie

Murphy.

Now I know Scary hasn’t been a Spice Girl for going on six years, but it’s a hell of lot more interesting than Melanie Brown, so I’m going to stick with it.

True, Eddie and Scary had been super hush-hush about their relationship since shacking up mere weeks after the ink was dry on his divorce from wife of 12 and momma of 5, Nicole Murphy. But they’d been photographed in public, Scary had been seen playing with the kids and they took a well known vacation as a family to the beach in August.

A month later, the press started talking, because Scary was seen sporting one of those tell tale baby bumps the photographers love to stumble upon. She and Eddie, by all accounts, were still together, so the valid assumption was that the baby was his.

Not so fast-Eddie called out a Dutch reporter who asked if he was excited by the birth, saying: “But you’re being presumptuous, because we’re not together anymore, and we don’t know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn’t jump to conclusions, sir.”

Scary fired the next shot, saying she was hurt and blindsided by Eddie’s comments and that the baby was, without question, his.

Who’s the liar? Well, by all accounts, Scary’s track record is relatively rosy while we’re still not sure what Eddie was really doing with a transgender hooker in the wee hours of the morning on Santa Monica Blvd. a few years back-we’re pretty sure, mind you, we just can’t spell it out.

Something tells me this one’s going get ugly-and mark our words, we’ll be there every step of the way.

© 2006 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved.

The fact that it’s a lesbian wedding, however, did throw the press for a loop. Hilton and Richie, who filmed the latest season of The Simple Life, billed Till Death Do Us Part, apart (the pair weren’t speaking when the show went before cameras) will drop their household chores and compete against each other to plan to perfect commitment ceremony.

The pair got the idea while living separately with the Bowden family, a lesbian couple raising two teenage daughters. According to reports, Richie was floored by the fact that the two had never had a ceremony.

So the two pull out all the stops in anticipation of the most lavish lesbian wedding the world has ever seen.

Meanwhile, just weeks after being filmed laughing while friend Brandon Davis laid into actress Lindsay Lohan with a slew of insults directed at her private parts, Hilton has admitted to having a bit of a crush on the actress.

The hotel heiress told United Press International she thought Lohan was “gorgeous, sexy and I love her,” dismissing rumours the two were still feuding. Later in the week, the pair were photographed sharing a table at a Hollywood night spot.

Last year, Hilton was the Grand Marshall of the Los Angeles Pride Parade with her mother, Kathy.

The Simple Life: Till Death Do Us Part airs Sundays at 10pm central on E!

© 2006 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved.

Stefano Vitabile, 71, was sentenced to life in prison for ordering the 1992 slaying of acting DeCavalcante crime boss John (Johnny Boy) D’Amato, who was killed when he was outed by his fellow mobsters, according to New York’s Daily News.

D’Amato’s family served as the inspiration for HBO’s The Sopranos, television’s critically praised drama that follows the daily life of a family of mobsters.

It was after Sopranos writers read about Vitabile’s 2003 trial in federal court that Gannascoli urged them to make his Vito Spatafore character gay.

On this season’s Sopranos, Spatafore left his wife and kids when two mobsters spotted him in a gay bar. He was killed in a motel room as his brother in law, who ordered the hit, looked on.

Gannascoli did the gay press circuit leading up to this season’s killing, and told the press he felt the writers of the show treated his character with the respect he deserved. The killing, he said, was a case of art imitating life.

Though the trial showed Vitabile wasn’t in Mill Basin, Brooklyn the night D’Amato was fatally shot, feds argued it was he who signed off on the hit.

“Nobody’s going to respect us if we have a gay homosexual boss sitting down discussing business with other families,” DeCavalcante turncoat Anthony Capo told jurors in 2003, according to the Associated Press.

Capo admitted to shooting D’Amato four times as D’Amato sat in the backseat of a car. Capo said they had told D’Amato they were going for something to eat.

Vitabile was convicted of conspiring in two other mob-related murders and conspiring to commit extortion. A video played during the trail showed him to be close friends with late mob boss John Gotti.

© 2006 GayWired; All Rights Reserved.

The President, who had been tight lipped in recent months on the issue of same-sex marriage, announced last week he supports an amendment to the constitution, sticking firm to the belief than marriage is between a man and a woman, despite the fact that Vice President Dick Cheney and even the first lady have offered differing opinions.

“Our policies should aim to strengthen families, not undermine them,” Mr Bush said during an event at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building yesterday, according to the Associated Press. “And changing the definition of marriage would undermine the family structure.”

Criticising judges who have overturned state laws in direct opposition to the proposed amendment, Mr Bush said that traditional marriage is the cornerstone of a healthy society and the issue should be put “back where it belongs, In the hands of the American people.”

“Marriage is the most fundamental institution of civilization, and it should not be redefined by activist judges.”

Not that most political insiders think the American public will have the chance to decide in the near future. Recent reports indicate the amendment will have a difficult time passing either chamber with the two-thirds majority required to send it to the states.

An anonymous source tipped Newsweek last week that the latest move by the president to support the gay marriage amendment is simply one of political obligation.

The source, reported as a close friend of Mr Bush, told the news magazine: “I think it was purely political. I don’t think he gives a s**t about it. He never talks about this stuff.”

The issue of amending the constitution to exclude the possibility of gays and lesbians ever marrying in the traditional sense has its share of Republican support.

“Marriage between one man and one woman does a better job protecting children better than any other institution humankind has devised,” Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “As such, marriage as an institution should be protected, not redefined.”

While only one Democrat thus far has gone on record in support of the amendment, a handful of republicans have vowed to vote against the issue. Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter said he will vote against the measure on the floor but allowed it to get there because he believes it will pay off for the GOP on Election Day.

Meanwhile, Democrats say the amendment is the latest in a long line of cowardly bows to the religious right and is in direct conflict to on of the GOP’s long-standing commitment to keeping big government out of state’s issues.

“A vote for this amendment is a vote for bigotry pure and simple,” Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, where the state Supreme Court legalised gay marriages in 2003, told the Associated Press.

Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter is a lesbian, has long said he believes the personal relationships of gays and lesbians should not be a political issue. Earlier this year, First Lady Laura Bush said she felt it was a mistake to make gay marriage a political issue.

The American Civil Liberties Union today strongly condemned President Bush for publicly supporting the proposal.

Both houses of Congress overwhelmingly rejected a similar Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004, and the Senate is expected to consider the proposal on Wednesday.

“The Federal Marriage Amendment is neither compassionate nor conservative,” said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. “Lawmakers rightly rejected it in 2004, but election year politics and Republicans pandering to their base have resurrected this mean-spirited amendment. Congress must, and will, reject this anti-family proposal again. Discrimination has no place in America, and certainly not in our founding document.”

The Federal Marriage Amendment, offered by Senator Wayne Allard, would amend the Constitution to deny states the ability to define marriage themselves, mandating that marriage be only between one man and one woman, and would deny all benefits of marriage to all unmarried couples. It is identical to the proposed constitutional amendment that was considered, and rejected, by Congress in 2004.

If adopted, the amendment’s broad language would attack marriages, civil unions, domestic partnerships and other legal protections for gay and lesbian American families. Similar state-level constitutional amendments have already been used to undermine important protections for gay and lesbian couples and their families, such as health insurance and other benefits.

Opposition to the amendment has come from a diverse crowd, including conservative sources: former Congressman Bob Barr, the author of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, Vice President Dick Cheney, former Senator John Danforth, columnist George Will, Senator John McCain, and others have all spoken out against the measure.

The Senate will likely vote on Wednesday on whether to invoke “cloture,” or limit debate, on the amendment. Even proponents of the measure agree that support for Federal Marriage Amendment falls short of even a simple 51-vote majority, far less than the 67 votes needed to amend the Constitution.

“President Bush underestimates the goodness of Americans by once again pushing divide and conquer politics;” said Christopher Anders, an ACLU lawyer. “Personal decisions on marriage and family should be made in each family’s house, not in the White House. America, and all Americans – deserve better from their president.”

© 2006 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved.

The show, which has tumbled in the ratings over the past two seasons from its one time top-ten status, has admittedly alienated a number of its gay fans in the past few years, relying on a bevy of A-list guest stars and stunt casting to mask sagging scripts.

The same show that Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) president Neil Giuliano said has given “unprecedented visibility to gay, lesbian and bisexual people” has gone from a peak of 17.1 million viewers in 2001 to an average of 7.8 million viewers this season.

The show that once attracted a slew of gay and lesbian fans to bars across the United States for drink specials and Will Grace every Thursday night has been dismissed in recent years for failing to allow Will and Jack to evolve into anything more than a gay stereotype.

Will Grace debuted on NBC in September 1998, weeks after the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard, just months after Ellen DeGeneres came out in a groundbreaking episode of Ellen, and was subsequently cancelled.

The show, which starred two straight men in gay roles (series star Eric McCormack is married with a kid; Sean Hayes refuses to discuss his sexuality publicly), enjoyed a steady debut, but went on to achieve hit status when it was scheduled on the one-time popular Must See TV comedy block after Friends on Thursday nights.

The antics of Karen (Megan Mullally) and Jack (Hayes) broke out as the real stars of the show, while Debra Messing emerged as a star with cross over appear to film and all four actors became activists and champions for the gay community.

Classic episodes like Grace’s waterbra incident (they popped), Stan’s death and subsequent run-ins between Karen and Stan’s girlfriend Lorraine (Minnie Driver), the sexual tension between Karen Grace that ran throughout the series and Karen, Jack and Will’s very gay Christmas disappeared as the show shifted its focus.

Grace got married, then separated, then divorced, then Messing got pregnant in real life and had to disappear for a few months… the foursome broke up, and with it, the writing suffered.

The show, which found its joy and hit its stride on snide, gay style cut-downs (Karen dogging Grace’s fashion sense; Jack calling the impossibly thin McCormack fat), occasionally touched on gay issues (marriage rights were discussed in several episodes) and brought the lives of gay men into homes nationwide, was fading.

Will Grace fell into a creative and ratings glut with the disappearance of Friends from television two years ago.

A parade of guest stars, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Damon, Kevin Bacon, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Demi Moore, the list continues to Britney Spears just a month ago, took the spotlight away from the seasoned cast and frequently funny, occasionally thought-provoking writing. Will Grace caved under the pressure to be America’s gay voice and became a gimmick.

Fans were reported to be annoyed by stereotypical gay behaviour, like the fact that try as he might, producers just wouldn’t let Will have a boyfriend

But in recent weeks the show has found its footing again, getting Will back together with his cop ex-boyfriend (Bobby Cannavale), tossing every conceivable cause for disaster in the paths of Jack Karen as they work on his show Jack Talk, and giving Grace the one thing she’d better not mess up, a baby.

So, as the show wraps up its run tonight (with a one hour retrospective followed by a one hour finale), in the spirit of giving the Will Grace a chance to redeem itself, a look back at a few of the finest moments in the history in this one time great show, and the promise that the finale might just offer a glimmer of what Will Grace once was.

Karen and Rosario, a life time of cutdowns- Did we ever laugh harder than when Lorraine (Minnie Driver), jealous that Stan has left his millions to Karen, tossed Ms. Walker off her own yacht, only to have Rosario jump in to save her. What about Karen’s many ploys to keep Rosario in the country? This was the real comedic dynamo.

Jack’s café – Who wouldn’t want to pull up a chair and sit with Karen and Jack at this lovely, indoor sidewalk haunt?

Beverley Leslie – Every time this pint sized, pseudo straight thorn in Karen’s side stopped by, we laughed. Guest star Leslie Jordan breathed new life into the show, from crashing Karen’s wedding (he wanted to dance back-up for JLo) to going head to head with her at a gay auction.

Karen Walker, porn star – We never got to see the video, but those sounds of a seasoned pro pouring out of the TV set speakers sure did paint a pretty clear picture.

One busted bra – Flat-chested fag hags everywhere rejoiced when Grace, coming to the discovery that her new crush only liked her for her incredibly large busom, shot the water from he bra all over every painting in the bastard’s gallery.

Grace and the Pushy Lesbian – Almost as funny is when Grace, attempting to get the upper hand against a pair of lesbian real estate moguls (Edie Falco, Chloe Sevigny), gives in to Falco’s ways, coming dangerously close to a lesbian encounter.

A Thanksgiving to Remember – Jack livid with his stepfather who he’s convinced hates him for being gay; Grace and her impossibly Jewish family; Stan in jail; Will attempting to make peace with drunken, disowned mom (Blythe Danner). All while Rosario sits at home and picks away at the turkey.

The Will and Grace finale airs on NBC tonight at 8pm

© 2006 GayWired; All Rights Reserved.

A 30-second commercial for the church showing a gay couple, a single mother and a disabled man flying out of their pews as an unidentified hand pushed a red “ejector” button” will begin airing on cable networks and Spanish-language channels in April.

On screen text will read: “God doesn’t reject people. Neither do we,” as a voice-over says, “The United Church of Christ. No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here.”

But CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC have all said no to airing the ad, the second time they’ve rejected an ad from the United Church of Christ in as many years. A similar advertisements presented to networks in December 2004 portrayed bouncers outside a church stopping gay couples and racial minorities from entering. The networks also rejected that ad, and at least one complaint, against NBC and CBS affiliates in Miami, is pending.

United Church of Christ leader Ron Buford said that the decision of the networks to decline the latest advertisement shows they have a narrow view of acceptable images of gays and lesbians.

“They are saying, ‘You can entertain on ‘Will Grace’ and ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’, but when it comes to showing you as whole people with the church, that is going to far,” Mr Buford told the Associated Press.

A spokesperson for NBC explained the decision by saying the ad “violates our long-standing policy against airing commercials that deal with issues of public controversy.”

A spokeswoman for CBS offered a similar answer while spokespeople for ABC and FOX could not be reached by the Associated Press for comment.

CNN, USA, TNT, BET and eight other cable networks, along with three Spanish-language stations, will begin airing the advertisement on the 3rd of April 2006. Mr Buford claims that the church has spent $1.5 million on the advertisements.

The teachers say homosexuality violates their religious beliefs, the school’s principal Amy Furtado said.

The high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance designed the poster, which includes pink triangles and other symbols of gay pride. The school board approved a policy requiring all district teachers to hang the posters in their classrooms last December.

“This is not about religion, sex, or a belief system,” said district Superintendent Christine Lim, who initiated the poster policy. “This is about educators making sure our schools are safe for our children, regardless of their sexual orientation.” District officials said the poster is an effort to comply with state laws requiring schools to ensure students’ safety and curb discrimination and harassment. They say that teachers often overlook and fail to reprimand students who use derogatory slurs or refer to homosexuality in a negative way.

This is not the first time the San Leandro School District has been embroiled in controversy over homosexuality.

In 1997, a parents group at the high school demanded that a gay teacher be fired after she came out to her class. In 2002, high school English teacher Karl Debro settled a lawsuit with the district for $1 million after he was disciplined for giving a lecture on racism and homophobia.

Openly gay Art teacher Tom Laughlin, who oversaw the poster’s design by students in the Gay-Straight Alliance, said the level of intolerance for homosexuality that he perceived when he started teaching at the high school five years ago surprised him. He said he recognised that it was critical problem when a student called him a “fag.”

“There was a real need to do this,” he said. “A lot of students didn’t know about gay people in general.”

© 2005 GayWebMonkey.com, All Rights Reserved

Ms Babbit, whose projects include But I’m a Cheerleader and the TV series Popular, has rounded up a veritable who’s who of stars for the film, which centres on a woman (Melonie Diaz) who finds her purpose in life after she hooks up with a radical underground feminist group.

Nicole Vicius, Carly Pope, Daniela Sea, Melanie Mayron, Jimmi Simpson, Leslie Grossman and Guinevere Turner round out the cast. Both Ms Pope and Ms Grossman starred for Babbit in Popular. Sea is currently on Showtime’s The L Word.

Since its inception four years ago, Power Up has developed, financed, produced and distributed short films and has awarded filmmaking grants totalling more than $1.5 million. Principal photography begins this Saturday.

“They are very excited about getting into the feature world, especially because there are so few lesbian features out there,” said Babbit, whose credits also include Nip/Tuck, Alias, Gilmore Girls and Malcolm in the Middle.

The unit, which opened on the city’s island prison complex in the late 1970s in reply to complaints of abusive treatment of homosexuals in the prison system, stopped accepting new inmates last month at the direction of Department of Correction Commissioner Martin Horn.

The facility could be shut entirely within the next few weeks. The prison has accommodation for up to 146 prisoners, but was holding 126 when it began emptying on November 28th of this year. As of Thursday, 56 prisoners remained.

Plans call for the specialized unit to be replaced with a new protective custody system that would be available to prisoners who feel threatened, regardless of their sexual orientation.

The change has alarmed members of some civil liberties and gay rights groups, who note that the new protective housing would likely be more restrictive than the old unit.

Prisoners whose safety was at risk would be locked in their cells for 23 hours a day, rather than be allowed to mingle with other inmates. Prisoners could avoid the extra restrictions by staying in the jail’s general population, but there, they might be subject to harassment or worse, activists said.

“We’re not talking about people calling you names,” said D. Horowitz, a legal fellow at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. “People should not be punished for wanting to be safe.”

Eighteen groups sent a letter to Horn on Thursday asking him to reconsider, including the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Legal Aid Society, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Correction Department spokesman Tom Antenen said the unit, which held only a fraction of the gay inmates at Rikers, was being done away with as part of a broader restructuring of the jail’s prisoner classification system.

“Jail administrators have no intention of ignoring Rikers inmates who say they feel threatened because of their sexuality,” Mr Antenen said.

“If that is the case, and they need to be protected from the general population, then we will endeavour to provide the best possible security,” he said. That could include a “23-hour lockdown,” or it might entail moving them to a different city facility.

Specialized housing units for gay prisoners are rare in the U.S., although jails in a few other places do have them. The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not maintain such units anywhere in the country, nor do state prisons in New York.

© 2005 GayWired; All Rights Reserved

In a letter addressed to the groups, Ford said not only will it resume buying corporate ads featuring Land Rover and Jaguar, it will begin advertising Ford’s other brands in gay-themed publications as well. In the past, Ford had not purchased advertisements for the Ford, Mercury and Lincoln brands in gay-oriented publications.

“I think we’re back in gear with Ford,” Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce, said Thursday. “They responded to each of the concerns we raised in a positive way. It’s a great outcome.”

Last week, Ford cited a need to cut marketing costs as its primary reason for pulling Jaguar and Land Rover ads from several gay publications in 2006. The announcement came days after the conservative American Family Association announced it had reached an agreement with Ford and declared victory.

In May, the AFA threatened Ford with a boycott because it objected to the automaker extending partner benefits to gay employees and because Ford supported gay events and advertised in gay publications.

Ford officials denied that pressure from the AFA had any effect on their decision. But gay groups questioned the timing of the ad withdrawals and the decision by the American Family Association to call off the boycott.

On Wednesday, Ford wrote the gay rights groups that the luxury brands “made a business decision about their media plans and it would be inconsistent with the way we manage our business to direct them to do otherwise.”

Instead, Ford pledged to run corporate ads in the publications that would include its full lineup.

“It is my hope that this will remove any ambiguity about Ford’s desire to advertise to all important audiences and put this particular issue to rest,” wrote Joe Laymon, Ford’s group vice president for corporate human resources.

A spokesman for the American Family Association said the group had no comment on Ford’s reversal. The group owns 200 radio stations under the American Family Radio name and claims more than 3 million supporters. Last month, the association canceled its boycott after meeting with Ford officials and dealers. A dealer who attended the meeting said he initiated the summit because he and other Ford dealers in the South feared that a boycott would hurt sales.

© 2005 GayWired.com, All Rights Reserved