Michael Jensen's blog

One smells like emergency room...
the other looks like cat pee with an old tootsie roll on top

Following this assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• What does tennis smell like? Apparently Lacoste thinks it smells like Hayden Christensen who will be the face of their new cologne "Challenge." Meanwhile, Patrick Dempsey is so multi-dimensional he needs a second cologne to capture all of him. Meet Patrick Dempsey 2 which according to Dempsey "Is about the intimacy of two people and the strength you get in a relationship."

• Gay faves Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are showing off their twins.

• Ft. Worth, Texas council members want a probe of this weekend's raid on a gay bar.  

• The New York Observer observes that Hollywoods new definition of male beauty doesn't have much variation. Do these guys all look alike to you?
  
  
  Zac Crawford and Chace Efron. Or is that Zac Chace and Crawford Efron?

 Two Chris's with big foreheads and perfect eyebrows. But which is which?

• A remake of An American Werewolf of London is in the works. No word on who might play the David Naughton part, but he needs to look good running naked through the streets of London.

• For the first time ever, a gay book snagged The Stoker Award. The winner's are Chad Helder and Vince Liaguano for the queer anthology Unspeakable Horror. Congrats!
  

   

  
  

• Dolly Parton remembers Michael Jackson.

• President Obama commemorates Stonewall. Many gay activists remain skeptical.
  
  

  And today's Briefs are brought to you by... 

Following this assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• T.J. Ramini (pictured above) has been cast on 24 for next season. Hmm, might all be forgiven if they make him a gay character? No, not really, but I still wouldn't complain...
  

• Mover over Justin Suarez — you're mom just gave birth to a baby sister! Okay, it's not your real mom, but Ana Ortiz, your Ugly Betty mom who now has her own little Betty (okay, Ana's is named Paloma, but still...)
  

• Mad Men is back on August 16th and AMC is promoting with four new trailers. Alas, Salvatore (Bryan Batt) doesn't show up in a single one.

• India celebrated their own gay pride this weekend as they marched to have gay sex decriminalized. The government is discussing repealing the law, but just like in the U.S., religious groups and leaders are protesting any changes. What. A. Shock. 

• Vandals set fire to San Francisco's Pink Triangle. 

• Rightwing newspaper The Washington Times dissects the Rise and Fall of Perez Hilton in a nutty article that tries to pit black against gay. Meanwhile, Pete Wentz chastises Perez's Michael Jackson coverage via Twitter. And the Matthew Shepherd Foundation passed on money from the celebrity blogger.

• This U.K. Daily Mail article airs Michael Jackson's supposed dirty laundry including claims he had adult male lovers. 

• In tragic news, a gay man died during a flag football tournament. Jorge Lopez, 41, is survived by his partner.

• Ticked off gays march in Dallas over police raids on a gay bar. Perhaps they were just trying to reenact Stonewall? Good for Texas gays for not sitting quietly by...

• Here is a clip of K. D. Lang "Live in London" crooning "Constant Craving." What is it when a gay man has a crush on a lesbian? Whatever it is, I have one on Lang. (More clips from the concert available here!)

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

Patricia Mauceri is out, Saundra Santiago is in ... and younger

This weekend soap boards were abuzz with news that U.S. daytime television apparently lost another actor due to a gay storyline. (Chris Engen left The Young and the Restless earlier this month, reportedly in part over having to kiss another man.) This time it is One Life to Live's Patricia Mauceri who is being replaced by Saundra Santiago. 

It's no secret that most of us loathe Monday mornings as if it's a combination of a statistics final exam, visit to the proctologist and having Fred Phelps dropping by for biscuits and tea. But AfterElton.com is nothing but a full service bakery and we want to help you transition back into the work week as gently as possible. 

With that in mind, we know you're probably reading this at work, a latte, herbal tea, or shot of vodka at hand as you dread the week ahead. (Or perhaps I'm projecting!)

The fact is, you're just not ready to get started yet.

So to help you pass the time before you can face your insane boss/co-workers/customers, we've decided every Monday morning we're going to present you with an "Everything Bagel" roundup of news items, tidbits and pictures you might have missed over the weekend to help you forestall the inevitable!

And if's it any consolation, our Monday mornings start Sunday afternoon!

• The Hollywood Reporter on Bruno: We all knew Borat. Borat was a friend of ours. Bruno, you're no Borat. 

• Americablog discusses "Democrats and Political Homophobia."

• The Canberra Raiders beat the Melbourne Storm but not before Cameron Smith tried to depants Josh Dugan.

Josh to self: Crap! I'm not wearing my Wolverine undies, am I?
Cameron to self: Must not look! Must not look! Well, maybe a peek...

• The Advocate looks at 40 years of covers.

• On the anniversary of Stonewall, gay ally Frank Rich of The New York Times says "40 Years Later, Still Second-Class Americans." Sadly, it's impossible to disagree.

• Alan Cumming has joined the cast of what may be a future classic or the the most awesome train wreck to hit Broadway since Carrie. The musical Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark begins preview performances early next year, with Alan in the role of The Green Goblin.

• Not to be outdone by Google, Yahoo has their own Pride acknowledgment.

• CNN speaks to children of the "Gayby Boom" generation, including a Republican activist "who says he believes in family values, small government and his lesbian mothers' right to marry."

• Adam Lambert and Kris Allen chat about their close friendship and possibly recording together.

• We all know if you scream in space, no one hears. But what happens if you set your TV show in space and no one watches? Ronald D. Moore and the cast of Virtuality are about to find out as ratings for the two-hour movie Friday night su-u-u-cked.

Multiple sources are reporting that after having suffered a heart attack earlier today at a home he was renting in Los Angeles, pop singer Michael Jackson has died at the age of 50. Arguably once the most famous performer in the world, the superstar faced a wide-ranging array of legal and personal problems in recent years including bankruptcy and several trials on charges of child molestation of which he was acquitted.

He is survived by his three children.

Neil Patick Harris and Peter Serafinowicz filming The Best and the Brightest

I have to confess that the plot of Neil Patrick Harris' new movie The Best and the Brightest, isn't really my cup of tea. It's the tale of a young married couple who move to Manhattan, which naturally means they simply have to get the brat into the most prestigious school in the city. But since the couple, — Jeff and Robyn —, aren't really Grade A material, they must resort to hiring an "educational consultant" who helps them concoct a scheme to finagle their son's way into the school.

Yeah, not really the way I want to spend my precious little free time on a Saturday afternoon.

But somehow just the presence of NPH promises that the movie will actually be fresher than that premise. And there is just something about these pics of Neil as a typical dad that also piques my interest!

Check out these pics of Neil's character having various thoughts.

Earlier today we reported that Star magazine (such a bastion of reliability!) was claiming that Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka were busy planning for a little bundle of joy. According to Star:

After going through a rigorous screening process, “Neil and David were so relieved and excited once they were approved,” says the source. “Now they have so many surrogate profiles to go through to find the right woman to carry their child.

Not so fast says Harris' reps. Via a spokesperson Harris and Burtka released this statement to AfterElton.com:

If Star says it, then it must be true!  No, we are not currently expecting a baby.  Maybe someday...

Frankly, we're not surprised as Harris has so much left to do before getting to that point. Hosting the Emmys. Winning an Emmy. Hosting the Oscars. Winning an Oscar. Becoming ruler of All Known Universe. 

After all of that, he'll have time for a baby! 

I'm not sure what you're doing home on a Saturday night in front of your computer unless you're the editor of a website, but whatever the reason, we've got something to help you wile away the time as we present Logo's NewNowNext Awards! Don't worry this isn't the Emmys! This is a tongue-in-cheek awards show celebrating what's hot hot hot in queer and queer-friendly entertainment and pop culture.

The presenters and nominees this year include Cheyenne Jackson, Christian Siriano, Ongina, RuPaul, Vanessa Williams, Robert Verdi and more.

The show is debuting on Logo tonight, but you can also watch it here in three parts:

Each week, Jake Nodar, one of the "volunteers" on Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment shares his first hand take with us about the latest episode.

The morning of the 27th day, I, along with my four fellow survivors, set out for yet another wonderful stroll through Alaska’s unforgiving terrain. How unforgiving? A storm blew through overnight, leaving behind a blanket of snow a foot deep.

The up side to this particular hike was that we once again found a path to walk on, and this was certainly something we did not take for granted. However, due to the deep snow, our judgment of how many miles we had actually traveled was greatly impaired and we arrived at our next camp in the afternoon.

I clearly remember walking up to that campsite. Nobody spoke a word to each other; we just got down to business and got the shelter up and running. This was when it really dawned on me just how far we had come. The routine of surviving was becoming second nature.

Following this assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• Outsports.com noticed that next Sunday's ESPN's Outside the Lines interviews the former Nebraska wrestlers who got expelled for having some naughty pictures posted online.
  

• La Cage aux Folles is set for a return to Broadway in March 2010. The show is in good hands as it's being produced by Sonia Friedman who snagged a Tony award on Sunday night for the revival of The Norman Conquests. Looks like the play is in good hands, but might I suggest she bring John Barrowman over once he's done with his stint as Albin in the West End production of La Cage currently running in London.

  

• Here is one dance studio you can safely never expect to see Nigel Lythgoe patronizing.
  

• Bette Midler's Las Vegas show hit a milestone when the ribald songstress marked her 100th performance at Caesar's Palace Colosseum. To celebrate the occasion, Miss M chatted with a reporter and shared that she's all for gay marriage and recently met President Obama.
  

• Adam Lambert stayed cool as a 20/20 producer told him he could be as "flamboyant" as he wanted in a 20/20 promo. He might as well have said, "Dance, Monkey! Dance!"
  
  

  
  

• Adult film star John Boham was convicted of murdering a Denver businessman. Boham tried to claim it was suicide staged as murder to get the life insurance policy money. Yeah, that sounds likely.
  

• If Hollywood insists on turning another lame 80s series into a movie, I'm glad they're at least casting Bradley Cooper to star in The A-Team. Personally, I'll just wait for 2011 when he plays gay again. 

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...