AfterElton Briefs: Boyzone's new look, McKellen's birthday, and more!

Boyzone's Stephen Gately

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual 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.

• Boyzone, a UK boyband from the 90s with an out gay member (Stephen Gately, pictured above) has reemerged with a new sexier look to match their more mature audience. Nice to see that when this article mentions that all the bandmembers are now married, they include Gately, who entered into a civil partnership with his fella in 2006.

• This week's Candorville comic is tackling the overturn of the same-sex marriage ban in California. (t/y Lyle!)

• The NY Times' Dennis Lim recently wrote a nice, wistful piece on "gay punk provocateur" Derek Jarman (a documentary on the late filmmaker, Derek, is headed this way) that includes an interview with Jarman's longtime friend Tilda Swinton.

• Sir Ian McKellen, one of our biggest and brightest out gay stars, turned 69 years young on Sunday. Happy birthday, Sir!

• Prolific director, producer and actor Sidney Pollack died yesterday of cancer at age 73. He directed such classics as Tootsie, Out of Africa, and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, and played Will Truman's father on Will & Grace.

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

This guy!