AfterElton Briefs:"Glee"-ful News for Cheyenne, Cassidy Haley Is All Tied Up, and John Amaechi Can Still Jump

Plus the Teen Choice Awards just got hunkier, Kylie Minogue is Logo's Ask the Expert, and Russell T. Davies talks the new Torchwood.

John Amaechi: "Proof I do still get off the ground (just about!)" 

• Retired NBA basketball legend John Amaechi shoots the first basket in the new Olympic basketball arena in London today as part of the preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games. How cool is it an out player get's to christen the arena?

• Big Glee news: the replacement for Idina Menzel as coach of Vocal Adrenaline is none other than Cheyenne Jackson! It's a recurring role, but there can never be enough Cheyenne in my life.

• Glee is also replacing Tenaka (Patrick Gallagher) as the football coach. The new coach will be named Shannon Beiste, played by actress Dot Jones. That should provide some female rivalry for Sue Sylvester, and mayhem in the lockerroom for shy Finn.

• Cassidy Haley, whose album Michael Jensen reviewed a few weeks back has released the video for his first single, "Spindle" that has either an exorcism or bondage theme. Either way, he pulls it off.

• Because Glee news is coming fast and furious today, Ryan Murphy spoke at Comic-Con about criticism about how creepy some people have found Kurt's behavior toward's Finn.

I don’t look at that as creepy behaviour. I look it as a character who is in search of love and makes mistakes, as we all do, but yeah, we are going to revisit that early on in the season. I’ve always thought of the Kurt, Mike O’Malley, Finn triangle as men talking about their issues. We will be doing that.

• And my final piece of Glee news is that some of the men of Glee, Chris Colfer, Cory Monteith, Mark Salling and Kevin McHale will now be cohosting the Teen Choice Awards with Katy Perry on August 9.

• Logo's "Ask the Experts" series asks Kylie Minogue how to tell your brother that's it's O.K. to be gay.

• Russell T. Davies does an interview about the upcoming series of Torchwood, and despite his insisting the interviewer give Spartacus: Blood and Sand another chance, I have to say many here will not like the interview. He justifies Capt. Jack sacrificing his grandson, and says that the Starz coproduction is a complete reset, and will have to reintroduce the characters to a new audience

• Judith Peabody, New York socialite in the grand, elegant sense of the word, passed away Sunday at age 80. She was a tireless activist and fundraiser for the Gay Men's Health Crisis and many other charities that made the world a better place. Our condolences to her family and friends.

• Queerty got it right: When Bill O'Reilly has a more nuanced understanding of the issue of Don't Ask, Don't Tell than the President of the United States, we've got a problem.

• Rumors continue to swirl as to who will replace Simon Cowell at the American Idol judging table. Justin Timberlake denies it, but my favorite denial comes from Sir Elton John's representative, Gary Farrow to Deadline's Tim Adler, "Absolute rubbish... This story’s three months old. There’s more chance of you f**king me than Elton appearing on US Idol

• I think TheOnion.com just gave Lady Gaga the theme for her next music video. h/t zanefan

• Target's CEO continues to try and defend his company's 100% HRC Equality Index Score against news the company donated money to a group suppporting an anti-gay politician. Nobody is buying it, and there have already been protests in their home state of Minnesota and calls for a boycott. Also: I don't think Target is anti-gay, they just let competing interest override better judgment. They do need to make it right though.

• A restaurant in New York has created a foot-long hot dog with truffles and foie gras. And they priced it at $69, without the slightest bit of irony. No, this is not TheOnion.com.

• Rod 2.0 has video of JLS's Oritsé Williams stripping to his underwear onstage as payment for a bet he made on England winning the World Cup. Enrique Iglesias, we expect the same documentation from you. Also: Another Brit boybander losing his kit!

• Depending on which report you read, Rep. Barney Frank threw a fit when they wouldn't give him his $1 senior citizen discount for the ferry to Fire Island Pines. I don't know whose version is accurate, but Frank is a sight to behold when angry.

• I'm From Driftwood, which collects stories of everyday GLBT folks living their lives in every part of the country announced they had exceeded their initial fundraising goal of $15,000 for their 50-state tour that starts in September.

• The Real World: New Orleans Ryan Leslie has issued an apology via Twitter and to GLAAD for his anti-gay and violent tweet last week.

• A new poll says that a new generation of English football (soccer) fans would accept an out player, with only 7% of those polled saying there was no room for gays in the sport.

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