Afternoon Meme: Semi Precious Weapons Prepare for Spotlight, A Younger Magneto, and "Being Human" USA Casting

Plus Buffy's Nicholas Brendan's new gig, marriage equality in Iceland, and McDonalds goes gay again?

A moment to mention Senator Robert C. Byrd, who passed away last night. Senator Byrd was the longest serving member of Congress in history. He grew up about three miles from where I’m typing this. He was a product of his era, but wasn’t afraid to change his mind, slowly, first on race, and he was even now evolving on gay issues, despite his past history. I’ve met him many times, and he was a kind and decent man.

Michael Fassbender is going to star in X-Men: First Class as a young Magneto opposite James McAvoy as Professor X. His hairline already matches Sir Ian’s.

Robin Williams wants to play The Riddler in Christopher Nolan’s next Dark Knight movie. Granted, no one has asked him, Nolan hasn’t named the villain for the movie, and he admits “I’m a bit hairy for tights.” He lost out to Jack Nicholson for The Joker in the older Batman movies.

Scientists have invented a male contraceptive pill that only has to be taken every three months, and has no hormones or nasty side effects. Show of hands – how many women who read my column trust men to take a birth control pill? Anyone?

Iceland’s lesbian Prime Minister celebrated the country’s marriage equality going into effect by marrying her long-term partner. She becomes the first out head of state to get married while in office. Actually she's the first out head of state, period! Congratulations!

As long as we’re in Iceland, Reykjavik has a new mayor, a comedian who formed a new political party and may have run as a joke. The “Best Party” won 34.7% of the vote on a platform of free towels at public pools and a drug-free Parliament by 2020. When picking a coalition partner to rule with, he refused anyone who hadn’t watched all five series of The Wire.

Here are 25 Funniest Sports Photobombs. I opened in the middle of the gallery on my favorite, Andy Roddick and the horny koalas.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Nicholas Brendan stops by the latest episode of webseries Robot, Ninja,& Gay Guy. I joined at episode 11, so I'm a bit confused, but maybe you can catch me up?

According to Spurf™, Sam Witwer is in talks to play vampire Aiden in the American remake of Being Human for SyFy. Witwer spent a lot of time naked and covered in blood on Smallville, so it fits. In the running for Josh (the werewolf) are Ricky Mabe (Beautiful People), Sam Huntington (Cavemen), and Aaron Ashmore (Smallville). Meaghan Rath (The Assistants) is up for Molly the ghost.

The always funny, and occasionally Christmas-sweatered-Cheyenne Jackson was featured in the NYC version of [title of show], and now the show (sans Cheyenne) is preparing for a Hollywood opening at the Celebration Theater July 16^th.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s husband passed away Sunday from cancer at age 78. Our condolences to his friends and family.

The 90,0000 member Left-Handed Club has spoken out against Apple and the antenna design on the iPhone 4. Can famous Simpsons lefty Ned Flanders be far behind in criticism?

Was disgraced General McChrystal one of our best allies in the fight to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell? Stories from The Atlantic make it seem like McChrystal and other special forces leaders are among the most liberal when it comes to gays in the military, “If a guy saves my ass, he sure as hell can look at it.”

Hot on the success of Hot In Cleveland, TV Land is considering a “docu-soap” about tanning aficionado George Hamilton and his two sons, Ashley and George Thomas. With the age gaps, it’s being described as a real life Two and a Half Men. It can’t be worse than the real Two and a Half Men, can it?

The Share Happy Vending Machine by Unilever has facial recognition software, and will give you free ice cream – but only if it thinks you’re smiling at it. In exchange, you sign away rights to use your likeness in promotional campaigns.

The sexy David Anders joins the already incredibly good looking list of male guest stars on Warehouse 13 this season.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a law school can deny recognition to a Christian group that won’t let gays join.

I can't provide a provenance for this photo that crossed my desktop. It was labeled as simply "Audrey Hepburn" with no explanation. I sort of see it, but I'm not certain. And even if it is, that really doesn't explain why she's holding the deer or sharing the champagne with it.

What's going on here?

The economic recession hits Sesame Street.

This picture was sent out from Joel McHale's new movie. I always knew Joel was tall, and that was part of the reason he mocked Ryan Seacrest. But standing next to Kevin Pollack - is it Joel who is of a freakish size, or Kevin?

Joel always has to look down at people's bald spots.

Semi Precious Weapons releases their new album You Love You  tomorrow. As a preview they released a "movie" from their tour with Lady Gaga. I'm not entirely sure who bisexual frontman Justin Tranter makes out with throughout the video, but I don't think he discriminates based on gender. 

After years of marching in New York City's Gay Pride Parade, gay friendly St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church marched again this weekend. But you wouldn't know it, because the new archbishop told them they couldn't use the name of the church in the homo parade. So they marched behind a blank banner.

We had somewhat of an uprising over the gay-friendly French McDonalds advertisement. We loved it, Bill O'Reilly hated it, and the McDonald's COO said he was a Christian, and that informed him not to run an ad like  that in the United States. That caused the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to sever all ties with McDonalds. Now thanks to AE reader North_Star, we find this ad from Australia. I wonder where the next welcoming "Come As You Are, unless you're gay and American" ad is going to pop up?

If your day needs a soundtrack, you can stream Kylie Minogue's new album Aphrodite in its entirety via NPR.