Morning Meme: Real Americans Fly Lear Jets, "Priscilla" Casting, Alan Cumming's Money and an "Ugly Betty" Movie?

Creepy robots, Stonewall Equality Dinner, demonic penguin movies, possible Glee spoilers, and President Obama does something right by the GLBT community.

Ana Ortiz says that we may not have seen the last of Ugly Betty, because America Ferrera is looking to take the show to the big screen. It worked for Sex and the City, so why not?

Daniel Radcliffe is headed back to the Great White Way next year. Sadly, it sounds like he’s keeping his pants on, but we do get to hear him sing in a revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Was Tom Jones a chicken thief? A Welsh village thought he ran off with their prize chicken, and had banned the crooner for forty years. They just lifted the ban this week. No word from Jones on the subject.

Way back in January I had mentioned that Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was headed to Broadway, and that Nick Adams was the understudy. Now news about the casting is leaking out, and the probable lead for the Adam/Felicia role is the delicious Matt Cavenaugh (played by Guy Pearce in the movie). Hair’s Will Swenson is negotiating for Tick/Mitzy (Hugo Weaving in the movie), and Tony Sheldon is playing Bernadette. 

In the best news of Thursday evening, President Obama has directed the Department of Health and Human Services to draft a new rule that would require hospitals to give visitation rights to partners of gays and lesbians, and allow them to designate their partners as medical decision makers. At least 25 states currently don’t allow this.

Animal Planet has ordered a Bear Whisperer series. Sadly it’s about a guy who actually whispers to bears. Like the Grizzly/black/polar type. Not the ones that will be at the Fur Ball this weekend.

Out For Work has released their 2010 Career Center Certification Guide for GLBT college students making the transition into the workforce. You can read it online.

Barney Frank will be the guest of honor at TalkOut Monday on May 3^rd following the performance of The Tempermentals at the New World Stages in New York City.

An editorial in DC Agenda takes GLBT groups to task for the “deafening silence” towards Precious and Lee Daniels. I can’t speak for GLAAD or HRC, but I can tell you that I covered the movie no less than 21 times in the last year – and I haven’t even seen it yet (never came to my town). I know I wasn’t the only one here. So maybe life’s not so bleak?

HBO renewed Real Time with Bill Maher for a ninth season, and signed the star up for two more years. They also upped the episode count 24 to 35, so we’ll have a lot more of Bill telling the world it’s delusional.

Another day, another ridiculously expensive submarine you can buy. This one is called a Hyper Sub, since it can manage 40 knots on the surface, and dive to 250 feet under self-charging electric power. It’s like they opened an Evil Villain Depot or something.

Reader cufflinksandtie sent in this super creepy Japanese robot with the realistic human face. But why is it always a female ‘bot? Aren’t there any female robotics engineers out there looking for a man around the house that isn’t farting and hogging the remote all the time?

Real Americans fly in Lear Jets – but nothing smaller than a Lear 60. Sarah Palin has standards after all. Students at Cal State are outraged over the speaking contract that they “discovered” in the trash for Sarah’s upcoming visit. Good use of university funds? You betcha!

Alan Cumming has joined the Move Your Money campaign, and moved his likely considerable funds from Goldman Sachs into a local bank. He then did some press about it, and almost immediately had Goldman Sachs on the phone reminding him how good they were at making money at any cost. Which was kind of the point of moving the money.

So a random choice of words from Ryan Murphy has led E! to speculate that Idina Menzel will yet turn out to be Rachel’s biological mother on Glee. I’m much more interested in meeting Rachel’s dads than her mother, but there’s no denying the family resemblance. But like the article says, how creepy would it be that she’s got Jesse St. James mackin’ on her daughter to win at regionals? Or is it sectionals? Whatever.

Viacom’s board voted to extend their CEO Phillippe Dauman’s contract through 2016 for his great work upping profits. I would like to take this moment to pledge my continued fealty to my master. Hiya, boss!

BET has decided to bring canceled CW sitcom The Game back to life with new episodes. No word on whether they’d bring back the gay storyline which Brent liked.

AXE does some pretty funny commercials, so it seems only natural that they’d try a college comedy tour. I’ve not heard of most of the comedians, but something did catch my eye: Nick Kroll is part of the lineup, and his bio says he does characters including “the gay craft food service guy Fabrice Fabrice” which is either brilliant or bad.

Sir Elton John has joined Annie Lennox, Alicia Keys and others for the Idol Gives Back special next week. Say what you will about Elton, but when there’s a chance to raise money for a good cause, he’s there.

Good morning! Time for breakfast.

Over in merry old England they had the Stonewall Equality Dinner last night, and some of your favorite gays were in attendance.

Gareth Thomas - I prefer him in short-shorts

Sir Ian McKellen needs a shave

Martina Navratilova - I still want to say Martini

There's something about writing this on a chalk board that makes it feel right.

Words to ruin a computer, or totally make a weekend.

Platypus babies - cute or not?

This picture was labeled as a high-speed photo of a bullet hitting a row of M&Ms. I just can't figure out why anyone would want to hurt M&Ms.

Be kind to chocolate, it's kind to you.

Attention New York City: This is Pearl and she is your Official Squirrel, per the Parks Department. We're not sure if there is a new nut tax or not, but it might be good to have a few in your pocket at all times.

Why yes, yes she was designed by Disney.

I love it when film festivals start releasing their weird crop of entrants. I think I've fallen in love with the quirkiness that is the Newport Beach Film Festival. First up, let's look at skateboarding comedy Machotaildrop, where the chosen few skateboarders live in an alternate reality as royalty, with castles and barons and servants. Somebody pass the pipe.

I'm not entirely sure what's going on in the world of Hector, Inc. There's an office, witchcraft, some human sacrifice, and a penguin that I'm fairly sure is demonically possessed, which is a new direction for the tuxedoed ones.

And I'm just fascinated with the volcano in Iceland that seems to have frozen Europe where it stands. Anyone for a leisurely crossing by steamship?