AfterElton Briefs: Lots of Ron Swanson Love, Lautner Shirtless Again and the Lost Franco Sex Tape

Taylor Lautner finds yet another reason to go shirtless.
From his upcoming film Abduction, opening Sepember 24th
(photo source: taylor-lautner.com)

• Who can resist the 30 Best Portraits of Parks & Recreation's Ron Swanson?

• The Help opens this weekend and sister site AfterEllen gave it a rave review. The only thing that struck an odd note for me in the preview clips: At first glance, Emma Stone (who I love) didn't really look "period" enough. Maybe that was just the trailer?

• Is hugging the new "high five?" It is for the Atlanta Braves! Gay major league baseball player Glenn Burke was credited with starting the high five craze (when his personal gesture took off with his teamates.) Braves rookie Freddie Freeman is responsible for his team's new hugging trend.

“I just hug everybody,” said Freeman, 21, who is nearly 6 feet 5, weighs over 240 pounds, and has a disarmingly goofy demeanor and rather odd haircut. “I don’t know why. It’s just what I do. I give hugs instead of high-fives. Hugs are more fun.”

• In other major league baseball news: Someone created a petition to ask the Los Angeles Dodgers to record an "It Gets Better" video. I don't know, in the case of these now nearly commonplace videos, the gesture of making one sort of loses its impact if you think the entity making it has somehow been shamed or coerced into it. Thoughts? Would you sign this petition or others like it?

• The Los Angeles Times has a great profile out today on Fred Karger, the very long shot out gay Republican candidate for President. He freely admits he has no chance of winning, but says his chief aim is to participate in one or more of the GOP candidate debates and put the other candidates on the hot seat when it comes to gay issues. I'd say that's a worthy goal. If you want to help him succeed in that, here's an online petition you can sign.

• Maybe James Franco is just preparing people for when that tape inevitably resurfaces...

• Stephen Sondheim is "dismayed" with the creative license that is being taken with an upcoming revival of Porgy & Bess. A happier ending? Extra scenes telling the characters' backstories? Changing the name to "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" (and thereby dropping reference to writer and lyricist DuBose Heyward)? Okay, I'm not exactly a theater purist, but Sondheim makes some really compelling points in his sarcastic open letter in the New York Times.  

• Apparently there's a tumblr for Photoshopped looters. Right now it's London looters, but I assume any old looter would do.

h/t andrewsullivan

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