Hayley Atwell and Matthew Goode (All photos: Getty)

Last week I received an invite to attend the world premiere of the much-anticipated Brideshead Revisited feature film from the lovely folks at VisitBritain, the British national tourism agency. After momentarily considering holding out for an all-expenses-paid trip to the actual Brideshead location, Castle Howard, I decided to gratefully accept once I heard that the film's star, Matthew Goode would be there, and that there would be free popcorn. What can I say, I'm a cheap date.

I had already seen the film (I devoted a full page of a recent column to the fact that this version pulls Sebastian Flyte out of the closet, to interesting effect), so I guess for me the screening itself was Brideshead Revisited Revisited. The film is just as opulent and tortured the second time around, but I'll get to all that in our review, which runs next week.

Right now there are appetizers to discuss!

Jonathan Cake and Julianne Nicholson

Anyway, last night it was about 436 degrees in Manhattan but that didn't stop the beautiful people from turning out in droves for the premiere. Director Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots, Becoming Jane) was there, as were stars Matthew Goode and Hayley Atwell, and Jonathan Cake, who plays the rascally American, Rex. And other folks like SNL alum Rachel Dratch, Paul Blackthorne (Lipstick Jungle), and Alicia Witt (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) also showed up to check out the flick.

After the screening, everyone strolled over to the Gramercy Hotel, where we were jettisoned up to the rooftop garden for the after-party. There I spotted Top Model judge and photographer Nigel Barker (just as handsome in real life) and Cake's wife, Julianne Nicholson (Ally McBeal, Criminal Intent) was kind enough to make room for us at a table in the crowded space. 

(NOT) SPENDING MONEY IN SAN DIEGO:
A few months back, I told you about how gay activists were boycotting the Manchester Grand Hyatt, a major location for those attending Comic Con International at San Diego, because of the hotel owner’s donations to anti-gay causes including Proposition 8 which will de-legalize gay marriage in California.

It does my heart good to hear that the boycott is being discussed by some of the creators who will be attending the Con this week. At this point, it’s too late to decide to give up a room at the Hyatt as a moral stand. However, as Christopher Butcher points out, the Hyatt is also a popular place to get a drink with three bars that are usually crowded every night and, thus, it’s still possible for LGBT-supportive Con attendees to take a stand – with so many bars in the area, why not spend your drinking money elsewhere?

Being one of the closest hotels to the Convention Center, the Manchester Grand Hyatt is known as a good place to spot comic creators and one reason to get a drink there is the possibility of spending time around popular artists and writers. Hence, I’m happy to see various industry names like SLG Publications’ Jennifer de Guzman, DMZ and Channel Zero creator Brian Wood, supporting the boycott in comment threads at Butcher's site and at The Beat. Meanwhile, the always-outspoken Lea Hernandez suggests people save their bar tabs and send it to the hotel as documentation of how much money they didn’t spend at the Hyatt’s bars.

Oh, and while we’re on the topic of who gets your money when you’re in San Diego, might I remind you about the time the nearby Omni Hotel shut down Margaret Cho’s performance because they disapproved of her material?

WHO WATCHES THE FILM TRAILER EDITORS?:
Last week, we got a trailer for the Watchmen movie and, overall, it looks great. Still, I’ve got to ask – why does a trailer for a movie that’s supposed to deconstruct and examine the superhero genre look so much like a typical superhero movie trailer? I’m a little worried here.

You can check out the trailer here, what do you think?

I know a high-profile, big-budget movie like Watchmen isn’t going to find a wide enough audience by playing up the themes and moral questions raised by Alan Moore, but without those parts why bother turning Watchmen into a movie? Maybe I would feel better if there were a falling bottle of Nostalgia Perfume amongst the visuals?

WE'VE GOT MEET UP SIGN!:
If you want more to anticipate in San Diego (and if you’re going, you’ve got plenty of good stuff ahead) here’s one more thing to get excited about – the Gays in Comics meet up on Saturday night. This year’s event at Flicks will be the first team-up between Prism Comics and gay comics site Pink Kryptonite. I really need to make sure I don't miss another trip to Comic Con next year.

After the break: Anti-gay comics and comic book villainesses!

Happy birthday to out musician Rufus Wainwright (seen here playing in England earlier this month)!

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.

• EW's Michael Ausiello (how weird is it to say that after all these years?!) nabbed Ugly Betty's Michael Urie and Becki Newton at the TCA for some video scoopage: Cliff will be back, there will be drama, and ... Wilhelmina wields a sledgehammer in the first ep?

• John Barrowman and hubby Scott Gill may be looking to adopt an Asian baby, and on the other hand they may be opting for a surrogate. Or, you know, they may wait to see if they just stumble across one in the cabbage patch. (We now return you to your regularly scheduled slow news day.)

• Composer Danny Elfman discusses his in-the-works score for Gus Van Sant's Milk, noting that "the performances from Sean Penn and the cast are great. I'm really enjoying myself so far." Elfman also scored Van Sant's Good Will Hunting, and earned an Oscar nod for his work.

• Homophobicadvertisingpaloozagate! Ad Age's Bob Garfield writes an open letter to Omnicom's head calling out his company's track record for homophobic spots, while Nike draws ire for ads that use the fear straight men apparently have of other men jamming their crotches into their faces to sell basketball shoes. 

• So Christian Bale allegedly assaulted his sister and mother at a hotel the night before The Dark Knight premiered in London. Meanwhile, Bale says, "Eh ... not so much." I'll believe the accusations when witnesses report hearing "Hip to Be Square" blaring from his hotel room at the time of the incident.

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

Gay-faves Cristian de la Fuente (The Class) and Eva Longoria Parker announced the noms for the 2008 ALMA Awards today live from Wisteria Lane

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.

• The big movie news today was of course The Dark Knight's record-smashing opening midnight/day/weekend/three-day total. But did you hear that gay-friendly Mamma Mia! also managed to scare up the biggest opening weekend in history for a movie musical, during that same Bat weekend? That's pretty incredible.

• According to Miss Kathy Griffin, oodles of fun stuff hasn't made it to the airwaves this season, including some interesting musings from "billionaire bear" Steve Wozniak, whom she claims commented in San Francisco, "You know, if I fall in love with a man, I fall in love with a man. There's nothing wrong with that." I didn't know it was possible, but The Woz just got even cooler.

• Pierce Brosnan won the top spot in a British poll of "Gay Icons" (over 50 category). I have no problem with that, as long as he doesn't sing his acceptance speech.

• Any excuse to post a pic of Chris Diamantopoulos (who plays Debra Messing's gay BFF on The Starter Wife and in real life is married to Ugly Betty's Becki Newton) is a good one.

• And finally, Outfest (the Los Angeles LGBT film fest) wrapped up this weekend, with the top prize going to Were the World Mine. For the full list of prizewinners, head on over here.

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

Los Angeles filmgoers are in the thick of this year's Outfest, and the gay blogs are going nuts over the "secret screening" of the director's cut of the 1998 film 54.

Set in the late 70's, "54" chronicled the rise and fall of the famed discotheque Studio 54, where famous and infamous celebrities would go to be seen and experience, um ..."altered states of consciousness". It starred Mike Myers in a rare dramatic performance as club owner Steve Rubell, and Ryan Phillippe as Shane, a new bartender who is quickly seduced into this world of glitz, glamour, and designer coke spoons.

I remember watching it and thinking "meh", but it looks like all of us who saw it missed out on the real movie. The director's cut was screened at Outfest, and writer/director Mark Christopher has restored 45 minutes of footage that the studio originally forced him to cut out.

According to Greg Hernandez of Out In Hollywood, that footage makes all the difference:

"So how different is the director's cut? VERY. And it's MUCH better and much more gay! Phillippe's character is bisexual in this superior version and shares screen kisses with several men, including Breckin Meyer...Christopher's original version is such a better film because it chronicles the club's fall along with Phillippe's personal journey."

Cameron Mathison in his formal wear

Also of note is the inclusion of more scenes from perpetually shirtless ultra-hunk Cameron Mathison (who I didn't even remember was in the movie):

"As an added treat, we also get to see a bit more of the beautiful Cameron Mathison of "All My Children" and "Dancing With the Stars" fame who was only seen briefly in the studio version. His character is gay! We did not know this from before. But in the director's cut, he's in a relationship with one of the other bartenders and they even share a passionate kiss."

Unfortunately, there are no current plans to release this director's cut, but with the enormous amount of attention it's gained just from this one showing, maybe that'll change.

What do you think? Is the film worth revisiting, or should it go the way of the polyester suit?

A new "family comedy" from Eddie Murphy called Meet Dave opens today, and there appears to be some gay content in it.

Unfortunately.

In the film, an alien spaceship (in the form of Eddie) lands on Earth, controlled by tiny people inside who try to learn more about our world. According to this review:

"As the Captain attempts to familiarize himself with human culture, Meet Dave dabbles in racial and sexual stereotyping. When a headset pipes rap music into Dave, the miniature white aliens can't stand it. But a miniature black alien starts grooving to it. When Dave accidentally walks into a stage production of A Chorus Line, it turns the no-nonsense alien security officer (Pat Kilbane) into a lisping gay hairdresser."

Oh jeez, and this is supposed to be a PG rated "family comedy"? Well, I guess nothing brings a family closer together than laughing at mincing gay stereotypes, right? (and btw...A Chorus Line turned him gay? What would have happened if he had seen Xanadu?)

Of course, I wasn't going to see Meet Dave anyway, because it looks just terrible. But in all honesty, I've only seen a handful of Eddie Murphy movies.

The last one I saw was the infamous Razzie favorite Norbit, because I was ... curious. This was the film that supposedly lost Eddie the Oscar for Dreamgirls (the ads came out at the same time Oscar voting was going on, and rumour has it that Academy members took one look at the ads and cast their votes elsewhere). So i watched Norbit, and was not disappointed, as it was mesmerizingly awful.

But my Eddie movie-watching experiences are few and far between, and it's not only because his films generally stink.

I remember the first (and only) time I saw any of his stand-up act. I was twelve years old, and just coming to terms with my sexuality. I was at a birthday party for a friend, and someone put a copy of Eddie Murphy: Delirious in the VCR. the first lines out Eddie's mouth were:

"I've got some rules while I'm doing stand-up. Faggots aren't allowed to look at my ass while I'm on stage. that's why i keep moving while I'm up here, because you don't know where the faggot section is"

Well, a roar went up from the audience, and from the kids at the birthday party, while I sat there growing red-faced, and as he continued talking about "faggots", I found myself becoming light-headed, and eventually I managed to excuse myself, and spent most of the next hour in the bathroom trying to tune everything out.

That was about it for me and Eddie Murphy. I've heard that he later apologized for the things he said in this concert and in the concert film Raw, but I don't recall hearing it. I remember him giving either Oprah or Barbara Walters the excuse, "Well, I was young", but that's about it.

I'm curious to hear your opinions. If an entertainer spent his early years mired in homophobia, would you be able to look past it later in his career, even if he apologized?

I don't know what more I need to say about this other than that the reaction shot of Elizabeth Shue pretty much makes it for me.

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.

• In gay movie news, Breakfast With Scot has been picked up for North American distribution by Regent Releasing (sister company of here! Films), who plan to release sometime this fall. if you want to weigh the upside/downside, check out the discussion over at our article on gay film distribution.

• Shelter: The New York Times has a sweet piece on the NYC LGBT Community Center, which turns 25 this year. The building itself dates to before the Civil War.

• Alright, THIS is why God created the Interwebs: Daily Drag Queen Affirmations.

• Okay, a few months back I posted a publicity pic of Dancing With the Stars hunk Christian De La Fuente at a birthday celebration for Milk-Bone dog biscuits. Above, he's pictured at a birthday party for a cow named Maggie Moo in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear his publicist and I share a brain.

• And in sorta-gay film news. Lake City, which stars Sissy Spacek and Soldier's Girl's Troy Garity, will receive a November 7th release, courtesy of Screen Media. While the film itself isn't gay, it is the debut feature of gay filmmakers (and partners) Perry Moore (best known to us as the writer of gay superhero novel Hero) and Hunter Hill.

• Well, this is kind of a bummer ... we wrote recently that Michael Ausiello had blind itemed about a big gay twist coming for a sorta-hit show. Well, he spilled his beans, and the good news is, it's a kinda fun twist with two great actors involved. The bad news (for us, although not for our sister site!) is that it's two lady-type actors.

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

One of the most iconic (and impossible-to-find) films of gay cinema will finally be released on DVD November 11th. The Boys in the Band was released in 1970, and over the years has been both reviled and revered by gay viewers.

"The Boys in the Band," according to press notes, "follows a group of gay male friends as they come together in a New York City apartment for a birthday party. When an unexpected guest arrives and the truth begins to flow as freely as the cocktails, it leads to a sometimes vulgar but ultimately open and honest dissection of their lives and relationships."

It's all that, and more. It's bitter, sarcastic, witty, depressing, joyous, and very much a product of its time.

The DVD will include lots of bonus features, including an interview and commentary track from its Oscar-winning director, William Friedkin. We interviewed Friedkin last year about another controversial gay-themed film he directed, Cruising, and he had some ... interesting things to say, so it should be fascinating to hear what he has to say about this gay film.

Other bonus features of the DVD include:

A documentary about the creation of the play

A documentary about the making of the film and the enduring power of both it and the play

Interviews with playwright/screenwriter Matt Crowley, executive producer Dominick Dunne, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner and cast members Peter White and Laurence Luckinbill

We're interested in hearing your thoughts about the DVD release. Will you buy it, or do you think The Boys in the Band should be locked in a time capsule and never seen again?

Oh, Mama! Dominic Cooper (Photo: Getty)

If it has seemed that this summer is a bit dry when it comes to gay or gay-friendly films, things are about to get very hot, very wet, and very loud...

Yes, the film adaptation of Mamma Mia! (itself a stage adaptation of about 20 years of pop songs by the Swedish supergroup ABBA) arrives in theaters next Friday, and it brings with it plenty of chilled cocktails, bronzed skin, and sand and the faint scent of Bain de Soleil.

The flick, which of course boasts stars Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried and History Boys vet Dominic Cooper in its central cast, is all about sun, fun, and romance, and the pics from the various premieres that it has been enjoying around the globe show that the cast looks to be having as much fun promoting the movie as they had making it:

Firth, Streep, and Cooper have a laugh in Australia

I saw the movie last week and liked it ... but for the full review, you'll have to check back next week. We'll also be discussing exactly why it is that the film is so very gay ... and no, it's not just because it's chock-a-block with ABBA songs and has a lesbian director, Phyllida Lloyd.

For now, enjoy!

Brosnan looking dapper in London

Lots more after the jump!