Straight-but-not-narrow actor Damian T. Raven, star of the just-renewed DL Chronicles

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.

• T.R. Knight has pooch in his trunk! Or bark in his boot! Something!

• The here! series The DL Chronicles, which tells the stories of "downlow" men, will return for a second season. The series was recently nominated for a GLAAD media award and is one of the few projects out there actively discussing gay men of color.

• How appropriate that today's Nuke kiss on As the World Turns (the first in what, seven months?) came on the five-year anniversary of the first same-sex kiss in daytime history, between two women on All My Children. Kismet?

• Director Stephen Daldry and gay pop legend Elton John held a press conference in NY to announce the cast of their new Billy Elliot Broadway musical, based on Daldry's film.

• Madonnarama! John and Colin from NewNowNext posted a special vlog with their take on Madonna's upcoming Hard Candy album and some cute behind-the-scenes outtakes with Madge and boytoy Justin Timberlake.

• James Franco discusses his role as Sean Penn's lover in Milk, and has some very nice things to say about Penn (the best on-screen lover he's ever had), director Gus Van Sant ("soft-spoken"), and the project overall ("comfortable and easy").

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

Considering we showed you that awful (not awful in that Mommie Dearest way either!) clip of Cover, Bill Duke's new film about men on "downlow men", we figured it would only be right to highlight a good story of "men on the DL".

If you haven't heard of The DL Chronicles by Quincy LaNear and Deondray Gossett, you are missing out on some excellent storylines, good acting and hot bodies. Partners for over ten years, LaNear and Gossett have created a unique collection of stories about "men on the DL". Each episode is a different, unpredictable story: these are not simply tales of men who have wives and are sleeping with men. The complicated situations explored in the show transcend the generally one-note stories of "DL" men that we are used to seeing. For example, in one episode the character is "DL", but it is his daughter he is hiding from, not a straight female lover.

With a revolving cast, LaNear and Gossett manage to bust open the confines of what it means to be "DL" with fresh stories that prove that lives of paranoid secrecy are not limited to "shocking" episodes of Oprah ... more often than not the "DL" is a matter of not being sincere to oneself.

The DL Chronicles is currently airing on here!TV. If you don't have here!TV in your area, the first two episodes are also streaming online. Also, for everyone in San Francisco on Friday, June 22nd at 9:30 pm The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival presents The DL Chronicles "Trilogy". Click here to buy tickets.

Check out the clip below of Episode: Robert.