Originally I had something completely different planned for Part 2 of How'd I Miss My Coming Out?, but then I watched the Tony Awards on DVR and it sparked something.  It doesn't help that AfterElton's love for Cheyenne Jackson has slowly created my own mini-obsession with that tall drink of water so this week we're getting a little light in our skates as we reminisce about Xanadu.

There were a couple things I worshiped as a kid that were pretty damn gay; I'm talking things I would have traded a whole set of Garbage Pail Kids cards for or possibly even sold my little sister on the black market if it meant keeping these things in my life. Yes, I was that dramatic in grade school.

One of these treasures from my youth was Olivia Newton-John and the other was roller skating. So imagine my glee when in 1980 I realized that these two great tastes go great together!

Xanadu was one of my first obsessions and one of the first signs that my parents should have picked up on. It's not every day that you'll see a little blonde kid dancing in his living room with huge headphones on and Electric Light Orchestra contributing to early onset deafness. 

Not only did I think I could sing just like Olivia, I thought I was a roller skating king! I was like lighting on skates (just ask Gina P., whose tail I whooped in the Chestnut Hill Elementary School gymnasium with the entire school watching ... that's what I thought) and practicing moves was as common as piano lessons in my house.  Linda Blair had nothing on my Roller Boogie!

I had the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on vinyl and knew every word by heart.  I can't tell you how many nights were spent singing those famous love songs into my pillow and thinking in my head that I sounded exactly like my girl Olivia. "Suddenly" never sounded so good as through the vocal chords of a pre-pubescent girly-voiced boy who thought he could match Olivia's wispy soprano. 

In my bedroom I was a singer and in my driveway a disco dancin' derby boy who could skate in circles while clapping and chanting "X-A-N-A-D-U" until the sun went down.  My head was full of singing, dancing, skating through walls and lots of neon, it was fab-u-lous!

Candis Cayne and Cyndi Lauper at the NewNowNext Awards (Photo: Getty)

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.

• Cyndi Lauper's latest video, for her dance track "Into the Nightlife", was directed by Lauper herself ... at gay dance club Splash in New York City. Seriously. You can check it out over here. (And be on the lookout for a cameo by Colton Ford!)

• We reported back in September about the in-the-works Brokeback Mountain opera, and today we've gotten word that it will premiere in 2013 as a part of the New York City Opera's season. Charles Wuorinen is composing the opera.

• Worst. Stocking. Stuffer. Ever.: Heath Ledger "Joker" action figures are fetching a pretty penny on eBay, and rumors say that Mattel is scrambling to redesign the figure (to be less Ledger-y, one would assume) before The Dark Knight comes out.

Olivia Newton John shows her Pride in Los Angeles

(Photo: Getty Images)

• Olivia Newton John, Kimberley Locke, and Leeza Gibbons (yes, I just said "Leeza Gibbons") were among the entertainers at yesterday's Gay Pride festivities in Los Angeles.

• The L.A. Times has a preview of what's in store for this Sunday's Tony Awards, including presenters and performances, including the cast of Xanadu's chosen number, "Don't Walk Away". (And no, they're not going to turn into cartoon birds during the number. Though that would be awesome.)

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This morning out actor David Hyde Pierce (who won a Tony last year for Curtains) and Grey's Anatomy's Sara Ramirez (who won a Tony herself alongside Pierce in Spamalot a few years ago) announced the Tony nominations for 2008.

Best Musical: Xanadu, aka Gayness on Skates, was nominated (also for Best Book), as well as gay-pedigreed Cry-Baby (Cry-Baby also snagged a nom for Best Score and Best Book).

Best Actor in a Play: Out actor Ben Daniels (Beautiful Thing) was nominated for his brilliant (and revealing!) performance in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Best Actress in a Musical: Xanadu's Kerry Butler was nominated, as was Faith Prince for the gay-themed A Catered Affair.

Featured Actor in a Play: Out actor Raul Esparza (Pushing Daisies) was nominated for The Homecoming. And gay-fave actor Bobby Cannevale (Will & Grace) was nominated for Mauritius.

Featured Actor in a Musical: Out actor Robin De Jesus (Camp) was nominated for In the Heights.

Best Choreography: Xanadu and Cry-Baby were both nominated.

And gay composer Stephen Sondheim will be given the Lifetime Achievement Award (deservedly!). 

Of course, the big disappointment is that multiple-threat hunk Cheyenne Jackson wasn't nominated for Best Actor for his short-short-filling turn in Xanadu. Sigh. Well, we know we still haven't seen the best of him (at least, I know I haven't!). Congrats to all the nominees! The Tony Awards will be handed out on June 15th, and you can check out the full list on noms after the break!

Here he cooomes, Mr. Broadwaaay ... Suck It Up this week is all about pageants and glitter (and dancing like the manliest of men, of course!) so prepare yourselves. John and Colin also welcome an amazing guest: the winner of the second-annual Broadway Beauty Pageant, Marty Thomas!

Marty entered as Mr. Xanadu and roller-skated out of there with the title - and with that tiara! The fellas chat about Xanadu's origins, roller-skating injuries and his childhood owning of one Britney Spears on Ed McMahon's Junior Star Search. And oh yeah, they recap the most recent Damn Yankees-themed episode of Step It Up & Dance. Of course.

Check it all out after the break!

Yes, the Little Gay Rollerskating Musical That Could, Broadway's insanely camp Xanadu musical, has secured all of its leads through January of aught nine. Out lead Cheyenne Jackson, impossibly Newton-Johnny Kerry Butler, Tony Roberts, and bookend divas Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman have all renewed their contracts through next year.

Granted, I'm not a Broadway expert, but isn't that quite a hefty renewal? And for a show that no one thought would ever get off the ground, no less! Several AfterElton.com staffers (myself included, although I saw it pre-Cheyenne) have seen and loved the show, so we think this is great news. Can we credit newly-crowned Mr. Broadway (Xanadu's Marty Thomas) for giving the show the bump it needed to lock in for another nine months? We'll never know ... just go see it.

Seriously.

Fans of Cheyenne Jackson can rejoice, he's just been nominated for "Distinguished Performance" at this year's Drama League Awards for the smash Broadway musical Xanadu!

That's the good news. The bad news is that there are 69 other nominees for the same award (it reminds me of when I was in 5th grade, and was elected class president ... along with every other student in class, because our teacher didn't want anyone to feel left out). Cheyenne isn't the only out nominee; others include Charles Busch for Die Mommie Die!, Ben Daniels for Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Nathan Lane for November, and Harvey Fierstein for the book for A Catered Affair.

Joining the out men are such gay faves as Christine Baranski, Bobby Cannavale, Angela Lansbury, Laura Linney, Faith Prince, and the most likely winner, Patti Lupone for Gypsy. Of special interest is nominee Terrence Howard, for his controversial performance in the revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

I'm not sure how they pick the winners, but if Cheyenne doesn't win, at least he'll be in fine company. After the break, you can see the clip that proves once again why he is deserving of all the accolades he's received, and still will receive (cross your fingers for a Tony nomination).

Dreamgirls' Deena Jones as a Broadway Bear

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.

• I'm just gonna go ahead and place my bet that the complete collection of Broadway Bears for this year's Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS auction is the best thing I'll see all day.

• Don't forget we're liveblogging the premiere of Big Brother 9. Why? Because it includes a gay and bisexual housemate chosen because they seem compatible. Ooohhhh...

• Hey, single NYC guys and fellas whose boyfriends don't mind your ogling Broadway's humpiest triple-threat on Valentine's Day: Cheyenne Jackson and the Xanadu kids will be performing live this Thursday at Macy's, and signing bare chests autographs after.

• GLAAD got the New York Daily News to change an insensitive and defamatory headline about a transgender murder victim. Yes, I'm talking about THAT New York Daily News. No, this isn't Opposite Day.

• A gripping photo of two Hungarian gay men waiting for medical help following anti-gay violence took second place in the 51st Annual World Press Photo contest's "Contemporary Issues" category.

• BFFs Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight were snapped smoking cigarettes behind a truck on a beautiful winter day. Loving the shoes and the arms. The cancer ... not so much.

• Out.com interviewed actor/director Bob Balaban, who directed the HBO movie Bernard and Doris. (Be sure to check out our interview with star Susan Sarandon and review of the film.) Anyone remember one of Balaban's feature directorial debut, the wonderfully creepy Parents?

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