Neil gets Bruce: NPH and Vilanch co-presenting at the Academy of Magical Arts Awards

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.

• Neil Patrick Harris was the call-in trivia guest on last weekend's Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! show on NPR. (You can listen to it via the link.) The hosts asked him about his coming out before grilling him on obscure facts.

• Melbourne news anchor Peter Hitchener recently came out as gay in an interview, for no apparent reason other than that he felt like sharing it after more than 20 years of delivering the news every evening to hundreds of thousands of people. Awesome! (t/y Chris for the tip!)

• Americans for Truth's Peter LaBarbara (and I'm sorry, that's a drag name if I've ever heard one) take Out's naming of Anderson Cooper as an opportunity to bash gay media AND call Coop's integrity into question. All your bases covered, Pete? Yep, two corpses, everything's fine...

• Loath though I am to get anything close to excited about an Adam Sandler movie after the disappointing Chuck & Larry, the above You Don't Mess With the Zohan preview actually made me laugh once. And I'll take more Alec Mapa, even as a sassy hairdresser sidekick.

• This one slipped by us: Van Hansis will be among the soap stars on-hand to announce the Daytime Emmy nominations on The View on April 30.

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

We've mentioned the new Logo dating show Transamerican Love Story a few times, mostly for host gay comedian Alec Mapa, who has been turning up in everything from Ugly Betty to Dirty Laundry lately. But the show itself is actually pretty interesting, and bachelorette Calpernia Addams is very sweet in a kind of Drew Barrymore-esque way.

Here's another interesting tidbit for you trivia lovers: Addams, a longtime transgender activist, became known to many when her tragic love affair with Barry Winchell, a young soldier in the airborne infantry, was made into the movie Soldier's Girl. Winchell was murdered by his colleagues for dating a transgender woman, and the film (which earned three Golden Globe nominations) is an incredibly moving love story.

Many people remember the film but may not realize that the actor who played Addams in Soldier's Girl was none other than Lee Pace, better known these days as the doe-eyed piemaker from recent Gay People's Choice winner Pushing Daisies. Pace garnered a Golden Globe nod himself for his fearless performance.

Check out the trailer to see Pace as Addams.

The new fall TV season is upon us which means there's a new line-up of shows to discover. However, only a third of those shows will get a second season and, unfortunately, some will be worthy of a second (or third or fourth). As a fan of "Brilliant but Canceled" shows myself, here are a few shows that included gay characters and deserved a longer run.

My So-Called Life (ABC)

A teen drama that managed to find the fine line between exploring teen angst without letting their characters come off as shallow and self-obsessed, My So-Called Life managed to realistically explore issues teens faced, especially with gay teen Ricky Vasquez, memorably played by Wilson Cruz. Despite a loyal fanbase, the show struggled against Mad About You and a freshman Friends on Thursday nights and ABC canceled the series. Reruns on MTV, however, helped the show find an even larger audience.

Action! (Fox)

A cynical and bitter view of Hollywood, Action focused on Peter Dragon, a selfish and mean-spirited movie producer fighting to maintain his clout after his latest film bombs. Peter heaped abuse on his gay assistant Stuart (played by out actor Jack Plotnick) while repeatedly losing power games against Bobby Gianopolis, a gay mogul whose generous endowment would mesmerize Peter. One of Action's many memorable episodes came when Peter has sex with a closeted star (played by Richard Burgi) in order to convince him to stay closeted. The series also featured Fab Filippo, who'd later play Justin's violinist boyfrined on Queer as Folk, as a drug addicted young star.

• Republican San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders reverses his stance on gay marriage after considering his gay daughter and staff members: "In the end, I could not look any of them in the face and tell them that their relationships -- their very lives -- were any less meaningful than the marriage that I share with my wife Rana." Related: I just reversed my stance on not crying at work.
• AMC has reportedly renewed its big-gamble original drama Mad Men, which has a gay man amidst its Vitalised cast.
• Further boosting its diversity and gay-friendliness, Ugly Betty has added "America's Gaysian Sweetheart," Alec Mapa, to its cast in a recurring role.
• If you've ever wondered what a Japanese gay variety television show would look like, head on over here to watch a clip from Onee-mans, an apparently very popular program. Bravo, get on this!!
• For you Dante's Cove devotees: the next season will debut Friday, October 19th, with new castmembers Reichen Lehmkuhl, Jenny Shimizu, and Jensen Atwood.
  

Laughing Matters: Gay Comedy in America (Logo) 8:00 PM EDT
A comedy special featuring Alec Mapa and Bob Smith, among others? I am so there.

Flipping Out (Bravo) 10:00 PM EDT
Jeff Lewis continues to deliver the drama as he considers the value of having a psychic bless a house and fights with his business partner (not to mention ex-boyfriend) about who gets to live in the biggest estate they've worked on so far. For a preview of the episode, check out below the jump.

Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in all the World 10:00 PM EDT
Has this comedy only been on a one-week break? Because I feel like I've gone without this hysterical animated comedy for much longer. This week's episode finds the characters enjoying a gay cruise with the boys attending the Seamen Dance, while Kirsten and Dana attend Mommy Boot Camp class. After the jump, check out a video on how the puppets are created, courtesy of the series' website.

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Heartland (TNT) 8:00 PM EDT
So far, I haven't paid much attention to this medical drama on TNT. I haven't specifically been avoiding it, I just have so many TiNo'ed shows sitting unwatched is pretty long and I never heard anything to convince me that I needed to add to my "to watch" list. However, tonight's episode guest stars Alec Mapa. That's gotten my attention.

Greek (ABC Family) 9:00 PM EDT
From what I can tell from the previews, it looks like Calvin's father shows up in tonight's episode, leading to Calvin coming out to his dad. I still suspect Calvin isn't closeted at Cyprus-Rhodes University, so it'll be interesting to see if that's the case, with his still hiding that part of himself to his family.

Friday

Doctor Who (Sci-Fi Channel) 8:00 PM EDT
The third season of out writer/producer Russel T Davies' revival of the long-lasting TV series makes its American debut. I'm pretty new to the Who universe but Davies' version had me from the very beginning with for having a sense of fun while also giving us some very thought-provoking stories. It didn't hurt, either, that I knew John Barrowman would join the cast.

Tonight's 150-minute debut includes an appearance by Catherine Tate, as well as the introduction of Freema Agyeman's Martha Jones. If you haven't realized what how cool Ms Tate can be check out the comedy sketch after the cut teaming Tate with David Tennant.

The Henry Rollins Show (IFC) 11:00 PM EDT
Placebo is scheduled to perform on tonights show. You might remember them for the time their gay bassist and gay singer shared an on-stage kiss in Lithuania.

Saturday

The Graham Norton Show
This week's guests include Joss Stone and Dennis Hopper. I don't know why I'm enjoying Norton so much more than I've enjoyed his earlier talk shows, but this one has been a weekly must-see program for me.

Sunday

Wisecrack Marathon (Logo) starting at 1:00 PM EDT
Logo's airing three hours of its stand-up comedy series Wisecrack today, starting with Alec Mapa, with specials featuring Miss Coco Peru and Dough Holsclaw airing afterwards. A good comedy special never gets old for me, and I find Mapa's just hilarious.