Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears is telling Tales

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.

• It looks like that rumored Tales of the City musical we mentioned a few months back has become a beautiful reality. The "large-scale" show, based on the first of Armistead Maupin's classic books, will hit the Great White Way in the 2009 season courtesy of Avenue Q bookwriter Jeff Whitty and Scissor Sisters' Jason Sellards (better known as Jake Shears) and John Garden.

• GLAAD has teamed with the gayest non-gay net out there, Bravo, to air the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards later this year. This marks the first time the awards will be broadcast on a fully distributed national cable channel.

• The gays like John Krasisnski, and he likes them right back.

• The Lambda Literary Foundation announced the nominees for its awards recognizing excellence in gay books, and our own Brent Hartinger is among the nominees for his young adult double-novella, Split Screen (in the Bisexual category). Congrats, Brent!

• Hey, Pushing Daisies fans! Our own Dan is out at the Paley Fest and has lots of fun updates on the show (including pics of out creator Bryan Fuller and the delightful cast) over on his site, The Pie Maker.

• The Advertising Standards Authority rejected the 54 complaints filed against the UK "Some people are gay. Get over it!" anti-bullying campaign. Good for them. Because they really do need to get over it.

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

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 don't know which news is more exciting: that Scissor Sisters are heading back to the studio to record their next album (which may feature a collaboration with Kylie Minogue) or that Jake Shears has been working for a year on the numbers for a musical version of Tales of the City. Seriously, how perfect is that?!

• Instinct mag's cover touts the first openly gay Chippendales dancer. Uh ... from the looks of it, he's also the troupe's first demon. What's with the eyebrows, dude?!

• The documentary A Jihad for Love, which explores the lives of gay Muslims, has been picked up for U.S. theatrical and DVD distribution by First Run Features, who last year released the similarly themed For the Bible Tells Me So.

• Counterfeit Skin, a new play about modern gay love by Jason Charles, opens next week in London. Not to be confused with Mysterious Skin, The Skin of Our Teeth, or No Skin Off My *ss.

• David Hyde Pierce fans take note: the Tony-winning out actor will be appearing on Good Morning America tomorrow at 8AM EST with his Curtains castmates to promote the Warm Coats and Warm Hearts drive.
  

• Michael Petrelis has a piece up looking at some of the gay media response to the UCSF's sensationally-headlined staph infection report ("Sexually active gay men vulnerable to new, highly infectious bacteria" ... as are schoolchildren, people who go to the gym, your mom, etc.), which was picked up across the country, including in the NY Times.

Today is a day for fans of costume-loving, glam-rocking, gaytastic music lovers to celebrate: the documentary DVD Hurrah! A Year of Ta-Dah hits shelves just in time for the holidays.

The DVD shares the last year of the Scissor Sisters' tour to promote their new album, and is essential viewing for anyone who wants to know more about what makes this fab five tick. Although the group is from New York City, the bulk of their sequin-drenched fame has come from fans in Europe and the UK, which has been a source of mucho frustration for fans Stateside who haven't been able to see the band on tour or see many of their overseas promotional efforts.

The core of the DVD is the group's insanely glamorous final tour show in London (complete with giant bobblehead versions of the band members and a giant light-up stage shaped like their scissorlegs logo), but it also features the videos from the Ta-Dah album and a documentary that follows the band across the continent.

I'm a fan of the band and thought their second album, which received a warm response critically but was considered by many to be a misstep after their debut smash, was sheer brilliance. And even though I'm familiar with the band, the candid behind-the-scenes footage made me love them even more.

If you've got any music lovers on your Christmas gifting list, this one's a sure bet. And be sure to check it out yourself, whether you feel like dancin' or no. I've included the brilliant, puppetry-assisted one-take video of the single "She's My Man" after the break (be sure to check out the DVD for a segment on how they pulled it all off).

• Did anyone catch Enchanted over the weekend? Was anyone else this disappointed in the gay joke, or in the movie overall?

• If anyone can tell me what on Earth this Japanese show Todoroki is all about, I'd be able to sleep much better.

• Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears (pictured at top) and Babydaddy are huge Take That fans. Who knew?!

• For the Bible Tells Me "No!": Christian bookstores refusing to carry gay Bible study book. Next thing you know, they'll be refusing to stock And Tango Makes Three! Oh, what? They do? Never mind.

• We'll stop fawning over Project Runway's Jack Mackenroth as soon as he stops taking his clothes off for pictures (site NSFW). We swear.

Following on from his much acclaimed documentary, The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, openly gay actor, writer, comedian and television personality Stephen Fry embarks on yet another deeply personal journey: HIV.

Like the manic depressive documentary, HIV is another medical issue close to Fry’s heart. In Stephen Fry: HIV and Me, the comedian delves into the complex world of HIV and, in his usual critical but compassionate manner, examines society’s understanding of the virus. And he discovers that, despite the availability of effective medication, infections are still rising and that a third of those infected don't even know they are positive.

In the early Eighties, Fry watched as many of his closest friends became infected and subsequently died from the disease. Back then, little was known about AIDS. In the UK, we were warned of its dangers via the "Don't Die of Ignorance" campaign. However, some 20 years on, we’re still losing the fight.

Some 25 million people worldwide are estimated to have died from AIDS-related illnesses. And infections are rising, particularly amongst the young, black African communities, and heterosexuals. In fact, the number of new infections amongst straight people now outweighs those in the gay community.

To illustrate the changing face of the virus, Fry meets people we certainly wouldn't expect to be affected, including a positive grandmother and a 16-year-old schoolgirl who was born with the virus. In Doncaster, once known as the "HIV capital of the North", Fry challenges young people about their attitudes toward promiscuity and unsafe sex.

HIV is the fastest growing serious health condition in the UK. There are now 70,000 people living with HIV and up to a third of them are unaware they have the virus. The Terrence Higgins Trust estimates that at least 400,000 people could have HIV by 2032 if current trends continue.

In this two-part documentary, which is part of the BBC's two-month HIV awareness campaign, Fry himself takes an HIV test, and he gets to meet his first love from Cambridge, who is now HIV positive. (It's worth noting that Fry starred in Kenneth Branagh's 1992 ensemble dramedy Peter's Friends, in which a group of chums from the 80s are reunited to learn that one has AIDS.)

The documentary also features interviews with other celebrities, including George Michael (whose comments were notably edited upon the artist's request), Erasure's Andy Bell and Ana Matronic of Scissor Sisters fame.

Stephen Fry: HIV and Me airs tonight, October 2, on BBC2 at 9pm. For preview clips, check out the BBC homepage.

• Liberals are putting pressure on companies that advertise on Fox News, due to the channel's notorious lack of "fair and balanced" coverage. Bill O'Reilly lifts head for a moment, then goes back to devouring kittens.
• Scissor Sisters want your fan videos for their second DVD video collection. Hey -- it's cheaper than hiring Michel Gondry.
• An interesting article on gays in business in Australia ran today in the otherwise straight news/business publication The Age. I'm almost sorry to admit I like the "Fruits in Suits" bit.





• "ABC Family"'s uber-gay friendly Greek just got picked up for another ten episodes. That means we'll keep getting more of one the best new gay characters on TV.
  
• Towleroad has a sneak peek at latest issue of DNA.