Cheyenne Jackson (R) and designer/Ugly Betty star Kenneth Cole

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 his attempts to get a crowd of extras riled up on the Milk shoot, Sean Penn referred to Sean Hannity as Rupert Murdoch's "butt boy". Er ... probably not the best choice of words, Sean.

• Broadway's Cheyenne Jackson will host the Live Out Loud Young Trailblazers Gala, a benefit for the organization, which aims to provide mentorship and support to LGBT youth. Seriously, Cheyenne, you can stop trying so hard to make me fall in love with you. It's getting a little embarrassing.

• Up north, Canadian Television (CTV) allegedly yanked an "ex-gay" ministry ad after receiving complaints that it was discriminatory. (Warning: links to a religious site, if you're not into that kind of thing.) If so, good for them.

• The BAFTA television award nominees have been announced, with three gay men (Stephen Fry, Simon Amstell, and Alan Carr) up for the Best Entertainment Performer prize. Additionally, out actor Sir Antony Sher is up for Best Actor for his role in Primo.

• Curtains, the show for which David Hyde Pierce won a Tony (and thanked his partner when receiving it), will close on June 29th after 537 total performances.

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

From Rupert Everett to Stephen Fry, from Graham Norton to Sir Ian McKellen, there are several openly gay British celebrities who seem to have made the transition across the pond to American consciousness. But one who has yet to do so is 28-year-old comedian and TV presenter Simon Amstell - and in the meantime, I think Americans are missing out.

Amstell first became a part of my life as a co-host on the cult Sunday morning pop music show Popworld (2000-2006), which took an acerbic - not to say savage - approach to its musical guests, as opposed to the fawning approach favored by most TV shows. While I sometimes felt a bit sorry for the bland cheesy pop stars who trotted into the studio, only to be ripped to shreds by Simon, he was also capable of putting the boot in where it was truly deserved.

In an interview with notoriously homophobic reggae star Beenie Man, for example, Simon explained that he had just broken up with his boyfriend, and then asked for a hug. (Beenie Man said no. Simon gave him a banana with his phone number written on it). In an interview with Lloyd Banks, of 50 Cent’s macho, humorless G-Unit, Simon innocently asked “When was the last time you said ‘Come on fellas, get into the spirit! It’s gay night!’” In an interview with the fat rapper Bizarre, of Eminem’s group D12, Simon first asked to touch his stomach, and then, when Bizarre refused, said “I bet you’ve let Eminem touch it.”

That’s not to say that Amstell necessarily let his gay guests get off easily. In an interview with U.K. gay mag Attitude last year, former Savage Garden star Darren Hayes talked about visiting Popworld in order to promote his 2004 album The Tension and the Spark. Hayes was still closeted at the time, and according to him:

“I sat on Simon’s couch and we were in the middle of the interview and he said ‘so, when are you going to come out then?’ [...] I said ‘Excuse me?’ and he said ‘well, you're obviously gay, but why won't you come out?’ My reaction was so violent. Rather than deny it I said ‘Oh, you want to talk about my sex life, do you?’ [Simon] blinked and I said ‘Yeah, I like to f***, actually. I'm probably more of a top and if you lay on your back I'll show you how I like to f***.’”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this part of the interview was cut when the segment aired. While Hayes refers to Amstell as “a total prick”, he admits that this event was crucial in spurring him to come out (which he eventually did in 2006):

“I had to come out after that [...] I couldn't let any other complete stranger have that power to rubbish me in the public again. [...] I couldn't allow my sexuality to be this flimsy carpet underneath me that could be ripped out at a moment’s notice.”

This episode leaves me torn: While I don’t generally approve of forced outings, and while I’m sympathetic to Hayes, I do also have a certain sympathy for Amstell’s approach of refusing to treat homosexuality as a dirty secret that can’t be mentioned.

For more on Amstell and some clips of him on his show, click on through the jump...