Mitch Hewer as Maxxie on Skins

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.

• Fans of randy British teen dramas rejoice! Skins, a beloved (and racy!) nighttime soap featuring Mitch Hewer as gay teen Maxxie, will premiere on BBC America in August.

• John Barrowman took second place as Britain's cheesiest celebrity, barely nosing out Graham Norton but losing to former EastEnders star Shane Richie. The contest was run by a cheese company who should probably put themselves on the list next year for devising such a pungent promotion.

• And speaking of Barrowman, could he be on the list of Doctor Who companions who might be killed off (if you listen to rumors) in this weekend's big finale?

• Good news: Both Neil Patrick Harris and T.R. Knight have made the Emmy nomination "short lists". No, I'm not making fun of their stature.

• Gay video retailer (and porn distributor) TLA is coming under fire for making Heath Ledger's full-frontal in I'm Not There the selling point for the DVD in their catalog. On the one hand, the pickle-shot in question is certainly news to me. On the other, a dead guy's junk is a pretty trashy way to sell a DVD.

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This quick (35-second) clip from Torchwood was apparently considered too "racy" to air, but if you're a fan of the show, it's a hoot. Ianto and Jack have a discussion about Rhys, and Ianto learns a valuable lesson: Never give Jack an opportunity to brag about his junk!

You can check out the clip (which comes, appropriately enough, from the episode entitled "Meat") after the break. Am I the only who's fairly certain that John Barrowman really enjoyed filming this scene? (Big t/y to Diana for the tip!)

THE INTERNET IS FOR SPORE:
Last geek I told you about the Spore creature creator, which had just made its debut. Since then, that sample of the highly anticipated evolution sim made quite a splash on the Internet. Sure, first it was the phallic creations that got plenty of attention, but those got boring quickly (even when EA threatened to ban users who uploaded naughty creatures). There were over a million creatures uploaded to the Sporepedia and plenty were interesting for other reasons.

Some gamers uploaded creatures that looked like video game controllers. Isn't that rather like having your sims play The Sims?

Those weren't the only inanimate objects to be turned into Spore creatures:

I found these creatures that resemble produce super kawaii (not that it stopped me from having a snack of steamed artichoke and a berry salad).

Does this mean I'll be able to create a world populated by vicious, carnivorous tomatoes in Spore? Can. Not. Wait.

GAYMERS ASSEMBLE!:
Hopefully this will be the amazing resource it promises to be: GayGamer.net net is looking to compile a list of all LGBT guilds and clans to be found. It's no fun signing on to a game where you don't know anyone and find yourself debating how honest you should be with any teams you may find, so hopefully this'll make it easier to find other LGBT gamers to connect with.

After the break: Pride comes to Paragon City, Metal Gear Solid goes gay and more!

Shaun and Paul from Janice Dickinson (Photo: Brook Pifer)

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 gay couple Shaun and Paul from last season's Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency have been cut from the next season (does this mean they're still models?).

• We wrote about tonight's episode of 30 Days yesterday, focusing on the show's exploration of a conservative religious woman who lives with a gay couple and their kids. GLAAD has criticized the episode for the way that false anti-gay information is presented in it uncorrected.

• For hardcore Torchwoodies: the show's official magazine (from Titan, who specializes in this kind of thing) came out last week and it covers everything from Ianto's rise to prominence to the fashions of Captain Jack.

George Carlin

• The Independent has released its annual Pink List of the UK's most influential gays and lesbians, and it's filled to the brim with our faves, ranging from Sir Ian McKellen to Russell T Davies to Derren Brown.

• A reader kindly pointed out that comic legend George Carlin, who passed away over the weekend from heart failure at age 71, played Nick Nolte's gay neighbor in The Prince of Tides (directed, of course, by Barbra Streisand). Here's an interesting interview with Carlin from the time about how he approached the role: "I've always admired gay humor," he said. "It's bittersweet, bitchy, to-the-point and honest. So that was already in me somewhere." (t/y Booker Guy!)

• And just because it's close to my heart, today marks the 38th anniversary of the release of the colossally bizarre and pretty much disastrous (and therefore totally awesome) film adaptation of Gore Vidal's gender-bending masterwork Myra Breckinridge.

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Who's who? John Barrowman David Tennant Catherine Tate something something

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.

• Great news, Torchwoodies and Barrowmaniacs®: Captain Jack and team will be appearing on the Season 4 Doctor Who finale (yes, Ianto will be there, too, although he's not in the above pic).

• A book by a gay man about double-dating with his octogenarian father? What's more, it's got the brilliant title Assisted Loving? Sign me up!

• Since we have a policy of not speculating on the sexuality of celebrities, I'm just going to go ahead and wish Garfield a "Happy Birthday" without any further comment. 

• Out actor Neil Patrick Harris and gay-fave Pushing Daisies (and Wicked) star Kristin Chenowith will announce the nominees for the 60th Annual Primetime Emmys on July 17th.

• I'm as big a fan of gratuitous beefcake as anyone else, believe me. But isn't Mario Lopez trying a little hard lately?

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Fans of Science Fiction TV often bemoan how the most major awards overlook their shows as a niche unworthy of comparisons to the likes of The West Wing or The Practice. Even the more forward-thinking Television Critics Association snubbed Battlestar Galactica for their awards this year, despite its earning mountains of praise from its members. Thankfully, we have the SyFy Genre Awards.

The nominees were announced last week and gay fave series Battlestar Galactica gained the most nominations, with eleven honors directed its way. But the Russell T. Davies-led Doctor Who and Torchwood managed to tie that number together with Who winning six nominations and Torchwood picking up five, including a Best Actor nomination for out actor John Barrowman.

Davies wasn't the only gay producer to do well in the nominations: Bryan Fuller's Pushing Daisies picked up a nomination in both the Best Actor (Lee Pace) and Best Actress (Anna Friel) categories. Out actor George Takei is also nominated for Best Special Guest for his role in Heroes.

I have to admit, it's nice to have a list of awards nominees that doesn't have my muttering to my computer monitor, "Okay fine, overlook Tricia Helfer's multiple roles but ignoring Mary McDonnell?" It's even nicer to see the likes of Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who's Martha Jones) and David Tennant (Doctor Who) getting some due credit Stateside. It's tempting to get into "Who was snubbed" talk but the idea of some of these performers getting some due credit make me happy enough.

You'll be able to vote on the winners at SyFyPortal.com starting June 25. Check out the full list of TV nominees after the break:

That's right, folks: You voted, and decided that Captain Jack (John Barrowman) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) gave us the hottest lip-locks of the year as on-again, off-again lovers and Torchwood colleagues. (Given the nature of their working relationship, does that mean that Ianto always has to clean up the office after? Ruuuuude...)

If you didn't catch the kissing action in question, I've posted the clip after the break of their most recent smooch. And if you didn't catch the NewNowNext Awards when they aired on Saturday night, be sure to check out the whole show over here.

You might remember that in March certain rumors surfaced about how the third season of Torchwood might look like a very different show. Considering all the rumors I heard during the thrid season of Doctor Who, I initially scoffed at these wild rumors; after all, Freema Agyeman is still working in the Whoverse, the series isn't in the midst of its final season and James Nesbitt hasn't been cast as the eleventh Doctor.

Okay, perhaps it means something that all those ridiculous rumors came from the same source.

However, piece by piece, that radical-sounding Torchwood prophecy rumor is making more and more sense. First, two of the three actors predicted to be gone in season three were written out in the season finale. Now, TV Guide is reporting that the BBC has only ordered five episodes for season three, and that these five episodes will run all in one week, like a miniseries.

The good news? John Barrowman is signed on to appear in season three, so at least that part of the rumor is looking untrue. However, TV Guide also says that the series will run on BBC1, instead of BBC3, where the series debuted and was allowed to be more adult-oriented than Doctor Who. Is this a sign that Torchwood will return aimed at the younger and more general Doctor Who audience? We'll have to keep an eye on this story as it develops. Hopefully, we'll get an answer soon after the current Doctor Who season concludes in July.

Hitler's not happy about the demise of Tosh & Owen

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.

• MUST SEE -- Hitler receives intel on the Torchwood season finale via his senior officers. Courtesy of MadameVideoland, it's a brilliant pairing of faux subtitles and a German language Hitler movie.

• For three seasons, openly gay actor Eric Millegan has played Bones' sweet and mild-mannered Dr. Zack Addy. That's why it was a bit of a shock to fans when the character was revealed to be a villain on last Monday's season finale. TV Guide gets the scoop directly from series creator, Hart Hanson.

Eric Millegan

• You might recall Will Wikle as the openly gay contestant from from Big Brother season 5. More recently he's co-hosted Logo's travel program: Round Trip Ticket. Word on the street is he's just been cast as Alan Cumming's love interest in the upcoming independent film, Shifting the Canvas.

Will Wikle (left) & Alan Cumming

This installment of briefs brought to you by......

All good things must come to an end, as the cliche goes, and yesterday gay writer Russell T. Davies announced that he would soon be stepping down as Executive Producer of Doctor Who. Davies will step down after the series of specials that will air next year and another acclaimed writer, Steven Moffat, will take charge of the show for its fifth season.

Under Davies, the long-running series managed to reach new viewers, as well as reconnect with those who had been Who fans throughout the decades. Davies added some gay inclusiveness to the franchise, most notably by introducing the first bisexual companion for The Doctor (Captain Jack Harkness) and making the character (played by the openly gay John Barrowman) the lead in his own spin-off series. Davies' run has also seen gay characters pop up every so often and has given roles to openly gay actors like Andrew Hayden-Smith and Russell Tovey as well as actors best known for playing gay like Coronation Street's Bruno Langley and Ryan Carnes of Desperate Housewives and Eating Out.

Hayden-Smith, Tovey, Langley and Carnes in their Doctor Who roles

Davies also gave Who a gay sensibility. Under Davies, The Doctor's companions have included gay icons such as British pop diva Billie Piper, comedienne Catherine Tate and pop legend Kylie Minogue. Davies' Who run also saw parodies of British reality TV (including gay fave Big Brother), sonic weaponry disguised as lipstick and last Christmas' special, "Voyage of the Damned", which was heavily influenced by The Poseidon Adventure.

What's next for Davies isn't clear yet. He will be working on the second season of Doctor Who's kid-oriented spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, but fans of Davies' other Who spin-off, Torchwood, are still waiting to hear the details of the third season (though there will be one). Last October, Davies announced plans to develop a series about the experiences of fourtysomething gay men, but Davies warned that show was "years away," citing his busy schedule. Will quitting Who give Davies time to focus on this new project?