Out actors Mario Cantone and Cheyenne Jackson at the recent amfAR gala (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.

• Funny, when I think of John Barrowman making the "Music of the Night", it doesn't involve any masks, capes, or roses ... Barrowman rumored as lead in Phantom of the Opera stage sequel.

• I don't know about you, but I'd kill to see a Wham! movie. Heck, I saw Music and Lyrics because I thought it was the closest thing we'd ever get!

• Bad news for Dirt fans: It ain't coming back. Worse news for Dirt fans: You are Dirt fans. (Zing!)

• Does Top Chef daddy judge Tom Colicchio have a gay following? Um, does a bear flambe in the woods?. While we're on the topic, check out the adorable pic above of co-judge Ted Allen and his man, Barry Rice. Anyone else wondering if they play "Judges' Table" at home?

• Indiana Jones and the Insult of Doom: A video of hot young thing Shia LaBeouf — sorry, make that "drunk young thing" — goading a friend to slap him by calling him "faggot" has surfaced. Blech. Is it too late to kick him off the Hot 100?

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

Top Chef judge Ted Allen (photo by Jason Smith)

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.

• A radio personality named Dan Watson has launched the first gay commerclal radio show in Melbourne, called "The Stick Shift". I'm guessing the automotive metaphors stop there.

• As though Tom Cruise didn't hate us enough already: The American Psychoanalytic Association officially supports same-sex marriage.

• Gay Top Chef judge (and AfterElton.com fave) Ted Allen on Hillary Clinton's rumored love of hot peppers: "We don't need Hillary having to run to the can every 20 minutes ... I'd go easy on the Scotch bonnets if I were her."

• Voice gossip Michael Musto chatted up John Waters at the preview of the new Cry-Baby musical, and Waters revealed that his last Daily Show appearance prompted a call from ice-show producers who took his "Hairspray on Ice" joke seriously.

• A reader directed us to this interesting clip that shows what happened when a radio host asked American Idol's Danny Noriega if he is gay: Apparently, the AI people cut off the call. (Warning, the host uses some very NSFW language to make his point) (t/y Outrageous Orator!)

• "I'm lovin' it in a way that dare not speak its name": An officer from McDonald's Corporation joins the Board of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

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

Ever-adorable Top Chef judge Ted Allen (shopping for jeans)

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.

• Top Chef: Chicago has announced the roster of Cheffersons for the show's fourth season, and we've been told by Bravo that there are no openly gay men on this season (a first since Season 1). Ted Allen will be back as a judge, and there are lesbian contestants, but I don't know ... with Ted only making occasional appearances, it was Dale who kept me coming back every week last season.

• Amy Winehouse reminds Boy George of ... himself?

• MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski has joined colleagues Keith Olbermann and Dan Abrams in slamming John Gibson's mocking of Heath Ledger's death, noting, "I don't know how you stay on the air after something like that, quite frankly." Brzezinski gained fame for refusing to read (and tearing up) a news item on Paris Hilton and calling for Don Imus to be fired following his racist comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

• In related news, GLAAD has called for anyone offended by Gibson's comments to email and call as many people at Fox News as they can. While you have them on the phone, be sure to tell them you're sorry you dropped a house on their sister.

• Were you, like we were, "Gay for Jamie" from last week's 30 Rock? Here's more on Val Emmich, who played the adorable coffee-boy that set Frank's heart aflutter. (Thanks to Popcandy for the find!)

• Russell T Davies' upcoming 40-something gay life drama series won't be up or coming for at least a few years.

• Happy birthday, Margaret Cho!

• Dennis over at Bravo's OutZone blog confirms that Project Runway's Jack and Top Chef's Dale are officially an item. I totally called this when I met the two lovebirds at the Out 100 party, but now it's network-approved! (Registry at Sur La Table and BlueFly.com to follow.)

• BestWeekEver wonders why Vanessa Hudgens wonders why her boyfriend, Zac Efron, wonders if that shirt makes him look gay. 

On Survivor, the reunion specials offer the pleasure of seeing people who clearly loathe each other pretending (badly) that they don’t any more, as well as after-the-fact insights into the hugely misguided thinking behind their failed strategic decisions.

That’s something Top Chef can’t really replicate -- how interesting would it really be to hear reflections along the lines of “I guess in retrospect I really should have cooked that chicken all the way through” -- so the only real interest I had in watching the second reunion special this season was confirmation that it wasn’t just a horrible dream and Hung had in fact won. (Part of me was hoping we’d actually get a “do-over” challenge here, because it’s not like this show has proven itself above that kind of blatant disregard for established procedure.) Oh, and I also wanted to see if Dale is still cute. Happily, the answer is "Yes," but sadly, it’s also "Yes" to the Hung question as well.

The reunion kicks off with this very topic, as Bravo Andy (a.k.a. “Brandy”) asks if the right chef won. The only one to answer is tellingly the person who spent the least amount of time with him, Sandee, who says, Hung was “the one to beat,” apparently forgetting about the other 13 cheffersons she also wasn’t able to beat. Brandy pushes the point and directly asks if Hung should have won and is met with a show of hands. These are not, I suspect, hands raised in support of Hung but more likely requests for permission to leave the room and barf.

I was hoping that in an hour of television that managed to find time for such urgent topics as which person Gail would like to cater her wedding, Brandy would ask Hung if there’s a special someone in his life and of what gender, or at least clarify his “I can go both ways” comment from his audition tape. No such luck. Instead, Hung is given yet another chance to defend his strategy of being an a-hole. Hung blah blah blahs about not letting feelings get in the way of competition. And Dale, bless his bandana-ed heart, pipes in here that it’s also about the kind of chef you are and says he’s the type of chef who’s going to help out the person next to him, whether it’s in the restaurant kitchen or in a competition.

We’ve made it through Clay, Sandee, Micah, two Saras, and a bunch of other people I don’t really remember or care about. We’ve also made it through two wars, IQF, the Smurf Village, disasters on sea and air, dinner at the Elks, and dinner made from elks. And now, we’ve finally made it to Top Chef: Miami: Aspen, and it’s going to be coming to you (almost) live. I’m a liveblogging virgin, so please be kind. And if you can’t be kind, please be quiet.

For the occasion, I’ve lined up a festive meal for myself of an applecore amuse bouche, vanilla lobster tail, reinterpreted meatloaf, raw jerk chicken, broccolini, prosciutto cigars, black-and-blue elk, yogurt cheesy poofs, and of course everyone’s favorite -- salmon -- all stored in the fabulous, handy Glad family of products. (There you go, Glad people. I did it just like you asked, so you can go ahead and send me that check now.) And of course I’ve got my big bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin (ditto for you Bombay). I plan on drinking whenever Padma does, so who knows if I’ll even be able to type after the Quickfire. This should be, if not coherent, at least interesting.

Tonight all our Top Chef questions will be answered. Will Casey’s frog Grandmama have a Pan-Asian family recipe to help the perky Rachel-lookalike to victory? Will Chef Tom like the taste of Hung, if the Robochef starts, as directed, putting more of himself in every bite? Will Dale remember to count how many judges there are and make enough entrees? And most importantly, where is Ted and what have they done to him?

Across the blogosphere, Hung or Casey are the odds-on favorites, but here, we’ll only let ourselves celebrate if the self-proclaimed “Big Gay Chef” wins. He might not be crowned Top Chef, but here at AfterElton.com, Dale will always be Top.

Liveblogging starts after the jump a few minutes before 10PM EDT!