World of Wonder's Fenton Bailey and Frameline's Michael Lumpkin 

In Park City, Albertsons’ supermarket is the great leveler: stars and plebeians alike, without braving guest lists, swing by and mix it up. My cashier had spotted Jessica Alba and Patrick Stewart amongst others coming through.

There was certainly no shortage of food at Sunday’s Outfest Queer Brunch, which was presented by here! Networks. Expected guest Paris Hilton was a no-show (“she slept in,” I was told – but she did manage to show up at Regent’s party for upcoming release The Hottie and the Nottie, in which she stars, later that eve), but the place was hoppin’ with schmooze, friends, and some disco dancing. Oh – and a brief bite of politics regarding the importance of digitizing queer film and ensuring its permanent survival.

The altitude isn’t the only thing high around here. World of Wonder’s Fenton Bailey and I shared a taxi cab driven by Park City’s most Zen-y drug dealer. After offering us bottles of V8, he very politely asked us if we needed “party favors.” Then he elaborated on what’s on tap, interjecting compliments like, “You guys have positive energy! You’re shining stars!” I was also running late to the Queer Lounge. Oh, he had some other things to offer as well. “If you want I can bring some of my friends, young, beautiful, pure.” As a parting gift, he handed me a Xanax. Fenton was lucky enough to stay in the taxi and head to a second stop, an even longer trip (so to speak) riddled with wrong turns, during which our new friend revealed he was a trauma nurse! Alas, Fenton was way, way late by the time he arrived at his destination to meet WOW partner Randy Barbato, whose energy was not exactly positive by then. They didn’t get Xanax swag, either!

Ah, swag take two. Rex Lee has been making out quite well. He even had himself a facial at the lovely, art-filled St. Ives Sensory Spa & Gallery. “I enjoy facials,” he later told me. “I love being pampered!” And I love the new moisturizing cleansers I managed to take away (this mountain air is drying!).

I ran into Lee at the Queer Lounge’s panel (moderated by The Advocate’s fabulous Anne Stockwell) for HBO’s upcoming WOW production, “When I Knew,” which will air this June. GLBTQ guests could record their own accounts of that pivotal revelation in a QL booth, which will later appear online (as well as accounts shot for the production).

A few queer interest films have been screened over the past couple of days. Sunshine Cleaning, about a couple of sisters who start a crime scene cleanup company, had a lesbian character in Mary Lynn Rajskub (24, Mysterious Skin), but its allegedly filmed lesbian kiss – between Rajskub and Emily Blunt - had been snipped.

Mysteries of Pittsburgh also had quite a lot of its queer content removed, at least from its Michael Chabon source novel. Peter Sarsgaard plays bi again. As for the mystery? It’s a snoozer!

Riechen Lehmkuhl at the Queer Lounge 

After a mellow opening Thursday night at the Sundance Film Festival – with opening film In Bruges – and rowdy shindig at concurrent festival Slamdance, things have sparked to life here in Park City, Utah. Celebs are appearing, much to the delight of paparazzi stalking Main Street – I walked alongside Alan Rickman, who attracted a handful of shutterbugs. Allegedly, Ang Lee was spotted drinking a Gatorade in Albertsons' supermarket. Colin Farell is all over the place. And I ran into High School Musical 2 co-star Kaycee Stroh in the Reaction swag lounge admiring Unstoppable brand "F*ck You" hats. Not that she can wear them just yet. "When I'm no longer with Disney, totally!"

Ah, swag, another "S" word that entails part of the Sundance hubbub. Being that today wasn't a heavy movie day for me – the queer films start bowing on Saturday (including Amy Redford's The Guitar, Isaac Julien's Derek, and Bruce LaBruce's Otto, or Up With Dead People) – I spent time investigating the numerous Main Street swag enclaves.

At the Revaleskin Rejuvenation Lounge I was treated to an EarTherapy consultation, during which my ears were inspected and massaged; Her Native Roots survival kits; cool organic Eco Gear, and of course Revaleskin products, which utilize uber-antioxidant-loaded coffee bean berries. At The Reaction Hospitality Lounge & In Touch Café at STEREO had some primo stuff including Triple Five Soul jackets and new Kenneth Cole scents (sales of which benefit Hope USA and Habitat for Humanity).

Meanwhile, The Queer Lounge opened its doors. And the evening ended with the Outfest Filmmaker Party at the Heineken Lounge, where Eating Out producer Michael J. Shoel told me an Eating Out 3 is in the works, to be co-written by Q. Allan Brocka and EO2 director Philip Bartell … Yes, things have just started and it only gets gayer from here!

Saturday morning kicked off with the press and industry screening of Amy Redford’s The Guitar, in which out actress Saffron Burroughs portrays a milquetoast New Yorker who, after discovering she has terminal cancer, goes credit card happy and has hot lesbian (and bisexual three-way!) sex. I found it entertaining, which seems to be the minority opinion asofar. “I thought it was dishonest,” scoffed a colleague. Well, sure. It’s fiction.

And off to the Queer Lounge for the PlanetOut Short Film Awards shindig. In fact there was a lot of lounging going on over the weekend. The Donnas performed a juicy set on Saturday night as part of the party for Isaac Julien’s Derek, a fantastic documentary/retrospective of the late Derek Jarman’s queer landmark work.

Next Tuesday, November 20th, is the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which memorializes those who have died as a result of anti-transgender violence or prejudice. To commemorate the day, GLAAD has released a new PSA in their "Be an Ally & a Friend" campaign that features transgender actress Alexandra Billings, T.R. Knight, Rex Lee, Jamie Bamber and more.

Check out the video after the jump, and head on over to GLAAD's website for more on the campaign.

Entertainment Weekly takes a fun look at TV's great assistants including the gay assistants played by Rex Lee (Entourage's Lloyd) and Michael Urie (Ugly Betty's Marc) as well as Jack McBrayer (30 Rock's gay-seeming Kenneth.) That got me thinking about past examples of gay TV assistants...

Stuart Glazer (Action!)

As bad as Ari Gold may get, things could never be as bad for Lloyd as what poor Stuart (played by out gay actor Jack Plotnick) faced working as a Hollywood assistant. As Peter Dragon's assistant, Stuart had to deal with a temperamental and callous boss who took his frustrations out on Stuart.

Brian (The Larry Sanders Show)

When Hank's assistant, Darlene, suddenly quit on him, Brian (played by out actor Scott Thompson) was able to seize the job opening. When Hank realized he was gay, Hank tried to find an excuse to fire Brian, but quickly realized that Brian was too valuable an assistant to give up.

***SPOILERS***

Those watching Sunday night's episode of HBO's Entourage "Dog Day Afternoon" saw that Lloyd (Rex Lee) was truly willing to put the "personal" in personal assistant for his boss Ari (Jeremy Piven). Reeling from the loss of super client Vincent Chase (Adrien Grenier), Ari is desperate to sign a high-flying television writer played by Will Sasso (channeling a parody version of Desperate Housewives' creator Marc Cherry).

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Ari is so desperate to land the client that he persuades Lloyd to show Sasso a very good time. And by good, I mean Heidi Fleiss good. But Ari isn't the utterly soulless, heartless bastard we've been led to believe and before Lloyd can "consummate" the deal, Ari comes to his rescue in a West Hollywood gay bar. Indeed, the episode made it very clear that while there isn't something romantic going on between Lloyd and Ari, there is something more than just an employer/employee relationship.

AfterElton.com recently had the chance to talk with Lee about the unusual relationship between "gaysian" Lloyd and the uber-straight Ari.

Thus endeth another week and the AfterElton crack team of Flying Monkeys is almost as relieved as Don Imus must be. I hope you've got nice weather headed your way, but Brian tells me so much rain is expected in New York that the animals are pairing off and looking for anyone named Noah. Might be a good weekend to stay in and watch Entourage which I explain in this week's BEST.GAY.WEEK.EVER! column is centered around Ari's (Jeremy Piven) out personal assistant Lloyd (Rex Lee). Check back on Monday for our short interview with Rex about what went down--or nearly so--on Sunday night's episode.

Sunday night you also get to meet Kevin's (Matthew Rhys) next love interest on Brothers & Sisters. He's played by Eric Winter and is Senator McCallister's younger brother. No same-sex kisses this episode, but there are fireworks. Oh, and Kevin continues to botch things up romantically. Sigh.