Tony winners David Hyde Pierce are and Sara Ramirez are all smiles at this morning's announcement

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.

• The other day we mentioned that Neil Patrick Harris and Rosie O'Donnell would be among the celebrity guests on the upcoming primetime Million Dollar Password. Here's a rather hilarious interview with NPH behind-the-scenes, compete with another excellent Regis impression.

• Hiding in Hip Hop author Terrance Dean will be reading from the tell-most book this week in NYC, and taking Q&A. Check out AfterElton.com contributor Clay Cane's site for details.

• Hey Freak Show fans: Check out this kinda hilarious video of author James St. James reading from his brilliant young adult novel along with several other Lambda Literary Award nominees at A Different Light bookstore, hosted by Christopher Rice.

• In case you missed it, Neil Patrick Harris wound up in bed with Britney last night ... so that we don't have to. Thanks for taking one for the team, NPH!

• Apparently actor Mike Epps is famous enough to be stalked and harassed into a verbal and physical altercation by the bottom-feeders at TMZ. Epps regrettably stoops the their level by calling one of the paps "a fag, homosexual". 

• RADAR takes Joel Derfner, the author of Swish, to the Hello Kitty store and out for ice cream. Given that the rest of the book's title is "My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever", I'm guessing "Swish" isn't a basketball reference?

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

Happy 49th birthday to David Hyde Pierce, who came out publicly last year. He's best known for playing the neurotic fussbudget Niles Crane on the long running sitcom Frasier (and won four Emmys in the process). He caused a bit of a stir when he pulled off an upset win for Best Leading Actor in a Musical at the Tony Awards for the musical Curtains, and thanked his partner, Brian Hargrove, saying, "And my partner Brian, because it's 24 damn years of listening to your notes, that's why I'm up here tonight."

On his Wikipedia page there's this interesting tidbit:

"On February 3rd 2008 reports speculated Pierce was in preliminary talks with Warner Brothers pictures over the possibility of playing Batman villain The Riddler in any future sequels to the movie series. These reports are, as of yet, uncomfirmed."

To show how truly versatile this gifted performer is, here's a clip of David in a parody of Ricky Martin's Living La Vida Loca. Yes, that's not a typo.

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...

You might have heard that Mensa, the organization for people with very high IQs, has assembled a list of the Smartest TV Shows of All Time. Frasier makes the list at number 8 (aided, no doubt, by the performance of David Hyde Pierce as natty Niles) and four shows known for occasionally tackling gay themes - The West Wing, Boston Legal, Mad About You and All in the Family - are also included.

The full list:

1. M*A*S*H
2. Cosmos with Carl Sagan
3. CSI
4. House
5. West Wing
6. Boston Legal
7. All in the Family
8. Frasier
9. Mad About You
10. Jeopardy

As always with a list like this, a number of omissions come to mind, ones that makes the inclusion of Boston Legal and Mad About You seem even odder. Seeing Mensa chairman Jim Wardell explain the choices doesn't help things, since there doesn't seem to be on over-arching rationale; CSI and House are considered smart for the way they use science in their stories while Frasier and M*A*S*H are praised for their characters and dialouge.

While a list of this always inspires people to think of their favorite deserving shows (I always go with Wonderfalls, myself) there are a couple general omissions that I find interesting. All of these ten shows originally aired on broadcast television, so critical darling cable networks like HBO and fx are not represented.

Animated and science fiction series don't make the cut, nor do any gritty, emotionally exhausting dramas like Homicide or Six Feet Under. One could almost say that Mensa picked shows that were intellectually challenging but not too intellectually challenging.

The most glaring omission is probably The Simpsons, a show that playfully challenged its audience's attention to detail almost constantly. Does the fact that Lisa Simpson is a high-ranking member of Mensa Springfield mean nothing?

But there are plenty of other gay-inclusive TV shows that could fit on the list. Earlier, I mentioned Homicide (which gave us an unflinchingly realistic look at police work and characters who developed over time, including Kyle Secor's Det. Bayliss becoming comfortable with his bisexuality), Six Feet Under and Wonderfalls, and would also think Oz and The Wire would be deserviing nominations.

What are your favorite examples of smart, gay television? Which shows do you think challenged audiences' brains the most? Let us know in the comments!

You may have read recently in Scientific American or Satellite Fancy that a large spy satellite that has died and is headed for Earth could very well hit North America in late February or early March.

Ordinarily this would be cause for major concern, as no one really wants to be smashed flat by an outdated piece of the Cold War in their sleep or on the way to the dog park. But there is hope: gay actor David Hyde Pierce has been through this before, and last time he saved the world with a band of misfit kids and some donuts.

Check out this clip from the awesome 80s summer camp movie parody Wet Hot American Summer to see how Niles beat Skylab ... and why he may be our only hope!

Okay, it's just a trailer, but it's really funny and the Skylab bit is in there ... as is a gay love scene between Bradley Cooper and Michael Ian Black, Chris Meloni in a half-shirt and Paul Rudd in cutoffs!  

Jake

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's no surprise to learn that Heath Ledger's death is hitting Jake Gyllenhaal hard. Jake, the godfather of Heath's daughter Matilda, is taking time away from the set of his new movie Brothers. According to People Magazine just how close the two men were was evidenced when:

During one intense early prison scene, Gyllenhaal jokingly reached into his pocket and took out a picture of his Brokeback beau to stick on the prison wall. "Like those prisoners put [loved ones] on the wall, but Jake's was Heath Ledger," one set source recalls. "That was hilarious. It was a nice moment."

The source adds, "When you think back on it now, it's touching."

• We linked to Cheyenne Jackson's star cameo turn in the [title of show] show Christmas episode, but he's back and more foul-mouthed than ever in the hilarious new ep. I can't get enough of these guys, with or without profanity-spewing Broadway mancandy! (PS - I never want to hear "peanut butter haystack" and "rusty trombone" used in the same conversation again.)

• How do I make this one safe for work ... the gay porn actor who made a brief but memorable appearance as Borat's son in that movie with the really long title has reportedly undergone gender reassignment and now "Stonie" is Brittany Coxxx. The kicker? She's still a porn actor, making Coxxx one of the very few (if not only) porn actors who has worked as both a male and a female.

• Okay, how many times can this New York Magazine item refer to David Hyde Pierce as "chilly"? Hey, it's January in New York and the Rainbow Room is notoriously drafty. Okay, the insipid questions about Clay Aiken probably didn't help, either.

• Here's some photo coverage of the opening night of Celebrity Autobiography, which counts Cheyenne Jackson, Jack Plotnick, Richard Kind, Kristen Johnston and Kristen Wiig amongst its revolving, memoir-gnashing cast.

The "Big Gay Following" feature over at The Advocate can be a hit-or-miss affair. Sometimes the subjects (straight entertainers with considerable gay fanbases) seem uncomfortable with the line of questioning, sometimes they aren't very entertaining subjects, and sometimes I'm left wondering who on earth the gay fans of this person are in the first place, and how I can contact them to stop. (Yes, Nick Carter fans, that means you.)

But the latest BGF victim is a doozy: Family Guy and American Dad creator, showtune enthusiast and equal-opportunity offense artist Seth MacFarlane.

I'm a big fan of The Family Guy, which regularly tosses gay jokes into its caustic and hilarious mix without ever seeming mean-spirited. And MacFarlane's brilliant interview makes it clear that he's a big supporter of gay marriage rights (as evidenced by ant episode in which Brian's gay cousin visits with his boyfriend) and reveals that deranged, matricidal, football-headed rugrat Stewie is probably gay.

A few choice excerpts:

• On gay marriage: "A couple of years prior I had teamed up to write a pilot with two writers, both of whom were gay. One of them said that when he travels through the Midwest with his partner they have to go through this fucking dog and pony act when they stop at a hotel and the guy behind the counter says, “You want one room or two?” They have this charade where they’ll say to each other, “Is one room OK with you?” “Yeah, I’m cool with that if you are.” “Yeah, no big deal, we’ll just take one.” That was one of many conversations I had with them where I thought to myself, Why is it that Johnny Spaghetti Stain in fucking Georgia can knock a woman up, legally be married to her, and then beat the shit out of her, but these two intelligent, sophisticated writers who have been together for 20 years can’t get married? It’s infuriating and idiotic."

• On the Parents Television Council: "They’re literally terrible human beings. I’ve read their newsletter, I’ve visited their website, and they’re just rotten to the core. For an organization that prides itself on Christian values—I mean, I’m an atheist, so what do I know?—they spend their entire day hating people. They can all suck my dick as far as I’m concerned."

• On which character the gays like best: "Generally they respond to Stewie, because he’s arguably the most complex character. He originally began as this diabolical villain, but then we delved into the idea of his confused sexuality. We all feel that Stewie is almost certainly gay, and he’s in the process of figuring it out for himself. We haven’t ever really locked into it because we get a lot of good jokes from both sides, but we treat him oftentimes as if we were writing a gay character."

• On which gay celebrity he would save from a burning house party: "John Travolta. But if he’s not there for some reason, how about David Hyde Pierce? I’m acquainted with him and he’s a good man. And if we ever did a Family Guy Broadway musical, we would need him to play Stewie."

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.

Welcome back, folks! Yes, it's 2008 now and boy are our arms tired ... or something (haven't adjusted our sense of humor for the new year yet, sorry). Nothing major happened while AfterElton.com was hibernating over the holidays, but here are a few tidbits to catch you up on the week that wasn't....

• A party for David Hyde Pierce at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone asked the bikini-clad waitresses to put on actual clothes while serving food. Requests for the place to smell "a little less like an apocalypse of cocoa butter" went unheeded.

• Now we know why Neil Patrick Harris was featured on a unicorn in the teaser posters for Harold and Kumar 2: he's featured on a unicorn in the actual movie! Oh, and also: the movie's about drugs.

• Sir Ian McKellen was honored by the Queen (insert joke HERE) in the New Years Honours for his continued work promoting diversity. Appropriately, he was honored alongside Kylie Minogue and the lead singer from Jethro Tull, which is about as diverse a group as you can get.

• Celebrities: They're Just Like Us! T.R. Knight runs to his car, wearing jeans! Come on, I said it was a slow week!

• The Daily Show and The Colbert Report will return next week, thank heaven. Do they realize what having to resort to watching REAL newscasters has done to our fragile minds? Eck!