As a well-informed follower of pop culture (after all, you're reading AfterElton), you're probably familiar with the Rickroll, where a link to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" video is sprung on an unsuspecting clicker. You might get an e-mail promising footage of the Nuke kisses taken out of the Valentine's and Christmas episodes of As the World Turns and instead you get a Stock Aitken Waterman single stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

The internet prank reached new levels of prominence recently when YouTube redirected all the videos featured on its front page to the Rickroll video for April Fool's Day. Even The Soup got into the action last weekend, playing a clip from the video after setting the audience up for a LA Ink clip.

Now, a contributor at Pam's House Blend is saying that the origin of the Rickroll is based on homophobic humor. According to the entry, the meme started after a Family Guy episode introduced the song with the words, "Here's a song by a gay guy." Family Guy fans repeated the introduction until it morphed into the Rickroll video. He explains his first encounter with the Rickroll:

I was introducted to Rickrolling by my teenage nephew about a year or so ago. My nephew told me that he and his friends amuse themselves by sending music and video clips of Rick Astley via e-mail, and cellphone.

When my nephew showed me the video of Rick Astley singing Never gonna Give You Up on YouTube, he laughed out loud uncontrolably. Then, I asked him, "Why do you think this is so funny?"

Silence.

Uh, oh. I'd seen that silent response before. My nephew suddenly remembered that his favorite uncle is gay. He was at a loss for words as to how to explain why he finds Rick Astley to be funny.

I had to press him for the truth, "Is it because he looks gay?"

"Uh, it isn't that he looks so gay, Uncle Fritz. It is because, uh, his voice doesn't fit the way he looks."

"Gay?"

Silence.

He suggests a counter-meme, the Bananaramaroll, which would trade Astley's tune with Bananarama's "I Heard a Rumor". The idea of Bananarama going viral makes me pretty happy, particularly since the video has some memorable choreography, hunky guys and has Siobhan, Sara and Keren looking like this:

Still, that makes me look at the Rickroll in a different light. The point of a joke is in the eye of the beholder and while I laugh at the Rickroll for the bland catchiness of "Never Gonna Give You Up" and Astley's hypnotic, cheeseball dance moves, I can see how some people probably do see the joke as "He's so gay." Not because Astley is openly gay (as far as I know he isn't) but because they don't find him sufficiently manly. What do you think? Is there a homophobia at the root of the joke?

(And as a side note, after looking for the images for this post I'll be spending the rest of the day submerged in a world of Stock Aitken Waterman, I can't help it.

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."

Where does the time go? I've been trying to get to the blog for the past two days as I've got a whole slew of items to mention, but never seem to quite make it! So hold on tight to your Flying Monkeys because I'm gonna be flinging 'em at you fast and furious!

This New York Times article oddly dances around Tim Gunn's sexuality while this New York Times article about Broadway director Jerry Mitchell (Legally Blonde) doesn't. Meanwhile, this Gay.com interview with Ugly Betty's Michael Urie doesn't even broach the topic.

David Metzler and David Collins, the executive producers who blessed us with Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, are hoping lightning strikes twice with their new show Life as a Song. The gimmick? Significant events in participants lives--the birth of a child, getting married--will be reenacted as a musical. I'm most looking forward to seeing Karl Rove in Wicked:White House and Don Imus, Tim Hardaway, and Mel Gibson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

This summer CBS is inflicting on us bringing back Big Brother. As if that isn't enough, Mark Burnett has a new show called Pirate Master. In this reality show, sixteen "pirates" work together to decipher a pirate map in order to locate a treasure. Naturally, every week one of the pirates is forced to--wait for it, wait for it--walk the plank! The prize is one million dollars which is exactly what I'll offer CBS to not include any gay contestants thereby forcing me to have to watch it!

A reader in Walter Scott's Personality Parade asks about Jodie Foster's sexuality and Scott answers frankly. It's hard not to wonder if Out Magazine's recent cover with Foster on the cover isn't encouraging the mainstream media to be more frank.

Paul Rudd on Veronica Mars? I am so there.

Here is a YouTube clip about a recent Family Guy episode about prostate exams. Straight guys can be such weenies.

Gay, Straight, or Otter? Nonsensical, but cute.

David Hyde Pierce says he and John Mahoney may reunite in a staged version of Frasier. Hey, if it can be done for Legally Blonde why the hell not?

Out In Hollywood's Greg Hernandez talks with the gay gliterrati about the politics of outing. Martina Navratilova, John Amaeche, Chad Allen, and Robert Gant are so not down with it.