Who's the man with fans from Tyra Banks to the entire population of Sweden?  Who's the guy whose very 1st video was directed by Margaret Cho?  Who's the stud muffin that has every gender, animal, mineral, and vegetable swooning at his crooning?

Out trans recording artist Joshua Klipp, that's who!

And this week on Homophonic, he's all ours!  Joshua's story of musical and personal transformation is jaw-dropping, and he shares it all with Alex from the couch-of-supreme-music.  From his television debut on Tyra to the road to stardom via Margaret Cho to the only song in history to feature the voice of an artist both pre- and post-gender transition, Joshua tells all.

Check it out after the break!

Rob Smith and Laverne Cox want to work for Diddy

If I were to tell you that when one of the biggest hip-hop stars in the world conducted an exhaustive search to find 13 candidates to be his next assistant, the final candidates included a gay man and a transgender woman, what would you say?

On one hand, you may be surprised that the somewhat homophobic hip-hop world was so inclusive of LGBT contenders for the position, but if you were the gay in question, you’d probably start jumping up and down and screaming!

That is exactly what I did when I found out I was one of 13 finalists picked to compete in the new reality show I Want to Work for Diddy, premiering on Monday, August 4 at 9PM on VH1.  Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the show leads into the mess that is New York Goes to Hollywood, so my Mondays will be pretty full from now on.

My name is Rob Smith, and I’m a freelance writer, blogger, and media industry professional based in New York City. The experience on the show was one of the most challenging and amazing experiences I’ve ever had, and I’m thrilled to be giving AfterElton.com readers an exclusive weekly recap and lowdown on my experience with the show and everything that went on behind the scenes during taping.

Like they say here, visibility matters, and for both myself and my transgender competitor Laverne Cox, I know that it was very important that we represented who we were openly from the very beginning. But let’s not get too serious. We‘re all aware of how absurd reality television is, and I plan on both injecting a little humor into these recaps and taking every opportunity available to laugh with and at everyone onscreen, not least of all myself.

There are brief bios of both myself and Laverne as well as a clip of the show on the next page, but if you want to really get to know us and the other 11 competitors, check out the I Want to Work for Diddy casting special that will air on VH1 tonight at 9PM. And of course check back next week for the first recap!

Alex joins transgender musician Geo Wyeth, aka Novice Theory, a one-man band that mixes piano, klezmer, accordian, and a melange of musical styles to create a thoroughly unique and utterly captivating experience. Geo talks about his music, about how being trans and biracial has informed his musical journey, and how he comes up with his one-of-a-kind compositions.

But the real treat is seeing Novice Theory in action in several clips from his recent performance at NYC's Zipper Theatre and an intimate performance in the studio. Definitely a must-watch.

Check it out after the break!

We got word today that Project Runway winner Christian Siriano is working with GLAAD to clear up some of his comments regarding transgender individuals, particularly equating "drag queens and trannies" to "white trash women and trailer parks" in a recent interview.

Siriano (who of course made the questionable phrase "hot trannie mess" a national sensation) insists that doesn't mean any harm with his comments, and clearly, as a self-professed "very flamboyant gay man", isn't prejudiced against people who challenge traditional gender roles. The article goes on to say that Siriano is working to remove the slang "trannie" from his vocabulary, but doesn't specifically address the catchphrase that he (perhaps unwittingly) inspired.

We've been advised by the Center for Transgender Equality that the word "trannie" is never acceptable, and the way that the catchphrase caught on has seemed a bit troublesome to us from the start. Do you or your trangender friends find "hot trannie mess" offensive? And have you used the phrase yourself, regardless?

Rebecca Romijn certainly had a busy day yesterday, stopping to speak with Regis and Kelly in the morning and later appearing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In her conversation with Kelly Ripa, Romijn had a short exchange that certainly got me thinking:

KR: Do you know any post-operative transsexuals?

RR: I actually have a couple friends who are and its.... you know, it's a little bit of a sensitive subject so we don't talk about it openly, but my research comes from my personal experience with them, so the choices I make for the character... I'd never want to offend my pals.

That, unfortunately, made me think of Romijn's recent defense of Jimmy Kimmel, who made trans-phobic jokes when she appeared on his show. In an Advocate interview, Romijn dismissed the controversy as political correctness but hearing her talk about her transgendered friends made me wonder if she considered that one of her pals could have easily been the target of Kimmel's mocking.

I don't want to get too harsh on Romijn, though, because she has done quite a bit to get people to think about transgender issues. While the majority of her talk with Conan focused on fiance Jerry O'Connell, they talked a bit about how important it was that her Ugly Betty character stick around for a while. If Alexis and her gender reassignment were part of a guest-star's story arc, it wouldn't have offered much more than scandal and surprise, but by keeping the character around we were able to see Alexis as a person who has more to offer than a plot twist.

Meanwhile, if you caught Tim Gunn's appearance on the Rachel Ray show yesterday, you saw some fun television. Gunn came in to surprise a trio of 12-13 year old fashion designers, who were challenged to create a special outfit for their last day of school. The segment reminded me of Project Runway's better days, when the show focused on how an artist takes on a creative challenge instead of highlighting personal tensions.

After that competition, Gunn presented some of the outrageous outfits from the Wish-Bone Summer Salad Fashion Show, where bottles of Wish-Bone dressing and fresh produce were incorporated into the clothes. Throughout the segment, Gunn comes off as refined and classy, which is amazing considering that he was shilling salad dressing at the time... how does he do it?

Here's a picture of designer Chris March and his fiber-rich creation:

Talk, drama, and a little bit of sketch. It sounds like most of my past relationships, but it's actually today's gay television offerings...

Live with Regis and Kelly (Syndicated) Check local listings
Eric and Danielle -- who just won The Amazing Race All-Stars a few days ago -- appear on Regis and Kelly to gloat. In case you've forgotten, Eric is the homophobic jerk who likes being photographed half-naked with his friends at parties. These two have apparently split since the filming ended.

The Tyra Banks Show (Syndicated) Check local listings
Hot off of gay-baiting Ross the Intern, Tyra jumps back into Oprah mode with a show about transgendered individuals. Is it just me, or is this topic getting quite a lot of mainstream exposure these days? Nice!

Work Out (Bravo) 10:00PM EDT
Last week's episode, in which the trainers learned of the severity of Doug's situation and Jackie reconnected with her mother, was downright brutal (the last scene where Brian Peeler told the others about Doug was one of the most harrowing things I've seen on television in years). Fittingly, the season has shifted enormously since the premiere from wacky dating hijinks to serious soul-searching -- in this finale (except for the reunion episode), the group goes on a retreat to deal with Doug's passing.

The Big Gay Sketch Show (Logo) 10:00PM EDT
Cast member Michael Serrato (whom you may remember as the horrifyingly dead-on Mrs. Garrett in last week's Facts of Life spoof) shines again as a male Edith Bunker (it's really something to behold) and an overaggressive PFLAG mom trying to get her son a date with a cute waiter. There's also a funny lesbian phone sex service skit.