So you may have heard by now that the Golden Globes ceremony, easily the most interesting televised major awards show, has been essentially canceled. Yes, the red carpet has been rolled up, the parties have been nixed, and the doling out of the awards has been slashed to a press conference helmed by NBC News. Oh wow, how exciting! Please tell me Ryan Seacrest will be there to ask Brian Williams who he's wearing.

In related news, tonight's People's Choice Awards have similarly been downgraded to the reading of a leaflet at the Beverly Center, or the like. We were actually looking forward to PCA nominee Neil Patrick Harris rocking the red carpet with David Burtka (they do clean up so nicely!) but it looks like there will be none of that.

In fact, there may be none of anything, at this point. Aside from the SAG Awards (which worked out an interim deal with the writers, big surprise!), no other awards shows are a sure thing at this point, including our beloved, bloated Oscars. So like so many of you who are stocking up for a potentially starvation-inducing lean stretch of clumsy acceptance speeches and formal attire misfires, I actually watched the Critics' Choice Awards last night on VH1 and am here to share the highlights.

You can thank me later for taking this one for the team.

Aside from boasting possibly the worst host in the history of awards shows (D.L. Hughley) and the worst written jokes to go along with him (please settle with the writers, studios!! We can't take much more of this!), the affair was a complete trainwreck start to finish. They turned the lights off on Marisa Tomei, Feist and Snoop Dogg had no microphones, and the presenters all looked like the teleprompters were making fun of them. What, are the stagehands on strike again, too?

The highlights of the evening were thus:

• Ugly Betty's scheme team of Michael Urie (Marc) and Becki Newton (Amanda) hammed it up for a photo shoot, and Televisionista's got all the snaps (and with those two, I have a feeling there were plenty of snaps to be had).

• here! TV has ordered new seasons of The Lair, The DL Chronicles and Paradise Falls, and is working on Solar Flare, the first of 12 eco-disaster themed movies it has planned. Gay television = eco-disaster. There's probably a metaphor in there but I need more coffee to find it.

• Here's a chat with Top Chef's gay finalist, Dale. Spoiler: he doesn't tell if he wins this Wednesday or not.

• Barrowmaniacs rejoice: Captain Jack's new solo album, Another Side, hits shelves November 12th. The album includes John's renditions of "Time After Time," "Your Song," and "If You Leave Me Now." From the looks of the above pic, most of John's Torchwood costars are already quite familiar with his other side.
  

• Newly-slim Ross "The Intern" Mathews celebrated his birthday by screaming at cupcakes and startling onlookers. It's really worth a look.
  

• FX has reportedly greenlit a pilot for Ryan Murphy's (Nip/Tuck) transgender series 4 oz., which details a married gynecologist who undergoes a sex change over the planned five-season arc (the character was a sportswriter when last we reported on the project). Murphy will direct and co-produce with Brad Pitt. (t/y Josh!)
  
• Paul Reubens is reportedly joining hype-crazy Pushing Daisies (created by out Bryan Fuller) in a recurring role. Awesome.
• USA Today is running an opinion piece on just how significant the de-wrapping of The Advocate really is.
  
• I know people are all stoked about Vicky Pollard and Daffyd making the trek across the pond for the much-anticipated US version of Little Britain, but it's duplicitous Fat Fighters taskmaster Marjorie Dawes that I'm really excited to see make the trip. Seeing this unimaginably evil woman in the land of the Super-Size is going to be downright horrifying.
• The trailer for gay filmmaker Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan rumination, I'm Not There, is on the web, and despite not being even a tiny bit a Dylan fan, I'm So There. How crazy is it that of all the actors playing Dylan, Cate Blanchett is the closest fit, looks-wise?
  
• Ross "the Intern" Mathews is the cover boy for next month's Instinct, and yet he still speaks in non-gender-specific terms regarding his love life, noting in the press release that his "special someone" has been elusive so far. "It would be nice to be swept off my feet. I want to cut through all the rest: the ones that don't work out." It's fine to not discuss your sexuality on The View or Tyra, but the cover of a gay magazine is a bit different, no? Oh, right ... guess not! UPDATE: a friendly reader noted in the comments that the article itself does refer to Mathews as a gay fella.
  

• Jackass and Wildboyz' Steve-O will be headlining a reality show on USA Network where he works to "de-wussify" wimpy guys by training them to perform stunts. The Jackass crew have a gay-friendly history, but I hope their definition of "wussy" won't mean effeminate...
• The London stage production of All About My Mother will star Diana Rigg and Lesley Manville. Was I the only one who watched Mystery just for Rigg and the Ed Gorey animation?
• The upcoming Battlestar Galactica telefilm will have a lesbian relationship and here's a reaction to the reaction. Normally, I'd respond by saying that gay relationships have been lacking in BSG so this one carries a disproportionate significance, but I realized that every relationship on the Galactica has more than its share of drama. Poor Helo and Athena probably envy Romeo & Juliet's problems.
• Black celebrities and allies are getting tested for the 10th anniversary of National HIV Testing Day, including Regina King, Hill Harper, Vanessa Williams (not to be confused with Vanessa L. Williams) and Henry Simmons.
• Ross Mathews videoblogs with Rosie O'Donnell, they break into song, discuss The Price is Right as well as "Bowling: the Musical" and plan a show where the two travel the country together. I'd watch that.
• Don't forget this week's BEST.GAY.WEEK.EVER! or Steven Frank's Top Chef recap. They're perfect ways to start the weekend!
• Finally, a certain singer we won't name here put out a new video this week, but instead we've got out singer Rufus Wainwright's latest after the jump. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Here's an interesting new wrinkle in the search for a new co-host of The View: People is reporting that ABC might replace Rosie O'Donnell with a man -- specifically naming Mario Cantone and Ross "The Intern" Mathews. (Maybe that explains why Cantone has appeared on The View so often?)

On a related note, the Post Chronicle's Mitch Marconi is also reporting that "Queen of All Media" Perez Hilton might also be in the running for the co-hosting gig, with an appearance as guest-host scheduled for later this month. I'm not familiar with the Post Chronicle, so it's hard to judge the reliability of this rumor except to take it with several grains of salt.

Both Mathews and Cantone have shown great chemistry with the current View hosts in their recent appearances, so my initial reaction is pretty positive. A part of me wonders, though, if such a move would be playing to stereotypes of gay men as nothing more than confidants of straight women, a fun partner to dish over gossip. Still, gay men don't have much visibility in daytime, so would be a step forward to have a gay man co-hosting a popular show like The View (it would also be great to see Mathews in a setting where he gets more respect than Jay Leno gives him).

At the very least, I'm hoping to see that The View doesn't lose its last trace of diversity. One thing that made The View appealing to me when it first debuted was that its hosts came from different backgrounds. For the past year, Rosie added a queer perspective to The View's discussions and as much as I like some of her rumored replacements, I've been hoping we wouldn't see The View get less diverse in its eleventh season. Adding Cantone or Mathews, while an unusual move, would maintain a queer perspective on the show.

What are your thoughts on having a gay man on The View? Would it be worth it to get a gay man on daytime, or is putting a gay man on a show that has from the start been all about women a step backward for gay visibility?

Any concerns that Rosie's departure from The View might result in a decline in gay content are apparently unfounded -- I just watched today's episode and it's as gay as a goose.

First and foremost: hot on the heels of her comments about Hugh Jackman on Friday, Joy Behar referred to guest Ross "the Intern" Mathews from The Tonight Show as a "gay guy" (he didn't address the comment). Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but Ross hasn't actually ever said that he's a homosexual anywhere, has he? I mean, he dodged the question on The Tyra Banks Show and while he's proudly dishy and flamboyant, I don't remember him ever referring to boyfriends or anything, and nothing turns up online but speculation.

And second, outspoken friend of "the gays" Kathy Griffin is guest-hosting and of course dropping references to all kinds of gay stuffs (and giving it to Elisabeth Hasselbot at every opportunity, natch). Needless to say, I'd much rather see Kath earn a seat at the table than some of the other contenders (yes, Marie Osmond, I'm speaking in your general direction).

The View (ABC) 11:00 AM EDT
Ross the Intern shows up to talk about his experiences on Celebrity Fit Club. Considering how Ross has been treated by Jay Leno and Tyra Banks, I hope this turns out to be one of the calmer episodes of The View. Kathy Griffin guest-hosts.

On the Lot (Fox) 8:00 PM EST
We hear that Shalini Kantayya is presenting a film on Indian gay comedian Vidur Kapur. Shalini's first entry, "Love in the Year 2007" had the best line of the night -- "My life is not lonely, I have over 2000 MySpace friends!" Between that and Kapur's YouTube channel I'm eager to see what happens when the two work together.

The 2007 Alma Awards (ABC) 9:00 PM
The Alma Awards seek to celebrate artistic achievement by Latinos in entertainment and they've got plenty of praise for Ugly Betty. Tune in and cheer on America Fererra, Tony Plana, Mark Indelicato, Ana Ortiz, as well as out writer Silvio Horta (who helped Betty go from Fea to Ugly) and series writer Dailyn Rodriguez.

Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Bravo) 10:00 PM EST
She's back for a third season! This season we see Kathy Griffin deal with life after her divorce, go on a date with Nick Carter and host the Gay Adult Video Awards. You can catch more of Griffin immediately afterwards with a new comedy special Kathy Griffin: Everybody Can Suck It, which was filmed at the Arizona State Prison Complex. Check out a preview of season three after the break and read our recent interview with Kathy here:

You don't need me to tell you that this weekend is really about getting together with friends and family, taking time to reflect on our nation's heroes, and officially welcoming the arrival of the warm-weather months (usually by scraping off the barbecue and knocking back a few cold ones). But in the event that you find yourself locked in a small dark room with nothing but a television equipped with basic cable (and DVR! What is this, a torture chamber?!), here are a few gay pics to make the chalkmarks fly by.

Friday

The Big Gay Sketch Show (Logo) 7:00PM and 7:30PM EDT
If you haven't seen the BGSS yet, there's no better time to catch up than when you're getting ready for dinner or a night on the town or Bible study class or what-have you. And the first of these back-to-backs features the very funny Rachel Ray in New York sketch and one of my faves. the evil airline desk agent.

The Tonight Show with That Guy (NBC) 11:35PM EDT
It's no secret, I can't stand Jay Leno and his decades-stale brand of "you young crazy whippernappers with your rock and roll and matchin' shoes!" humor. Case in point: the continued appearances of Ross the Intern, who in my opinion is treated like a punching bag more often than not in these segments. Might be worth tuning in to see how insulting the self-professed macho men will be tonight.

Saturday

Shear Genius Marathon (Bravo) 10:00AM EDT
In the leadup to next week's season finale, Bravo is airing every episode of the surprisingly entertaining Shampoo Opera back-to-back. Not a bad way to kill some hours, if only to revisit the glorious crazy of Dr. Boogie. Oh -- and I would have recommended Rene Fris' appearance this morning on Today, but there's no way I would recommend anyone getting up at 5AM on a Saturday for anything, period.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (IFC) 8:00PM EDT
Sexploitation master Russ Meyer's only studio picture (penned by Roger Ebert, of all people, and proudly bearing no relation whatsoever to the original), Beyond is probably one of the 10 most amazingly crazy movies ever made (and yes, it even beats Baby Geniuses). Gays, lesbians, transgendered superheroes, and one of the most legitimately awesome original soundtracks ever recorded (long live the Carrie Nations!) make this an absolute must-see, full stop. As the amazing Z-Man puts it (long before Austin Powers borrowed the line), "this is my happening and it freaks me out!"

Sunday

Polyester (IFC) 9:45PM EDT
John Waters' classic (which stars Divine, of course, as well as gay former matinee idol Tab Hunter) screens tonight -- wow, is IFC getting their camp on this weekend, or what? You can recreate the infamous "scratch-and-sniff" promotion that accompanied the film in theatres by setting up your own smelly items at home. Although, for your sake, I would hope that you don't have some of the scents handy...

Monday

Oh, come on -- go outside and get some sun. You've been looking a bit pasty anyway.

In yesterday's Queerview we said it might be worth checking in with Tyra Banks to see how her interview with the cast of the new Celebrity Fatty Fatty Fattypants Fit Club. Turns out there were a few interesting moments to be had.

First, former professional mallrat (and actually seemingly totally cool) Tiffany revealed that she has lots of gay fans, and that they're harder on her about her weight than anyone else. Really? Who is she hanging out with, Karl Lagerfeld?

But the interesting part came when Tyra got to Ross Mathews, better known as Ross the Intern from The Tonight Show. You know, the very effeminate guy who is the butt of countless jokes made by Jay Leno, Jesse James, etc. (they once made him a driving suit that was pink and read "Jesse's Girl" on the back -- how progressive!).

It started out innocently enough, but then it got ugly real fast:

Tyra: Is that your real voice, Ross?

Ross: (shocked) Is that your real hair, Tyra?

Two snaps for Ross, but two snaps that come with a price: he had roused a beast.

Tyra admitted that no, it isn't her real hair, and then Ross said he's waiting for puberty and insisted, "I wouldn't fake this, trust me".

But undeterred, Tyra bared her claws and dug in, asking Ross if he was dating anyone. You know, "anyone", leaving it wide open and out there in case Ross wanted to commit to a gender preference. Ross hemmed and hawed a little, said he was in love with is dog, and then claimed that he was in love with co-star Maureen McCormack (Marsha Brady -- and come on, who isn't?).

Tyra, not to be declawed so easily, put on her Quizzical Face and said something like, "really? Do you want to kiss her?", implying that Ross was a total fag who could never actually have any lustful feelings toward a woman.

And you know what? Maybe he can't (he kissed her anyway). And maybe he can. And until he decides to share that, it's really none of anyone's business. It's hard to ignore how insanely gay-seeming this man is, but hey -- until he says otherwise, his actual sexuality isn't for anyone else to squeeze out of him. Is this Tyra's attempt at hard news? Getting the most insanely effeminate man on television to come out on her show?

It's interesting, because Tyra is usually a big friend of the gays. I guess the lesson here is not to insult her wig on her own turf? Part of the scene -- minus the gay-baiting -- is available over at the show's website (but it's not embeddable, dammit!), if you want to see more. Interestingly, none of the bit about his dog being a fan of Tyra was broadcast -- instead we got the full Tyrasaurus.