Jerry Curl

Authorities say 17 Cuban migrants have landed ashore in Boca Grande in southwest Florida. The Lee County Sheriff's Office received a call shortly before 2 a.m. on Thursday from a security guard who spotted the nine men and eight women. Authorities say the migrants were cold, wet and dirty from their journey. A Boca Grande Fire Department spokesman said firefighters ''took care of them'' until immigration agents came to pick them up, giving food and coffee and warming their clothes. Thank goodness for little miracles. (Via Miami Herald )

Daniel Miagany as featured on Queerty .

Happy Thanksgiving.

"The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven." - John Milton

Greg Smith as featured on We Love Guys .

The Queen turns 69 today.

Kyle Ledeboer as featured on Major Models .

“Rosie Live,” the one-hour special to be shown by NBC on Wednesday night, is an audition. The Thanksgiving-eve audience will see an attempted revival of the variety show format, a staple of television in the 1960s and ’70s. Taking pages from Carol Burnett, Ed Sullivan and Sonny and Cher, the show will serve up Broadway dancers, celebrity appearances, musical acts and comedy sketches. Rosie O’Donnell, an executive producer and the host, sees a template for a weekly series. More of the NY Times article here .

A Miami-Dade circuit judge Tuesday declared Florida's 30-year-old ban on gay adoption unconstitutional, allowing a North Miami man to adopt two foster kids he has raised since 2004. In a 53-page order that sets the stage for what could become a constitutional showdown, Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman permitted 47-year-old Frank Gill to adopt the 4- and 8-year-old boys he and his partner have raised since just before Christmas four years ago. A child abuse investigator had asked Gill to care for the boys temporarily; they were never able to return to their birth parents. ''This is the forum where we try to heal children, find permanent families for them so they can get another chance at what every child should know and feel from birth, and go on to lead productive lives,'' Lederman said in court before releasing the order. "We pray for them to thrive, but that is a word we rarely hear in dependency court.'' ''These children are thriving; it is uncon...

The duplex five-bedroom apartment on Attorney Street that Daniel Vosovic calls home seems ready-made for a television sitcom. There’s the location, on the of-the-moment Lower East Side, with its mix of detox juice bars and Old World knishes, runway models and streetwise misfits. There are Mr. Vosovic’s four roommates, who work in disparate industries — cupcakes, high fashion, education and sofas. And there’s the fact that Mr. Vosovic has already scored a success on the TV reality show “Project Runway.” He was a finalist on Season 2, and even though he didn’t win, he was a fan favorite. These days he is a freelance fashion designer, most recently of hotel uniforms, with hopes of launching his own line. He is also the author of a new book, his first, “Fashion Inside Out, Daniel V.’s Guide to How Style Happens From Inspiration to Runway and Beyond” (Watson-Guptill), and is treated like a celebrity when he goes to restaurants, his roommates say. More of the article at NY Times .

By Adam Zyglis

Brian Davenport as featured on Major Models .

Kathy Griffin has confirmed that she has finally signed a one year deal with Bravo and is staying with the network for another season of her reality series, Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D List . Griffin spoke to Us Weekly at the GQ Men of the Year party on Tuesday night. “It’s Season 5. We start shooting Wednesday,” she said. "It’s going to be more celebrity oriented. [It's] the way that American Idol sort of started as a singing contest and then every week you expect to see the mentors. I have some really good guest stars coming on the D-List this year.” (Via Reality TV Magazine )

Was it a theft? A prank? A roundabout effort to bring some holiday cheer to the police? Authorities in Harwich, Massachusetts, are probing the mysterious appearance of a piano, in good working condition, in the middle of the woods. Discovered by a woman who was walking a trail, the Baldwin Acrosonic piano, model number 987, is intact -- and, apparently, in tune. Also of note: Near the mystery piano -- serial number 733746 -- was a bench, positioned as though someone was about to play. Sgt. Adam Hutton of the Harwich Police Department said information has been broadcast to all the other police departments in the Cape Cod area in hopes of drumming up a clue, however minor it may be. But so far, the investigation is flat. (Via CNN )

Weekend Top Five #1 Twilight ($70.6M) #2 Quantum of Solace ($27.4M) #3 Bolt ($27M) #4 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ($16M) #5 Role Models ($7.23M)

"Never mistake motion for action." - Ernest Hemingway

One more for the womankind! Hillary Clinton has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the position of secretary of state, making her the public face around the world for the administration of the man who beat her for the Democratic presidential nomination, two confidants said today. Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy, said one of the confidants, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the situation. (Via NYT )

Stocks fell hard today, with the Dow closing below 8,000 for the first time since March 2003, as ongoing anxiety about the economy and uncertainty about the future of the auto industry weighed on the market. The Dow Jones industrial average shed more than 400 points to close 5% lower. All 30 Dow components lost ground. The market is fearful of the fallout from the credit crisis and the global economic slowdown," said Todd Salamone, market strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Research. Those fears were writ large in the plight of the nation's automakers. Investors are grappling with a possible bankruptcy in the automotive industry, something analysts say could have dire implications for the broader economy, as a second day of congressional hearings on the matter ended without resolution. (Via CNN Money )

Via Kenneth in the (212)

“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." -Maya Angelou

Soap Opera Digest reports that Deidre Hall, who's played Days of Our Lives 's Dr. Marlena Evans for 32 colorful years has been let go. With her, longtime screen partner Drake Hogestyn, aka John Black. Due to major budget cuts, Hall and Hogestyn will be departing the show in the new year. Producer Ken Corday explained the decision to let the two veterans go in an interview with SOD, “The couple will be happily reunited after a long period of angst and separation and will be off-screen after January for an unknown period of time. It was a very toughdecision to make.” --> On a personal note, as a Days fanatic for 10 years, I'm utterly heartbroken. I've seen Marlena go from John, to Salem Stalker, to Roman, to mysterious island inhabitor, to Tony DiMira, and back again. I hope this is not permanent because these to still have a lot to give to the world. (Via Soap Opera Fan )

Debby, a 41-year-old polar bear at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba was euthanized yesterday due to a degrading kidney condition. Debby was orphaned as a cub and brought to the zoo in 1967. The Zoo released a statement about Debby, who was considered the world's oldest living polar bear: "It is with great sadness that Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo must advise that Debby the polar bear -- one of the world's most-famous and loved bears -- was euthanized on Monday." Zoo coordinator Gordon Glover said Debby was "without a doubt the most famous animal in (the zoo's) 104-year history." (Via Towleroad )

--> Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage : Barack Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples. --> Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell : Barack Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure...

Colby Jamar as featured on Nous Models .

California's Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a legal challenge against the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage and let the ban stand in the meantime. A decision by the same court in May had opened marriage to same-sex couples in America's most populous state, one of a handful of states, provinces and mostly European countries where such unions are recognized. When state voters passed the ban on November 4, social conservatives celebrated, but nationwide protests by gays and other ban opponents since then have given the debate new life. The court case also pits two fundamental concepts of U.S. democracy against one another, with gay marriage advocates saying the proposition would open the doors to systematic repression of minorities and opponents saying courts must recognize the will of the people under separation of powers doctrine. "I am optimistic that the Supreme Court will affirm that separate is not equal," San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom sa...

Johnny Depp will star as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland . Judging from this, it looks like another cinematic gem!

More than 100 retired generals and admirals called Monday for repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays so they can serve openly, according to a statement obtained by The Associated Press. The move by the military veterans confronts the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama with a thorny political and cultural issue that dogged former President Bill Clinton early in his administration. "As is the case with Great Britain, Israel, and other nations that allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, our service members are professionals who are able to work together effectively despite differences in race, gender, religion, and sexuality," the officers wrote. While Obama has expressed support for repeal, he said during the presidential campaign that he would not do so on his own — an indication that he would tread carefully to prevent the issue from becoming a drag on his agenda. Obama said he would instead work with milit...

Jason Heiber as featured on DNA .

Florida saw a 3.2 percent drop in tourism between July and September, a stretch of time that saw record gas prices, economic turmoil and a string of hurricane scares. The troika of vacation woes make the third-quarter report from Visit Florida a troubling though inconclusive look at how the economy is affecting the Sunshine State's top industry. Even so, there's little doubt that the current financial crisis -- which officially began with the Sept. 15 collapse of Lehman Brothers -- has kept many tourists home. ''In anticipation of more economic challenges for our nation, we will have to intensify our marketing efforts in order to sustain Florida's tourism industry,'' Richard Goldman, chairman of the tax-funded group said in a statement accompanying the Visit Florida numbers released Monday afternoon. (Via Miami Herald )

Self-proclaimed '70s gay geek Mike Pingel, writer of "Q Guide to Charlie's Angels" has done it again. "Q Guide to Wonder Woman" is Pingel's newest venture into retro geekdom. It's already on my Christmas list.

(Via Blabbeando )

Jarryd Smith as featured on We Love Guys .

Weekend Top Five #1 Quantum of Solace ($70.4M) #2 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ($36.1M) #3 Role Models ($11.7M) #4 High School Musical 3: Senior Year ($5.88M) #5 Changeling ($4.25M)

I'm a little late on reporting this, but better late than never! Via Wednesday's New York Times : On Wednesday morning, with their 3-month-old daughter, Willow, in tow, Peg Oliveira and Jennifer Vickery became one of Connecticut’s first same-sex couples to wed, in a chilly breeze outside City Hall here. Surrounded by journalists and a few friends, they exchanged rings during their vows, along with a slow, tender kiss. The state’s highest court ruled on Oct. 10 that excluding same-sex couples from marriage was unconstitutional, and a week ago the court announced that gay marriages could officially be performed starting on Wednesday. Many same-sex couples said they would wait to apply for their licenses, which expire after 65 days, to have time to prepare for wedding celebrations in the spring and summer. Indeed, advocates for same-sex marriage predicted that there would not be the same rush for licenses on Wednesday that there was in 2004, when Massachusetts became the first sta...

Shepard Fairey, creator of the iconic Obama "Hope" image, has designed a poster for Prop 8 and the LGBT campaign for equal rights. High-res versions now available HERE .

Here's the official one-sheet for Little Ashes starring Robert Pattinson and Javier Beltran, which details the intimate relationship between Spanish artist Salvador Dalí and poet Federico Garcia Lorca. (Via Towleroad )

Simon Tham as featured on Queerty .

The box shows a planet orbiting the star Fomalhaut. The dot shows the star's location. The first-ever pictures of planets outside the solar system have been released in two studies. Using the latest techniques in space technology, astronomers at NASA and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory used direct-imaging techniques to capture pictures of four newly discovered planets orbiting stars outside our solar system. "After all these years, it's amazing to have a picture showing not one but three planets," said physicist Bruce Macintosh of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. "The discovery of the HR8799 system is a crucial step on the road to the ultimate detection of another Earth," he said. None of the planets is remotely habitable, scientists said. Scientists estimate that HR8799, roughly 1.5 times the size of the sun, is 130 light years from Earth in the constellation of Pegasus. The individual planets in this planeta...

Credited with turning what was once considered a commuter school into a research powerhouse, complete with law and medical schools, Florida International University President Modesto ''Mitch'' Maidique announced Friday morning he is stepping down. During his 22-year tenure, Maidique, 68, raised money, grew programs and pushed the school into an unimaginable realm. ''To dream the impossible dream,'' Maidique sang, recalling the song from Man of La Mancha -- the story of idealistic Spaniard Don Quixote. His dreams realized, Maidique said Friday he will retire as president once the school's board of trustees finds a successor. That could take nine months to 1 ½ years, he said. Among Maidique's dreams: netting $100 million in research grants, securing an endowment of $100 million, seeing 100 doctoral students graduate, getting a law school, a medical school, an architecture school, transforming the school into a leader in research, creating a divisio...

(Via the Daily Dish )

In Dutch artist Levi van Veluw 's new series, he recreates two dimensional landscapes in 3-D, on his head. A YouTube clip is featured on Towleroad .

Its finances already strained in a difficult year, the Miami-Dade school system will need to cut as much as $122 million more from its budget, district officials said Monday. The latest round of cuts stems from problems within the district's $5.5 billion budget, which was put together under former Superintendent Rudy Crew and submitted to the state Department of Education in September, records show. In addition, new Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has said he would like to establish a reserve to cover anticipated cuts from Tallahassee. Carvalho will officially break the news to the School Board on Thursday, along with his recommendations for making up the money. According to the meeting agenda, his ideas will include: • Downsizing and reorganizing the central office, which would save $22.4 million. • Transferring teachers on special assignment back into the classroom. • Eliminating all nonessential overtime. • Reducing the budgets for hourly and temporary employees. • Trimming $16 ...

Oil prices fell to their lowest level in 20 months on Tuesday, despite efforts by the OPEC cartel to stem the slide, as weak economic growth continued to reduce consumption around the world. Lower energy prices are providing some welcome relief for strapped consumers, but a 59 percent decline in oil prices since their summer peak also shows how radically the prospects of the global economy have darkened in recent months. At an emergency meeting last month, members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to reduce their output, as of Nov. 1, to slow the price slide. (Via NYT )

Rafael Serrano as featured on Queerty.

The transfer of power begins. (Via NYT )