Jerry Curl

The Advocate has released its list of the most searched gay celebrities. Here's how 2010 shaped up: 20. Steven Slater 19. Wanda Sykes 18. Jonathan Groff 17. Chris Colfer 16. Tom Ford 15. Portia de Rossi 14. Suze Orman 13. RuPaul 12. George Michael 11. Jane Lynch 10. Neil Patrick Harris 9. Antoine Dodson 8. Rachel Maddow 7. Alexander McQueen 6. Marc Jacobs 5. Ricky Martin 4. Elton John 3. Ellen DeGeneres 2. Adam Lambert 1. Perez Hilton (gag)

The AP reports : The Fantastic Four — superheroes whose creation nearly 50 years ago helped usher in the Silver Age of comics for Marvel — is about to become a trio. Marvel Comics said Wednesday that a member of the foursome — Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and the Thing — will die in issue No. 587 next month, a change that the company said will ripple across the Marvel Universe like never before. But who will die? That's a secret protected with more might than the Incredible Hulk and Sentry possess, but executive editor Tom Brevoort, who oversees the comic book, says plenty of clues have been offered during the course of writer Jonathan Hickman's run, including the current "Three" story line. "I think we've given plenty of hints as to who may die — perhaps too many, in that every one of our lead characters is left in a dire, life-threatening situation the month before," Brevoort told The Associated Press. "So, hopefully, that will help...

The Miami Herald reports : In a season defined by new experiences, FIU literally saved the best for last: A game -- and a season -- that came down to an unbelievable drive, and field-storming field goal. In just their ninth season, the Golden Panthers mounted a rally for ages, stunning Toledo 34-32 on a 34-yard field goal by Jack Griffin as time expired. "We're very emotional right now. For us, what we've achieved is brand new,'' an ecstatic Mario Cristobal said in the wild moments that followed. "That's awesome right there. That's awesome.'' "What these guys have achieved is historical, but they've also set the bar very high,'' Cristobal said. "We had a chance to make a statement on national TV, and I surely thought we did. This is the standard for FIU football, to play and win championship football games.''

Weekend Top Five: #1 Little Fockers ($34M) #2 True Grit ($25.6M) #3 TRON: Legacy ($20.1M) #4 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ($10.8M) #5 Yogi Bear ($8.8M)

[ Editor's note ] As a gift to you, I've posted one of my favorite childood Christmas films. It's not altogether popular, but the message is very wonderful. Enjoy and have a great holiday little curls.

[ Editor's note ] I'd like to wish you little curls a very merry holiday season. I hope that between the food, the fun, and the gifts you take a little time to reflect on the good things in your life. You don't have to look very hard to find the blessings. Be safe, be happy, and remember: the gym awaits on the other side. Cheers!

Kadu Parga as featured on Made in Brazil .

MSNBC reports on a very cool idea: It’s been more than 230 days since Carlo Garcia bought a cup of coffee. That’s because in April, the Chicago resident realized that he could change lives and inspire others to do the same — all for the price of his morning joe. “One day this idea popped into my head: How hard would it be to give back to charity every day? What’s stopping us from doing that?” said Garcia, who catalogs his daily donations on his blog, Living Philanthropic . “Because I don’t make a whole lot of money, I had to look at my finances and see what areas of unnecessary spending I could cut,” he said. That’s when Starbucks got the boot in favor of free coffee at the ticketing company where Garcia works. “That’s five dollars right there that could go to charity,” Garcia said. While charities still rely primarily on the Bill Gateses and Warren Buffetts of the world, Garcia is a new breed of benefactor: a “microphilanthropist.” And even though he can only give a little, some expe...

ArtsBeat reports : Today, the stretch of Abbey Road where the Beatles were photographed for the cover of the album of the same title was designated a site of national importance, Reuters reported . The street, in the St. John’s Wood district of northwest London, was designated a Grade II listed site by the British Department for Culture, Media and Sport, meaning that it cannot be altered without the approval of the local authorities. In a statement, John Penrose, the minister for tourism and heritage, said, “It is a fantastic testimony to the international fame of the Beatles that -– more than 40 years on — this crossing continues to attract thousands of visitors each year, trying to mimic their iconic Abbey Road album cover.” He added, “This London zebra crossing is no castle or cathedral but, thanks to the Beatles and a 10-minute photo shoot one August morning in 1969, it has just as strong a claim as any to be seen as part of our heritage.” Paul McCartney said in a statement, “It’s ...

The Advocate reports : Activist and producer Luke Montgomery first took aim at bigotry in October with his “FCK Prop 8” video. Two months, millions of page views and thousands of dollars later, the FCKH8 campaign is back, this time with a profanity-laced message against bullying. The new video features a Pussycat Doll, YouTube sensation "Kelly,” drag queens, senior citizens, and a little girl, all of whom yell expletives while wearing purple and white T-shirts with messages that read "FCKH8," “Don't B H8N on the Homos,” and “STR8 AGAINST H8.”As with the “FCK Prop 8” video, part of the T-shirt sales benefit LGBT nonprofit organizations — in this case, groups that fight antigay bullying and youth suicide. Montgomery, a 36-year-old nonprofit marketing professional in Los Angeles, said the FCKH8 campaign grew from frustration with being nice in the face of mounting attacks against LGBT people. A victim of a hate-related beating that hospitalized him with a concussion whe...

The parents of a Rutgers University student who killed himself after authorities said his roommate used a webcam to spy on his tryst with a man intend to sue the university. The attorney for Tyler Clementi's parents filed notice today. Attorney Stephen DeFeo says it appears Rutgers failed to implement or enforce policies that would have prevented or deterred such acts. Rutgers spokesman E.J. Miranda told The Home News Tribune of East Brunswick the university sympathizes with the family. But Miranda says Rutgers is not responsible for the freshman's death. Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, and fellow freshman Molly Wei are charged with invasion of privacy and have withdrawn from Rutgers. Clementi jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge in September. (Via WaPo )

Let freedom ring for all.

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By John Sherffius

The AP reports: Gays and lesbians will be treated just like any other soldiers, sailors, airmen or marines, the new rules say. But commanders will have some flexibility when they believe it's needed to maintain order and discipline in their units. As the U.S. military begins to map out how it will implement the new edict allowing gays to serve openly, the first order of business is drafting the regulations. The rule changes under discussion won't dictate how troops feel about the change, but will strictly enforce how they act on it. Recommendations to implement the repeal were outlined in a 67-page report last month, and now must be formed into concrete regulations. Defense officials said Monday that they still don't know how long it will take before the Pentagon completes its implementation plan and certifies the change will not damage combat readiness. Once certified, the implementation would begin 60 days later. The report, however, provides a fairly detailed preview of...

Diego Fragoso as featured on WGB .

Yesterday, the Tony Award-winning production of West Side Story became the longest running incarnation of the groundbreaking musical. Playing its 733 performance, it surpassed the original production which held the record having played 732 performances on Broadway. The hit revival of West Side Story , directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents with the original Jerome Robbins choreography restaged by Tony Award nominee Joey McKneely, will play its final performance on Broadway on Sunday, January 2, 2011, having played 27 preview and 748 regular performances. This production of West Side Story recouped its $14 million investment after running only 30 weeks (247 performances), Karen Olivo won a 2009 Tony Award for her performance as Anita, and this production's original cast recording won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. A national touring production launches in Detroit on September 30, 2010, going on to cross the country visiting citie...

Scientists in Vancouver know that at least some owls are dying under gruesome circumstances, bleeding to death from stomach hemorrhages in an agonizing and days-long decline. The culprit: An extra-potent class of rat poisons that has flooded the market in recent decades, designed to more effectively kill rats, a food source for the owls. Six of 164 dead barn owls, barred owls and great horned owls examined in a 2009 western Canada study funded by Environment Canada had rodenticide levels high enough to kill them outright, causing fatal stomach hemorrhages. Pesticide readings in 15 percent to 30 percent of the others appeared toxic and seem likely to handicap owls in a variety of ways, scientists say. The study is the latest evidence that poses an unsettling question: Are we willing to poison owls and a variety of other wild animals in order to fight rats? "We’re finding this stuff all over the place,” said John Elliott, an Environment Canada scientist who co-authored the owl study...

The Hollywood Reporter reports : Don't expect Piers Morgan to interview Madonna when his CNN show premieres in January. "She is too vegan for TV," Morgan was quoted saying by the U.K. media. "We have Lady Gaga now so Madonna is banned from my show." Morgan said he'd prefer to interview President Barack Obama, Mel Gibson, Lindsay Lohan or "whoever is in the news who is relevant and current." Madonna isn't too upset. "Madonna doesn't know who Piers Morgan is, but she's a big fan of Lady Gaga," her rep told AOL's Popeater. Madonna was just recently named one of Time Magazine's 25 Most Powerful Women of the Last Century list. Her 2008-09 tour, Sticky & Sweet, was the top-grossing by a solo artist in music history.

The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote today on a set of regulations designed to ensure that internet providers grant everyone equal access to the Web. The "net neutrality" rules, proposed by the Obama administration, would be the government's biggest foray yet into one of the Web's fiercest debates. In announcing the proposed rules earlier this month, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski (pictured)said they would require high-speed internet providers to treat all types of Web content equally. The rules would, in effect, keep the companies that own the internet's real-world infrastructure from slowing down some types of websites or apps -- say, those belonging to a competitor -- or speeding up others from high-paying clients. The commission's agenda says the vote will address "basic rules of the road to preserve the open internet as a platform for innovation, investment, competition and free expression." If it passes, as it is expected to do...

Openly gay 14-year-old Graeme Taylor appeared on Ellen to talk about his impassioned speech in defense of a teacher who was suspended for kicking out a student for anti-gay remarks.

After writing a five-page letter to President Richard M. Nixon stating that he wanted to help win the war on drugs, singer Elvis Presley went to the White House to meet the president on Dec. 21, 1970. Today marks the 40th anniversary of one of the strangest encounters between a celebrity and a sitting president. Click through here for the story and photos of the historic meeting.

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Photo caption: The Moon is engulfed in the Earth's shadow as it nears the peak of a rare winter solstice total lunar eclipse as viewed through a telescope from Palm Beach Gardens Dec. 21. More stunning pictures of the eclipse from across the world can be found here .

Josh Kloss as featured on DNA .

Simon Cowell has put his faith in George Michael - by making him a judge on American X Factor . The former Wham! star, 47, will join the talent show mogul and Cheryl Cole, 27, on the debut series in the States next year. It will allow the troubled singer to re-launch his career after his jail stint earlier this year for drug-driving. A source said: "George is going to take the job. It's an amazing opportunity to get back in the limelight and reverse his recent bad spell. Simon knows that Americans love him. He is as big in the US as he is over here. "He is a true star and has the wit and experience for the job. It's the perfect platform to resurrect his career." Simon, 51, is believed to have offered him a deal worth more than £1million. The telly boss visited George at his home in November to discuss the role. George will have to apply for a US work permit - and due to his recent brush with the law it could take longer to obtain. Rolling Stones frontman Mick Ja...

The AP reports : What Betty White did in 2010 doesn't usually happen: an 88-year-old actress with more than six decades in Hollywood suddenly became the object of adulation of the Facebook-connected masses, which campaigned for her to host Saturday Night Live , boosting the show's ratings and helping her set ratings records for her own show. After a year remarkable for a star of any age, White has been voted the Entertainer of the Year by members of The Associated Press. "It's ridiculous," White says of the honor, in an interview from her home in Los Angeles. "They haven't caught on to me, and I hope they never do." But more than acclaim, her unlikely, age-defying success resonated deeply with people who saw in her a spirited, hilarious aberration, a woman not dimmed by age but enhanced by it: The genuine article in a pop culture awash in imitators. There were 102 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP's membership. Vo...

The three bone fragments turned up on a deserted South Pacific island that lay along the course Amelia Earhart was following when she vanished. Nearby were several tantalizing artifacts: some old makeup, some glass bottles and shells that had been cut open. Now scientists at the University of Oklahoma hope to extract DNA from the tiny bone chips in tests that could prove Earhart died as a castaway after failing in her 1937 quest to become the first woman to fly around the world. "There's no guarantee," said Ric Gillespie, director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, a group of aviation enthusiasts in Delaware that found the pieces of bone this year while on an expedition to Nikumaroro Island, about 1,800 miles south of Hawaii. "You only have to say you have a bone that may be human and may be linked to Earhart and people get excited. But it is true that, if they can get DNA, and if they can match it to Amelia Earhart's DNA, that's prett...

Lady Gaga: "Can't hold back the tears+pride. We did it!i Our voice was heard + today the Senate REPEALED DADT. A triumph for equality after 17 YEARS" and "Today I am so proud to be American. I wish I was home so I could throw a Parade. We are on the way...to full equality." Neil Patrick Harris tweeted: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell REPEALED! So proud of Congress for making the right decision. Now all soldiers can serve with integrity. A great day. Ricky Martin wrote: "One step closer to #equality!! #DADT is gone!Historical!" Ellen DeGeneres: "Thank you Senators for pushing us one step closer towards full equality." (Via Twitter )

Dan Choi, who has just been released from the hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts spoke to CNN about yesterday's historic vote, his PTSD and how he feels sorry for John McCain who says "must have lost a screw."

Nancy Pelosi tells the Advocate : “I think people will see this [vote] as a celebration of our country. Passing this bill makes America stronger in every way, not just national security, but in our values. Frankly it’s a boost of morale for the nation and will be remembered as a defining time when we said no to discrimination.” Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has urged gays and lesbians servicemen to remain closeted - for now: "The new rules would still not take effect for another 60 days. The military will implement change in a responsible, deliberate manner,' said Mullen, the highest ranking military officer. Gates warned troops they should keep their sexual orientation quiet for now because the current law and policy will remain in effect during the deliberative process. The Pentagon has nonetheless implemented a de facto moratorium on ousting troops over their sexual orientation since a first ruling against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by a federal judge in...

The AP reports : In a landmark for gay rights, the Senate on Saturday voted to let gays serve openly in the military, giving President Barack Obama the chance to fulfill a campaign promise and repeal the 17-year policy known as "don't ask don't tell." Obama is expected to sign it this week, although the change wouldn't take immediate effect. The legislation says the president and his top military advisers must certify that lifting the ban won't hurt troops' fighting ability. After that, there's a 60-day waiting period for the military. "It is time to close this chapter in our history," Obama said in a statement after a test vote cleared the way for final action. "It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed." The Senate vote was 65-31. The House had passed an identical version of the bill, 250-175, on Wednesday. Repeal would m...

Weekend Top Five: #1 TRON: Legacy ($43.6M) #2 Yogi Bear ($16.7M) #3 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ($12.4M) #4 The Fighter ($12.2M) #5 The Tourist ($8.7M)

Bonus video below: (Via the HuffPo )

Ivo Cavalcanti as featured on YVY .

What a beaute.

Far From Heaven , the 2002 Todd Haynes film starring Julianne Moore as a 1950s housewife whose happy domestic life changes when she discovers her husband is gay, has been commissioned to become a musical, reports NY Press . The team working on the musical adaptation, librettist Richard Greenberg and composers Scott Frankel and Michael Korie, who created the score to the acclaimed stage version of Grey Gardens. The musical has been commission by Playwrights Horizons, a writer's theater that develops new work by contemporary American playwrights, composers and lyricists.

[ Editor's note ] Let me preface this discussion by saying that I wholeheartedly love the Narnia films. Despite their inexplicably lukewarm reception, I think they’re beautifully done. Although they lack the the gravitas of a Tolkien film, these films are a fun mix of imagination and swashbuckling adventure. Well last night, my tall pal Dan and I took a 3D trip to Narnia aboard the Dawn Treader. Chalk full of the familiar magic, high-seas drama, and rather poor acting we’ve come to expect, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was everything a fan would want and more! The story begins with 2 of the 4 Pevensie kids (Edmund and Lucy) taking refuge from the war at their uncle’s home in Cambridge. Peter and Susan are in America with their parents, leaving the two youngest behind. Miserable and isolated, Edmund and Lucy cling to each other and their memories of Narnia to get through the irritations of their priggish cousin, Eustace Scrubb. One day, the painting of a ...

By: Mike Luckovich

As published on the Huffington Post : I'm writing letters to my loved ones in case I don't return from Afghanistan. I hope my partner never has to open his. If he does, it will ask him to tell who I was, because I couldn't. I was a teenager when my brother came home with an American flag draped over his coffin, so I understand the fragility of life and the dangers of serving. And the additional burden of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is one I choose to carry. I volunteered for deployment, and I continue to serve. It's my deepest core value, whatever the cost. The silence is the hardest part. I listen intently as my fellow soldiers talk about facing the reality of leaving their loved ones for a year and all the life events that will be missed. I don't talk about my own experience at all, because it's easier to come across as cold and removed than to risk slipping and mentioning that my loved one is of the same gender. For all I know, there are other gay soldiers...

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FOX News reports : The company that wants to be your everything for search has just brought its technology to a new area: the human body. Google has just unveiled Body Browser, a detailed 3D model of the human body. Running only in browsers that support the new WebGL graphics standard (currently just Google Chrome or the latest Firefox beta), Body Browser lets you peel back the body's anatomical layers, zoom in, and navigate to parts that interest you. Click to identify bits of the human anatomy, or search for muscles, organs, bones and more. The ability to zoom in and out of the body, and to unravel it at the click of a mouse, is entertaining and informative. You can also share the exact scene you are viewing by copying and pasting the corresponding URL. Can't recall quite what the fibular collateral ligament looks like, for example? That's the one on the outside of the knee, of course; you can find it with a quick search and share it with your anatomically inquisitive fri...

Niels Verlemann as featured on Morphosis .

Steve Rothaus reports : Martin Gill, the plaintiff in the successful legal challenge to Florida's anti-gay adoption ban, will be attending the White House Holiday Reception today. The invitation follows a direct appeal by Equality Florida to the President asking him to spotlight the harm of Florida's anti-gay adoption law which has since been struck down by the courts. "I know I'm not representing just myself or even just my own children. I will be there on behalf of every child in need of a loving home and all the future families that will be formed because of our victory this year. Thank you for standing with me," said Martin Gill in a note written to supporters across the state. On September 22nd, Martin and his family, represented by the ACLU, won a unanimous Third District Court of Appeals decision that found Florida's adoption ban unconstitutional. The decision is binding statewide and, for the first time in 33 years, allows gay people to be considered a...

Reuters reports : Soul icon Aretha Franklin has been discharged from a Detroit hospital where she underwent successful surgery for reported pancreatic cancer. Franklin, 68, has not made public her diagnosis, and a spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment. "I've been at home for almost three days now," Franklin said in a statement. "My family and friends who brought me home are taking great care of me. I also have a private nurse who visits on a daily basis." The spokeswoman added in the statement that Franklin was "in great spirits."

USA Today reports : A broadcast icon signs off tonight. After 25 years of interviewing presidents, movie stars and regular folks on CNN's signature talk show, Larry King will host the last of roughly 7,000 episodes of Larry King Live (9 p.m. ET/6 PT). Piers Morgan succeeds King in January. Bill Maher, who has appeared on the show "zillions of times," says the finale will mark the end of an era. "He's one of those giants, that when they go, take it with them," he says. "He brought a style, which I would describe as minimalist, that is in sore need these days when interviewers talk too much and forget they're doing the interviewing." King, 77, who still will have four CNN specials a year, is engraved in popular culture, but his departure is more significant for the legacy than for its effect on today's broadcasting scene, says Michael Harrison of Talkers magazine, which follows talk media. Once a ratings topper, King has lost significant au...

The Washington Post reports : House lawmakers yesterday approved a bill to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law, delivering renewed momentum to the years-long campaign to end the ban on gays in the military ahead of a possible Senate vote next week. The House voted 250 to 175 to repeal the 17-year-old law; 15 Republicans voted for the bill, and 15 Democrats voted against it. The 75-vote margin was wider than a similar House vote in May, when language ending the ban was part of the annual defense authorization bill. That bill failed a procedural vote in the Senate last week, requiring another vote in the House on a separate measure to end to the gay ban. President Obama heralded the vote, saying in a statement that ending current military policy "is not only the right thing to do, it will also give our military the clarity and certainty it deserves. We must ensure that Americans who are willing to risk their lives for their country are treated fairly and equally...

Rolling Stone reports : The votes are in and next year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class will include Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Darlene Love and Dr. John. Leon Russell will be receive The Award For Musical Excellence (formerly the sideman category) and industry legends Jac Holzman and Art Rupe will both receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award. The ceremony will be held March 14 at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel and it will be broadcast live on Fuse.

Well that didn't take long. I knew this wasn't going to go well for the HRC. The Advocate reports: Late gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk accomplished many things in the city of San Francisco and, arguably, for gay people across the country. Many of his grassroots efforts were run from in his photography shop, Castro Camera, positioned right in the heart of San Francisco's prominent gay neighborhood. In the years since Milk's life was taken, several retailers have occupied the space. Now the Human Rights Campaign is moving in. The HRC already had a retail space in the area, called an action center, but pounced at the idea of taking Milk's old space this January. The problem, however, is that Milk's cohorts say the organization does not honor their slain friend's legacy. "I think it is completely inappropriate for the simple reason is that the HRC represents the antithesis of Harvey Milk's organizing strategy," said longtime activist Cleve Jones,...

John Kenney as featured on Morphosis .

[ Editor's note ] 2010 was a musically transitional year for me. Not so much in my taste in music, as that remains impeccable. But rather, I've sorta changed the way I listen to music. While I like to think of myself as part of a dying breed of music fans that still visit record stores, I must admit that the majority of my business went to the iTunes store this year. For varying reasons-- lack of supply at real stores, unwillingness to invest in a new artist's whole album, laziness-- I have fallen prey to the instant gratification of digital downloads. However, this new found inlet has not stopped my album-purchasing ways. I can proudly say that I own hard copies of everything on the following list. Perhaps listening to the albums as they were intended had something to do with why they're on the list. Either way, I hope you give these albums a listen. In a world where throw-away music seems to be the norm, these are rare gems that should be treasured. #5 Aphrodite by ...