Jerry Curl

"A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice." - Bill Cosby

More can be found at Queerty .

Brian Peters as featured on Queerty .

By David Fitzsimmons

John Updike, the kaleidoscopically gifted writer whose quartet of Rabbit novels highlighted a body of fiction, verse, essays and criticism so vast, protean and lyrical as to place him in the first rank of American authors, died on Tuesday of lung cancer in Danvers, Mass. He was 76. (Via NYT )

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is expected to tell a Senate panel today that the United States needs to provide leadership on the world stage in tackling climate change, a Senate aide said. With Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry focusing a hearing on climate change, Gore is scheduled to tell the panel about the significance of global warming, and new science emerging in the field across the world. Gore is also expected to stress steps the United States and the international community can take leading up to the negotiations on climate change in Denmark at the end of the year, Frederick Jones, spokesman for Kerry, D-Massachusetts, told CNN Tuesday. The hearing comes amid a new U.S. commitment to the issue of climate change under the Obama administration. (Via CNN )

The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation estimates that in an average year the adult entertainment industry — which is headquartered primarily in Southern California — registers total sales of $12.6 billion. Recently Larry Flynt, head of the Hustler empire, and Joe Francis, the man behind the “Girls Gone Wild” series, requested a $5 billion bailout from Congress. The rest of the nation is reeling from a severe economic downturn. Yet the conventional wisdom about the adult entertainment business is that it is recession-proof. And that thinking is consistent with the behavior of mainstream Hollywood. In times of economic difficulty throughout history — even during the Great Depression — people still found the relatively small sums of money to pay for movies and keep their spirits up. This time in the adult industry, though, it may be different, partly because of the current conditions and partly because of the drift by consumers toward new options. “They are definitely str

Andrew Maciver as featured on DNA .

The Chinese Lunar New Year began today, and projections for the Year of the Ox from astrologers, lawyers, bankers and fishmongers are anything but auspicious. “The mood is confused and desperate,” said Kerby Kuek, a feng shui master and Chinese astrologer. “Two years ago, people would ask me if they should change from a medium house to a big house, or from a Nissan to a BMW. “Now people ask me directly, ‘When am I going to get laid off?”’ (Via NYT )

Weekend Top Five #1 Paul Blart: Mall Cop ($21.5M) #2 Underworld: Rise of the Lycans ($20.7M) #3 Gran Torino ($16M) #4 Hotel for Dogs ($12.4M) #5 Slumdog Millionaire ($10.6M)

Aaron O'Connell as featured on DNA .

In a sign of more economic heartache, Microsoft stunned its investors on today, announcing the first broad layoffs in its history and offering a pessimistic forecast for the second half of its fiscal year. Rather than issuing its second-quarter results in the customary fashion after the market closed, Microsoft rushed out the news this morning that it will lay off up to 5,000 of its 94,000 employees over the next 18 months, including 1,400 people today. The layoffs span across research, sales, finance and technology roles, the company said. “We will continue to manage expenses and invest in long-term opportunities to deliver value to customers and shareholders, and we will emerge an even stronger industry leader than we are today,” said Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive. Microsoft’s shares dropped $1.50, or 8 percent, to $17.88 in early trading. (Via NYT )

President Barack Obama issued four executive orders today to demonstrate a clean break from the Bush administration on the war on terror, including one requiring that the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay be closed within a year. A second executive order formally bans torture by requiring that the Army field manual be used as the guide for terror interrogations. The order essentially ends the Bush administration's CIA program of enhanced interrogation methods. A third executive order establishes an interagency task force to lead a systematic review of detention policies and procedures and a review of all individual cases. A fourth executive order delays the trial of Ali al-Marri, a legal U.S. resident who has been contesting his detention for more than five years as an enemy combatant in a military brig without the government bringing any charges against him. The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay became a lightning rod for critics who charged that the Bush admin

Caroline Kennedy has given up her bid for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. In a one-line statement citing personal reasons, the widely considered front-runner said today she had told New York Gov. David Paterson a day earlier that she was no longer interested in the job. "I informed Gov. Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the United States Senate," Kennedy said. (Via CNN )

List of nominees for the 81st Academy Awards: Leading Actor : Richard Jenkins for THE VISITOR Frank Langella for FROST/NIXON Sean Penn for MILK Brad Pitt for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Mickey Rourke for THE WRESTLER Supporting Actor : Josh Brolin for MILK Robert Downey Jr. for TROPIC THUNDER Philip Seymour Hoffman for DOUBT Heath Ledger for THE DARK KNIGHT Michael Shannon for REVOLUTIONARY ROAD Lead Actress : Anne Hathaway for RACHEL GETTING MARRIED Angelina Jolie for CHANGELING Melissa Leo for FROZEN RIVER Meryl Streep for DOUBT Kate Winslet for THE READER Supporting Actress : Amy Adams for DOUBT Penélope Cruz for VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA Viola Davis for DOUBT Taraji P. Henson for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Marisa Tomei for THE WRESTLER For more nominees, click here .

Jeremy Santucci as featured on Nous Models .

President Obama began his first full day in office with a moment of solitude in the Oval Office, reading a note from his predecessor, before making phone calls to Middle East leaders. Obama arrived in the Oval Office at 8:35 a.m., according to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. The president spent 10 minutes alone, reading a note left for him in the desk by outgoing President George W. Bush. The note had been placed in an envelope with a note saying: "To: # 44, From: # 43." White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel met with the president 10 minutes later to discuss the daily schedule, Gibbs said. Obama called Middle East leaders, including King Abdullah of Jordan, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Gibbs said. (Via CNN )

(Via PostSecret )

Ryan Vigilant as featured on Major Models .

(Via NYT )

Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th president of the United States Tuesday, and called on Americans to join him in confronting what he described as an economic crisis caused by greed but also “our collective failure to make hard choices.” “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real,” Mr. Obama said in his inaugural address minutes after he took the oath of office on the same bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his first inaugural in 1861. “They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.” (Via NYT )

[ Editor's note ] In what can only be described as a film of charming proportions, Slumdog Millionaire delivers a powerful message of hope against mounting adversity. It's a film that pits a young Indian boy against I encourage you to steal a couple of hours for yourself and see Slumdog Millionaire .

The Adrienne Arsht Center is hosting a free viewing party for tomorrow's Inauguration. Doors open at 10:00 AM. Lunch will be available for purchase from Performing Arts Catering by Barton G. Although it's a free event, reservations take priority. However, a reservation does not guarantee admission; guests should arrive early and will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Walk-ups without reservations will be admitted on a space-available basis. Program includes: Music on the Plaza : Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School Marching Band and Performing and Visual Arts Academy Presentation of Colors : Homestead Senior High School and Air Force JROTC Color Guard Welcome : Calvin Hughes, Local 10 News AnchorREMARKS: M. John Richard, President and CEO, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County Remarks : The Honorable Carlos Alvarez Mayor, Miami-Dade County Live Television Simulcast of the Presidential Inauguration For more information, click here .

The biggest talent in country music turns 63.

Jonas Sulzbach as featured on We Love Guys .

On Sunday, President-elect Barack Obama got Elizabeth Ross, a 57-year-old African-American woman from Lorman, Miss., to see Bruce Springsteen in concert. Clad in a floor-length black mink coat, matching hat and stunningly manicured nails, Mrs. Ross — and hundreds of thousands of others, their faces bright with both chill and expectation — converged on the Lincoln Memorial to kick off America’s three-day inauguration party. Crammed together as far as the eye could see — from the seated statue of Abraham Lincoln all the way past the reflecting pool and up the hill to the Washington Monument — they danced, sang, shivered, cheered, hooted and hollered for the black man who will be America’s next president, in what seemed a cross between the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington and Woodstock. Mr. Obama, looking into the mass of faces raised to him, seemed to feed off the crowd. The text of his speech was somber, noting the economic crisis and the two wars, and calling for a

Weekend Top Five #1 Paul Blart: Mall Cop ($33.8M) #2 Gran Torino ($22.2M) #3 My Bloody Valentine 3-D ($21.9M) #4 Notorious ($21.5M) #5 Hotel for Dogs ($17.7M)

Sven Smits as features on DNA .

(Via Nous Models )

Beyonce will sing for Barack and Michelle Obama’s first dance on inauguration night. And the song? “Crazy in Love?” Her version of Etta James’ “At Last?”The Presidential Inaugural Committee isn’t saying. “It is our hope that we can keep the song secret until the moment,” said spokeswoman Linda Douglass. Beyonce is part of the star-studded lineup at the official Neighborhood Ball that will be televised on ABC, along with her husband Jay-Z, will.i.am, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Sting, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder and Maroon 5. The Presidential Inaugural Committee said Thursday that presenters at the ball will include Denzel Washington, Jessica Alba, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ray Romano, Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah and Kate Walsh. (Via MSNBC )

Circuit City Stores Inc., the nation’s second-biggest consumer electronics retailer, reached an agreement with liquidators on today to sell the merchandise in its 567 U.S. stores after failing to find a buyer or a refinancing deal. The company said in court papers it has appointed Great American Group LLC, Hudson Capital Partners LLC, SB Capital Group LLC and Tiger Capital Group LLC as liquidators. The company’s move to liquidate, first reported by CNBC this morning, means the retailer’s 35,000 employees will likely lose their jobs, the financial news channel said. Circuit City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November as vendors started to restrict the flow of merchandise ahead of the busy holiday shopping season. (Via MSNBC )

Karma caught up with former Culture Club singer Boy George today when a court sentenced the star to 15 months for falsely imprisoning a male escort, a court spokeswoman said. Full details of the sentence weren't immediately clear. A jury unanimously found the pop star and DJ, whose real name is George O'Dowd, guilty of the charge last month after a seven-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in northeast London. The jury determined O'Dowd, 47, had chained male escort Audun Carlsen to a wall at his apartment in London's hip Shoreditch neighborhood. Carlsen had also said the singer beat him with a metal chain. (Via CNN )

Embedded video from CNN Video

Kris Kranz as featured on Major Models .

(Via Towleroad )

As the first president-elect with a Facebook page and a YouTube channel, Barack Obama is poised to use the Internet to communicate directly with Americans in a way unknown to previous presidents. Judging by Obama's savvy use of social-networking sites during his campaign and the interactive nature of his transition team's Web site, Americans can expect a president who bypasses the traditional media's filters while reaching out to citizens for input, observers say. "The rebooting of our democracy has begun," said Andrew Rasiej, founder of Personal Democracy Forum and the techPresident blog. "[Obama] has the potential to transform the relationship between the American public and their democracy." Obama has more than 1 million MySpace "friends" and more than 3.7 million "supporters" on his official Facebook page -- some 700,000 more than when he was elected in November. His campaign also has a database of almost 13 million supporters and

More infomation as it becomes available.

Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson will give her first performance since losing her mother, brother and nephew when she sings the national anthem next month at the Super Bowl, according to the National Football League. Hudson has not appeared in public since her family members were shot to death in October. Her estranged brother-in-law, William Balfour, 27, was charged in the killings. The NFL already had announced that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band would perform at halftime at Super Bowl XLIII on February 1 in Tampa, Florida. (Via CNN )

Police officials from across Miami-Dade, hoping to discuss possible post-Fidel Castro events locally, met today with Democracy Now, the Cuban exile group headed by Ramon Saul Sanchez. The meeting was not spurred by specific intelligence but just to keep a dialogue open as reports circulate about Castro's health. Mostly, the talks centered on expected street celebrations and dealing with an influx of refugees, police said. ''Basically we're doing everything we can. We're talking to our federal and local partners, though we have no intelligence that say anything is any different,'' said Miami Police spokesman Delrish Moss. The heightened attention on Cuba comes at a time when Cuba watchers from as far as Spain remained on alert, reacting to widely circulating but vague reports that Castro's health had taken a serious turn for the worse. ''High sources in Washington are saying that reliable sources have said that he has taken gravely ill,''

President-elect Obama's first official White House portrait was released today, distinctive in that it's the first-ever presidential portrait taken with a digital camera. More specifically, Engadget notes , "a Canon EOS 5D Mark II on January 13th, 2009 at 5:38 pm with no flash, using a 105mm lens stopped to f/10 at a 1/125 exposure, with an ISO of 100 by newly crowned official White House photographer Pete Souza." (Via Towleroad )

By Jeff Stahler