Jerry Curl

The AP reports : A federal appeals court today declared that the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally denies federal benefits to married gay couples, a groundbreaking ruling all but certain to wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court. In its unanimous decision, the three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said the 1996 law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman deprives gay couples of the rights and privileges granted to heterosexual couples. The court didn't rule on the law's more politically combustible provision, which said states without same-sex marriage cannot be forced to recognize gay unions performed in states where it's legal. It also wasn't asked to address whether gay couples have a constitutional right to marry. The law was passed at a time when it appeared Hawaii would legalize gay marriage. Since then, many states have instituted their own bans on gay marriage, while eight states have approved ...

E! Online reports : On May 25, 1977, the first film in the original trilogy, titled simply Star Wars , hit theaters. (Beginning in 1981, Episode IV—A New Hope was added to the title on new releases of the film.) After the original release, two sequels, released at three-year intervals, continued to fuel the cultural phenomenon. In 1999, the prequel trilogy films were released at three-year intervals as well. George Lucas's multibillion-dollar franchise also led to a TV series, comic books, video games and a heck of a lot of passionate fans. Me included! In honor of this most sacred and celebrational day, I offer you a small segment of the 1978 Star Wars Christmas Special : And if you can stomach it, here are the clips of Bea Arthur as a Cantina bartender ( One and Two ). That sentence won't make any more sense if you read it again.

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The Big Bang Theory actor Jim Parsons has revealed he's gay and in a committed relationship in a new interview. Patrick Healy of  the New York Times  the star's sexuality as part of a profile of the 39-year-old actor , who is currently starring on Broadway in a revival of Harvey . The revelation comes late in the article, when Healy describes Parsons' role in the 2011 revival of Larry Kramer's HIV/AIDS crisis drama, The Normal Heart . Writes Healy: '"The Normal Heart” resonated with him on a few levels: Mr. Parsons is gay and in a 10-year relationship, and working with an ensemble again onstage was like nourishment, he said." Parsons' sexuality has been the source of media speculation for several years. Though the Times doesn't identify Parsons' partner, the actor thanked Todd Spiewak during a 2010 Emmy Award acceptance speech. He has shown up to awards shows and made public theater contributions together with Spiewak, reportedly ...

--> [ Editor's note ] I did not watch this season of American Idol . I have what this excellent article refers to as "viewer fatigue". Still, Idol always delivers a powerhouse finale. And while I missed it, this performance did not escape my attention. Watch and be amazed.

Adam Lambert has become the first openly gay artist to have a #1 album on the Billboard 200 chart! Other gay performers such as Elton John and George Michael have hit #1, but only before they came out, and they haven't managed that honor since. Lambert's second studio album, Trespassing , debuted at the top with 77,000 albums sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. However, Trespassing  is also the smallest sum at No. 1 on the chart since the tally dated Aug. 20, 2011, when Adele's 21 sold 76,000 in its 12th nonconsecutive week atop the list. Trespassing has the smallest sales week for a No. 1 debut since Amos Lee's Mission Bell started in the penthouse with 40,000 on the Feb. 12, 2011 chart. This also marks the first time that one American Idol replaces another at No. 1. Lambert's arrival bumps last week's leader, Carrie Underwood's Blown Away , down to No. 3 (54,000; down 55%). (Via After Elton & Billboard )

The AP reports : A former Rutgers University student who attracted the scorn of gay-rights advocates and was convicted of hate crimes for using a webcam to view seconds of his roommate and another man kissing days before the roommate killed himself will go to jail for 30 days. A judge gave 20-year-old Dharun Ravi a 30-day jail term and then probation today, resolving the first part of the legal odyssey in an unusual, emotional and tragic case dealing with the consequences of bad decisions by young people in the Internet age - but certainly not ending the debate surrounding New Jersey's tough hate-crimes laws. Judge Glenn Berman said he would not recommend Ravi be deported to India, where he was born and remains a citizen. The case began in September 2010 when Ravi's randomly assigned freshman-year roommate asked Ravi to stay away so he and a guest could have privacy.