I spotted the Oracle of Randomocity working the corner of Crack and Ho, where she stuck her head into my taxi to reveal that this week’s winner of Swag Tuesday is fellow New Yorker, Croft, the 104th commenter, who gets Cyclizen, the new novel by Jim Provenzano. Croft sez: “I’d like to thank the academy, and, wait, I wasn’t finished, …

Is PlanetOut beginning to dismantle? In a self-reported story posted on the Advocate’s site, PlanetOut Partners has announced it is selling its adult publishing division, SpecPub, as it attempts to stem the hemorrhage of red ink. SpecPub comprises four gay adult magazines: Unzipped, [2] Magazine, Men Magazine, and Freshmen. PlanetOut is revamping Advocate, with a planned redesign set to launch …

….stalking yer lunch.

Speaking of London Pride, today the UK Guardian lists their ten favorite songs about being gay: 1 Jet Boy, Jet Girl, Elton Motello2 Michael, Franz Ferdinand3 Homosapien, Pete Shelley4 Can You Forgive Her?, Pet Shop Boys5 BD Woman’s Blues, Lucille Bogan6 Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B Hawkins7 The Man That I Am With My Man, The …

England-based Qsoft Consulting, owner of the gay dating site MyGaydar.com, has filed a trademark infringement suit in Delaware, claiming they own the word “gaydar” after another company began using a similar domain name for their own gay and lesbian dating site. Qsoft’s suit also contends that TDTong Ltd. violated the “Can Spam Act” by sending unsolicted messages to users of …

Fired Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington is pulling out his race card, now claiming that he was canned from the hit show because he’s black. Saying, “Someone heard the booming voice of a black man and got really scared and that was the beginning of the end for me,” Washington says the real reason he got fired is because he …

The day before London Pride, today British police were tipped off about a suspicious car parked on Haymarket Street (in London’s West End) along the route of the gay Pride parade. Inside a Mercedes they found gas containers and a large number of nails, unnerving Londoners who plan to attend tomorrow’s event. Police described the bomb as similar to those …

Originally the Hotel Beverly, the Hotel Benjamin was built in 1927 by famed architect Emery Roth, the man responsible for dozens of Beaux Arts buildings in Manhattan. The hotel fell into disrepair for many years but reopened in 1999 as part of Denihan Hospitality Group, and is now named for DHG’s founder, Benjamin Denihan. Trivia: Back when it was the …

The Trevor Project, the nation’s only 24/7 suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth, has just received the largest donation in its history from actress Jodie Foster. The Trevor Project is in the middle of a fundraising campaign aimed to support the opening of two new call centers. Foster made the donation in the name of the late Oscar winner …

Montreal’s Pride parade is back on, rescued by a new community group called Celebrations LGBTA Montreal. (The “A” in their LGBTA stands for “amis”.) Montreal Pride is now scheduled for July 28th & 29th. In May, Divers/Cité (the group that has put on the parade in the past) backed out, citing wishes to focus on their gay cultural festival which …

Legendary opera diva and gay icon Beverly Sills, 78, is reported to be near death from lung cancer. Sills is in a Manhattan hospital with her daughter at her side. While she retired from performing in 1980, Sills has continued to be a force on the NYC opera scene, becoming the chair of the Metropolitan Opera in 2002. Like many …

From a blind item in today’s Page Six column: “Just asking: Which members of the State Assembly are in trouble with their gay children because they voted no on the same-sex marriage bill? A Queens member was chewed out by her lesbian daughter, and a Brooklyn member was tongue-lashed by his fashion designer son.” Does anybody know who these legislators …

Our ignoble leader is threatening to veto the federal budget for Washington, DC unless a provision is reinserted to prevent DC from using any of the money for its domestic partners registry. Most of the money to operate the District of Columbia comes from local taxes but about 25% comes from a $120M federal appropriation. When the Democrats took over …

The Log Cabin Republicans have released the results of a poll they consponsored which appears to show broad support for gay rights among Republicans, including a 77% support for ENDA. According to the poll, 48% support the repeal of DADT, 43% support gay marriage or civil unions, and 55% agree with the statement “the Republican Party has spent too much …

“Some who heard our message were compelled to try to change an integral part of themselves, bringing harm to themselves and their families. Although we acted in good faith, we have since witnessed the isolation, shame, fear and loss of faith that this message creates.” – Former Exodus co-founder Michael Bussee, in a joint apology issued with two other former …

Here’s the Lexington Avenue entrance of the Waldorf-Astoria at 50th Street. (The grander entrance is on Park Avenue.) The residence for the American ambassador to the UN is on the 42nd floor. The Waldorf was originally located on the site where the Empire State Building was built. The first three times I visited NYC as an adult, I stayed at …

Who was your first gay crush? Did you act on it?.

Out Magazine is soliciting names for its annual year-end Out 100 list of LGBT folks that have “inspired, intrigued, entertained, or taught us or otherwise captured our collective imagination over the past year.” At the moment, I think I’m submitting Peter Tatchell, Daniel O’Donnell, and Sgt. Eric Alva. The final list will come out in the December 2007 issue.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign has announced an LGBT steering committee comprised of an impressive roster of 65 prominent queers who will help her reach out to gay voters, a list the likes of which we’ve likely never seen before. Among those on the committee: NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, former HRC head Elizabeth Birch, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Eldie Acheson. …

The NY Post has leaked the details of Spike Lee’s new Broadway venture and it’s a curious choice – a remake of the 1951 play Stalag 17, originally directed on Broadway by Jose Ferrer. It was made into a movie in 1954, winning multiple Oscars, including Best Actor for William Holden. Lee’s version is expected to open some time next …