Whoopi will trade her Christian Siriano gown for a toga when she joins the cast of Xanadu

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• Goodbye, Yellow Brickle Road: How upset am I that when Ben & Jerry create an ice cream flavor based on my favorite Elton John song that I would actually totally like to taste (chocolate and peanut brittle?!), it's only available in Vermont? Damn hippies!!

• We dug the pilot for Alan Ball's upcoming HBO vampire drama True Blood, and we're digging the viral marketing campaigns even more. Check out this fake vampire-inclusive dating site, Lovebitten. I particularly love the spoof of the "Rejected by eHarmony" ads and the "have you come out of the coffin" question on the registration page. (t/y Kaiser for the tip!)

• ABC News has a story about how gay and transgender youth are coming out at an earlier age, despite the fact that their schools are doing little to support and protect them from bullying.

• Here's a sweet interview (check out the accompanying video above) of out actor Leslie Jordan from The Today Show, in which he discussed his new book about being gay in Hollywood and his new series, Sordid Lives (on Logo).

• Whoopi Goldberg is joining the cast of Xanadu for a few months, taking the role of one of the evil muse sisters (Jackie Hoffman is taking a few months off). She's been a vocal supporter of the Gayest Little Musical That Could for months, and it would be awesome to see her in the production. Miss Celie on skates!!

• And some Wicked good news for you theatre-lovers: The Wizard of Oz-based musical may be coming to the big screen, via Universal.

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

Yesterday's Good Morning America had a great profile and interview of transgender performer Candis Cayne. The profile gives us a glimpse into Cayne's family life, taking time to talk with her twin brother, Dylan McDaniel, and her boyfriend, Marco McDermott.

During the interview, Cayne addresses one of the more surprising moments from her past appearance on The View. Cayne told the View ladies that she didn't realize she was transgender until she was in her twenties. Cayne clarified, "I knew when I was six, I had my first thoughts of it. But because my parents had raised me so openly and just being who I am supposed to be, I was never conflicted. I was never, 'I'm not supposed to be doing this' because they never told me I wasn't supposed to play with that doll."

Cayne's been an amazing spokesperson for transgender people. She makes it easy to understand her experience. Check the GMA segment for yourself after the break:

• Today in Gay Irony: Out Sex and the City creator Darren Star's next pilot is based on a YouTube series called We Need Girlfriends.

• A columnist for the LA Times asks, "Is gay the new straight?" Yes ... that is, if "yes" is the new "no"...

• Harry Potter himself has noted that since he was outed, Dumbledore (aka Michael Gambon) has been "camping it up" on the set.

• Neil Patrick Harris pops up on Wheel of Fortune next week at Radio City. The look on the girl's face in that picture? You know he's totally pinching her tushie.

• ABC News, whose history with gay matters isn't exactly stellar, has been spotted in Alabama filming people's responses to the sight of two men kissing in public. How about people's responses to the sight of two anythings kissing in public? Eew...
  

The Fourth of July isn't really a TV-watching holiday but in case you find yourself stuck indoors, here are a few options.

Tuesday

Alien Boot Camp (Logo) 10:00 PM EDT
This collection of queer-themed animated shorts reminds me of an old college favorite, MTV's old Liquid Television. This might be a great source for discovering the next cult classic -- check out the show's site for sample clips and more info (and repeat showings).

Primetime: Family Secrets (ABC) 10:00 PM EDT
One of the stories this ABC Newsmagazine plans on looking at is Manvendra Singh Gohil, an Indian Prince who was disowned by his family after coming out.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien (NBC) 1:00 AM EDT
I've seen a few alerts saying that the newly-out David Hyde Pierce but the show's website only lists George Lucas, Will Arnett and Chris Isaak as guests while my cable listings say tonight's show is a rerun from Conan's recent visit to San Francisco. I guess we'll find out tonight.

Wednesday

Hollyoaks Marathon (BBC America) 9:00 AM EDT
The four most recent hours of Hollyoaks air. While not getting a lot of screen time himself, JP's family, the McQueens were basically re-introduced in last week's episodes and last Friday's episode included an instance of anti-gay violence (against cross-dressing character Kris) that was surprisingly organic in the set-up (too bad, from what I can tell, there won't be much follow-up).

Project Runway Marathon (Bravo) 10:00 AM EDT
Alternately, Bravo is also re-airing the entirety of Project Runway's third season. Now twelve hours with Jeffrey Sebeilia just isn't my idea of a July 4th, but that's just me.

Hidden Palms (The CW) 8:00 PM EDT
The summer drama ends tonight. It's been visually interesting and Leslie Jordan got a far meatier role than he usually gets, but I'm ready for the story to reach a conclusion.