Out writer/producer Greg Berlanti looking adorable at a recent Eli Stone event

Following this 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.

• Australian gay mag DNA wrongly outed a straight X Factor contestant, leading Austin Drage to have to come out as heterosexual to his gay fans. At least he was appreciative, and I hope he returned the toaster oven.

• TIME has a rather sobering article on the fight for gay marriage in California ... and beyond!

• Kevin Smith says that when he asked Brandon Routh if his Superman contract wouldn't allow him to play Justin Long's lover in Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Routh apparently replied, "What is this, 1940?" Okay, now I almost wish I didn't hate Superman Returns.

• Since it's the season ... the always-campy Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) will close the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival with drag personality Peaches Christ. For more info, check out the fest's site.

• And if you're in NYC tonite, be sure to stop by SPLASH for Patti Labelle's record release party, where the sould legend and her Labelle ladies (above) will be signing CDs for her gay fans. You go, Miss Patti!

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

Miss Patti LaBelle is promoting her new holiday CD, Miss Patti's Christmas. Our buddy Clay Cane snagged an audio interview with the original Lady Marmalade. Some highlights? LaBelle often feeling like she's under appreciated:

LaBelle: I always compare myself to Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler. And I think my talent is as strong as theirs. But I'm a black woman. I get upset a lot. Because I know I'm good.

On organized religion:

LaBelle: All churches aren't fabulous honey. All churches aren't as real and as honest as they should be. And I said it before so this is nothing that I'm afraid to say. My church turned its back on me years ago because I was "singing with the devil". Yeah, but every Sunday I gave them my dirty money. Did the devil give it to em or did I give it to em? Or did God give it to em? They took it from Patti LaBelle but then talked about me bad because I was singing secular music.

The interview moves on to talk about that infamous video clip of a few months back that showed LaBelle stopping a Kansas City show to lecture a rude young fan.

LaBelle: That was so sad. The boy got fired too, I think. I don't know. I tried to call his boss, but it goes right into voice mail every time I call — to give the boy his job back. We made up that night.

He was just a fresh butt. He couldn't sing so I said, "Well can you dance?" And he said, "Well you want it more than I do." But it was like he went sexual on me. Don't do that honey. First of all, I'm old enough to be his grandmother. He's about 22. I said, "Would you talk to your mother like that?" I said, "Go to your seat." He went to his seat and he started crying. Like a little... I said, "Oh, I know you're not crying boo." I said, "Come back up." He came back up, and I hugged him. I said, "I didn't mean to embarrass you. But you embarrassed me and all women — who are 63, especially black women." I said, "You have this diverse crowd and you're gonna talk to me like that?" I said, "I'm not one of these little newcomers, okay? I will hurt you."

I hugged him and said, "I'm gonna forgive you for this," and he went back to his seat. And then later on somebody said that it was good that I put him in his place because he's always arrogant with black women. And then somebody told me he was a little mentally challenged, and I felt bad. So I don't know what the truth is, but I want him to have his job.

The original clip of the exchange between LaBelle and the young fan has been yanked from YouTube and other sites but we covered the flap back in September and have a partial transcript of what happened here.

Finally, my favorite part of the interview is when Miss Patti clarifies her taste in men: