Mary-Louise Parker: "Streeetch .. and kick!"
(all photos: Getty)

Last night the unsinkable Liza Minnelli opened her new show in New York City, and from the looks of the photo coverage the event was every bit as cuckoobananas as we'd expect.

First, the photo service that we use has the title of the show — Liza's at the Palace — listed as "Liza's at the Palace?!", suggesting a sort of abject amazement at the fact they'd let the old bird in the joint in the first place.

But that's just the beginning: even the pics of the celebrity arrivals are unusually bizarre. Check out more pics of stars talking on their phones, doing calf-stretches, and making stink-faces after the jump!

Neil Patrick Harris and Tippi Hedren at the unveiling of Harry Houdini's refurbished star last Friday

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.

• Dr. Horrible, meet Wally Wellesley: Neil Patrick Harris (a gay man nominated for an Emmy for playing a straight man) will voice the villain in the upcoming Eat Lead video game, opposite Will Arnett (a straight man nominated for an Emmy for playing a gay man) as action hero Matt Hazard.

• A 60-year-old San Francisco streetcar that appeared in Milk will be dedicated to slain politician Harvey Milk tomorrow, the day that the film's premiere is held in the city.

Dashing TV bros Dave Annable and Matthew Rhys (Brothers & Sisters) at a recent GQ event

• Out actor/director Tom Hulce (Amadeus, Animal House) was recently interviewed about his theatre work (including producing smash hit Spring Awakening) and shot down the IMDB rumors that he was married and had a child, noting that "there are a lot of falsehoods" on the Internet.

• The lineup for Lincoln Center's 2009 American Songbook series has been announced, with out stars Paulo Szot, David Hyde Pierce and Alan Cumming among the performers. (Pierce's concert, a tribute to Cole Porter, sounds particularly exciting.)

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Alan Cumming

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.

• "Hunky, sexy guy" Cheyenne Jackson continues his hilarious self-spoofing trend in the Legally Brown online series, which seeks to find a replacement for "Piragua Guy" in the Broadway smash In the Heights. (And fellow out theater stars Robin De Jesus and Seth Rudetsky are pretty damn funny as well.)

• Out actor Alan Cumming penned an essay about how the US political system has split the country into "people who think it's their duty to care about other people, and those who think it's every man for themselves."

• Here's a photo gallery of the butt-hugging goings-on at this past weekend's UnderGear Model Star 2008 Pageant. If, you know, you're into that kind of thing.

• Above, from our news sibs at 365Gay: Is the economy forcing gays back into the closet when it comes for job searching?

• Here's a charming LA Times piece on West Hollywood's "gay museum", which despite its description does not contain the preserved remains of noted homosexuals but instead seeks to shed light on forgotten elements of gay history.

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Michael C. Hall brought a little Dexter to the party

So you may have heard that last night's 60th Emmy Awards wasn't quite the gay-fest that we had hoped. But still, a few moments (Neil Patrick Harris's introducing David Burtka as "my better half" to Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet; Bryan Batt's joining the Mad Men cast on stage for their big win; the clip of Sydney Pollack saying "Will's gay" from Will & Grace) were bumps in visibility, and overall the wins went to gay-inclusive and gay-fave shows (Mad Men, 30 Rock, The Colbert Report).

The show also had its low points, namely the hosting situation (ABYSMAL ... and isn't this technically what those five people are actually qualified to do? Host a reality program?) and the sad trotting out of the Laugh-In cast for a retread of the joke wall routine ... it was meant to be a celebration of the brilliance of the show but I'm sorry, it wound up looking like a rehearsal for next year's "In Memoriam" montage.

Out actor Bryan Batt (second from R) and his fellow Men
 

We slogged through about 2,472 pics this morning to find some snaps of our favorite guests, some of whom didn't appear in the broadcast or undergo the scrutiny of Seacrest and his creepy Full-Body Leer Cam.

Enjoy! (All pics courtesy Getty Images) 

David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris

Maulik Pancholy (who played gay Sanjay on Weeds and gay-ish Jonathan on 30 Rock) with castmates Jane Krakowski and Judah Friedlander

Out actor Alan Cumming (Tin Man)
 

The fabulous Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters, Muriel's Wedding)
 

Lots more after the break!

Hosts Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Chalke 

This weekend the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences held their annual Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards ... or, as they have been better known since Kathy Griffin vaulted them to the spotlight with her "suck it, Jesus!" acceptance speech last year, The Shmemmys. The event honors a host of behind-the-scenes talent and lower-profile categories ... although from the sounds of it, it may soon overshadow its behemoth big brother in terms of sheer character.

The awards were co-hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah "The Other Becky" Chalke ... so already this gig is one-up on the telecast, which is being hosted by an assortment of reality show mouthpieces.

Kathy Griffin gets suitably D-List on the red carpet
 

By all accounts the show itself was a lot of fun, as evidenced by these pics ... one of which below the break is NSFW (if you can believe that!). The crowd was full of gay and gay-fave celebs and there were some winners in our team as well:

Kathy Griffin won Outstanding Reality Series (again), and Sarah Silverman (whose own show has two central gay characters) won two awards for her "I'm F*cking Matt Damon" video, which she dedicated to now-ex boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel. Desperate Housewives' Kathryn Joosten (Karen McKlusky) picked up a second statue for guest acting, and out actress Cynthia Nixon picked up an award for her guest spot on Law & Order: SVU. AMC's Mad Men (which has a gay character) scooped up a handful of awards, and gay-inclusive South Park and The Simpsons both picked up awards in the animation categories.

The full awards will be broadast on E! on September 20th, but in the meantime, check out more pics of guests and the show after the jump! 

Dirty Sexy Money's Natalie Zea and Candis Cayne at the Season 2 premiere party (Photo: Getty)

After the following 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.

• I don't know which I find more disturbing: that former NYC Mayor Ed Koch has posted a review of Another Gay Movie ... or that I agree with it.

• Out actor Alan Cumming is trying to become an American citizen by November so that he can vote. We're talking Obama here, not American Idol.

• Speaking of, lovable Monchichi American Idol also-ran David Archuleta has a video out for his first single, "Crush" ... and folks are confused as to whether the video is suggesting that the crushee in question is a boy or a girl...

Ang Lee takes Woodstock

• Above, director Ang Lee kicks off the first day of filming Taking Woodstock (starring comedian Demetri Martin as gay Woodstock organizer Elliot Tiber) with a traditional Big Luck ceremony. EW had the exclusive ... can you pick out Martin, Emile Hirsch, and Jonathan Groff in the crowd?

• The Wall Street Journal (well, an assistant editor for The New Republic in an editorial for the WSJ) discusses the significance of the first RNC in a decade where gays weren't used as a scare tactic.

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Shane West is all thumbs

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.

• Above, ER's Shane West, who plays gay punk legend Darby Crash in What We Do is Secret (check out my write-up on the film over here), lends his thumbprints to the slab The Germs received yesterday in Hollywood's RockWalk. As far as I know, this is the first time a young actor has been inducted into the RockWalk for playing a gay punk legend in a movie.

• Jonathan Moscone, the gay son of George Moscone, the San Francisco mayor who was assassinated with Harvey Milk, won't be seeing Gus Van Sant's Milk biopic, as it is too painful a memory to relive. He's working on a play about his father's life.

• Hallmark unveils a line of gay wedding cards, following up on the "coming out" cards they launched last year. Does this mean that eventually my mom won't be sending me any more cards that play Pointers Sisters songs? (That was the closest thing she could find to a gay card, I guess?)

Hey there, blue eyes!

• Not only is John Barrowman working on a new album of pop covers (called Music Music Music), but he'll also appear in a new documentary called Broadway: The Next Generation alongside thesps Alan Cumming, Liev Schreiber, Bryan Batt, Glenn Close, and more.

• Project Runway's first showmance, Wesley and Daniel, is still going strong. Here's a cute video interview with the couple.

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

Sean Hayes (Photo: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times)

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.

• Anyone else curious what this in-development television project that Sean Hayes is cooking up might be all about? This New York Times interview will only say that it's called Bi-Coastal and that it involves "a guy with a wife and kids in California and a boyfriend in New York."

• The home of gay Boyzoner Stephen Gately was burgled, and some expensive jewelry with sentimental attachments stolen.

• Good news: In Hogan reality spinoff Brooke Knows Best, Hulk's daughter has a gay roommate and the Hulk's totally cool with that. Bad news: the implication that Brooke knows anything, let alone "Best".

• We can believe it's Boy Butter: Last Monday, Bravo aired what is being called the first ever national television commercial for an anal lubricant, and I missed it. Damn you, TiVO! (Technically, Boy Butter has advertised on television before ... and to equally creepy results, but only in local markets.)

• The trailer for the sure-to-be-controversial documentary Religulous (in which Bill Maher travels the world trying to get to the bottom of religious absurdities) is up, and in it Maher talks to a couple of gay Muslims. This is gonna get interesting.

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Brad Altman and George Takei

Monday night at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in New York City, the Trevor Project held its 8th annual Summer Gala. Hosted by Alec Mapa, the entire evening was as entertaining as it was inspiring with a mix of individuals honored for their work with gay youth as well as musical and comedy performances.

The N, the network whose award-winning television shows Degrassi: The Next Generation and South of Nowhere have broken new ground in the positive representation of gay and questioning youth, received the Trevor Commitment Award. Receiving the award was Sarah Lindman, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of The N, who spoke emotionally about how including gay content in their teen-geared series has been a great place for gay and questioning teenagers to see that they are not alone as they come to terms with self-identity and sexuality.

The Colin Higgins Foundation honored three gay youths with their Youth Courage Awards. Kyle Rapinan, Perre Shelton, and Devon Bearden were each honored for fighting back and pulling themselves out of their respective abusive and discriminatory situations and are now thriving in their lives. In fact, Shelton received a standing ovation when he recited one of his powerful poetic works to the audience upon accepting his award.

Alan Cumming

The hilarious Alan Cumming was honored with the Trevor Hero Award for his endless work helping young people accept themselves for who they are and teaching them to be empowered, not hindered, by that self-awareness. Past recipients include Tony Award-winning actor Nathan Lane and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham.

“For a long time, I’ve admired the work of The Trevor Project and the support they give to America’s gay youth, so I’m really delighted and honored to be given this award by such a great organization,” said Mr. Cumming in a Trevor Project press release. “The Trevor Project really inspired me so this award truly is special, and I will continue to try and further their goals in my life and work.”

More pics and celebs after the break!

Damn! Damn Yankees stars Sean Hayes, Jane Krakowski, and Cheyenne Jackson

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.

• Out designer Tom Ford is designing the costumes for the world's best-dressed spy in the next James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. If anyone knows how to make Daniel Craig look his best, Ford does.

• Here's a fun 20 Questions with the always-entertaining Alan Cumming (he makes mention of his husband, Grant, which is very sweet).

• According to an authoritative new biography of Hugh Hefner, he once kinda-sorta had a sexual encounter with another man. Which is probably the least scandalous thing ever to happen in the pleasure baron's storied life.

• Our pal John Polly over at NewNowNext was at the impressively star-studded Provincetown Film Festival over the weekend and has a great roundup of all the fun.

• Boy George's plans for a big US tour this summer are dampened by his inability to obtain a visa. First Amy Winehouse is denied entry, and now George? Next thing you know they'll excommunicate the cremains of Billie Holiday.

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