I've been spending (what's felt like) years scoffing at rumors about Russel E. Davies and David Tennant's impending departure from the venerable Doctor Who franchise and that speculation has finally turned out to be true, as Tennant has announced that he will be stepping down as the tenth Doctor. He'll be leaving after the current season, which will be made up of four specials instead of the usual 13 episodes, the same time Davies will be quitting the franchise.

Russell Tovey and Patterson Joseph

On the bright side, if you've been following the speculation on who could be the eleventh Doctor, this could be a chance for the BBC to break new ground. Among the potential new Doctors is Russell Tovey, an openly gay actor, as well as Patterson Joseph, who would be the first person of color to play the Doctor. Either move would be a nice nod to Davies' legacy which has included the first queer companion (the fan favorite Captain Jack Harkness) as well as the first two companions of color (Mickey Smith and Dr. Martha Jones).

But who else could be the eleventh Doctor?

SPIDER-MAN, SPIDER-MAN, CAN BREAK INTO SONG LIKE OLIVE SNOOK CAN:
Here's a bit of news I didn't expect, apparently there's a Spider-Man musical coming to Broadway. There's reason to feel optimistic about the project -- it's directed by Tony-winner Julie Taymor while the music comes from Bono and The Edge. Still, despite those names I can't help but think of It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman.

Right now, Spidey is set to hit Broadway late in 2009 or 2010 (I want to know which city gets the test run). I'm not much of a Broadway geek, mostly because I now live in a city where the Spamalot tour sticks around for just one week (admittedly that's better than a one-Starbucks town), so I don't have a strong feel for how much optimism Taymor should inspire... what do you Broadway fans think, does this sound like the next Lion King or Carrie?

I GUESS IT WON'T BE A GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW MOVIE:
Marc Guggenheim is currently on the geek radar as the writer on Amazing Spider-Man and as one of the people working on the Green Lantern movie, but he also hits my gay pop culture radar as a writer on the first season of Brothers & Sisters and an Executive Producer on the gay friendly Eli Stone. Unfortunately, thanks to an interview at The Pulse he also hits an offensive note with some comic fans. In discussing the controversial One More Day storyline (where Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane was erased from continuity) he oddly brings up the issue of gay marriage:

"Part of the problem with the controversy behind One More Day is the understanding of what was retconned overstates the extent of what was done," he said. "Everything that happened in the last twenty plus years of comic book history happened! The only difference is that Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson weren't married. They still dated. They still lived together. They still love each other. They just weren't married. Judging from the letters and death threats we received, I think some people were confused. It all still happened."

One More Day

"Here's my attitude, if anyone is upset about the marriage going away, then they must all be pro gay marriage," he continued. Because if you're pro gay marriage, you understand the distinction between a marriage and a civil union -- that a civil union is not equal to a marriage. We downgraded Mary Jane and Peter to a civil union. If that bothers you, then you're pro gay marriage."

Uhm, what? Is he saying that marriage and civil unions are the same thing and that gays who see a difference between the two (y'know, like those Federal benefits that straight couples have the benefit of taking for granted) are like those silly fanboys who are angry over a superhero story? Is he trying to play on the homophobic tendencies of superhero fans to make them feel stupid?

Comics blogger Dorian Wright, who drew my attention to Guggenheim's comments, explains his annoyance:

That's a rather nice bit of gay-baiting he pulled off. Guggenheim basically just called anyone who didn't like the One More Day story-line a f----t, while phrasing himself in such a way as to make it look like he's being gay-supportive.

What do you think? Does Guggenheim's comments rub you the wrong way, can reactions to Brand New Day be compared to marriage equity without trivializing an important civil rights issue?

THE MOST UNEXPECTED BATUSI PARTNER:
Comics gossip monger Rich Johnston has an interesting new rumor this week. Johnston claims that the legal battle between Fox and Warner Bros. over the upcoming Watchmen movie might lead to the live action Batman TV series hitting the DVD store shelves. The rights to the DVD has been a matter of dispute between the two studios for a while -- while Fox owns the film but Warner owns the rights to the characters. Johnston says that Fox is hoping that Warner will sign over the rights to selling Batman on DVD in order to get Watchmen into the multiplexes without delay.

Two great things I never expected to put together in an image:

From a gay geek perspective, that's an interesting collision. The Watchmen comic stands out as an early gay-inclusive comic (even though today we'd be complaining about them being "barely there") while the Batman TV series is full of camp and gay fave performers like Ertha Kitt and Julie Newmar. If Johnston is right on this one, it sounds like a win-win for the fans, at least.

After the break: Which sci-fi show has a Torchwood shoutout in the works?

John Barrowman performs at Sir Andrew's birthday bash

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.

• On Sunday, out Torchwood and Shark Attack 3: Megalodon star John Barrowman hosted a concert for 400,000 people honoring the birthday of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is best known for unleashing Cats and Phantom of the Opera on an unsuspecting theatregoing public. Idina Menzel, Jonathan Ansell, Joss Stone, Jason Donovan, Denise Van Outen and more also performed.

• Speaking of Captain Jack, how awesome would it be to have an openly gay actor playing Doctor Who? And how much awesomer would it be if that actor were rascally History Boy Russell Tovey?

• Get back! Sir Paul McCartney is poo-poohing claims in a recent book that John Lennon was secretly gay and in love with him.

• Above, from 365Gay: Take a look behind-the-scenes of Christian Siriano's amazing first solo show at Bryant Park's Fashion Week.

• Lance Bass talks about dancing with men, marriage, kids, and why he's hoofing for the title on Dancing With the Stars (Hint: It involves a little of his grandma and a lot of ridicule from his old bandmates).

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

A CHANCE TO BUILD A MORE INCLUSIVE CITY?
Gay-friendly MMO City of Heroes announced the next expansion and there could be interesting days ahead: Architect will introduce player-created content, along with "day jobs" (or secret identities), two new powersets, a new reward system and more features. As I mentioned when the game hit its fourth anniversary, I think the ability for players to create their own missions could mean a lot for Paragon City's very active gay community.

Overall, the Mission Architect system certainly sounds promising since we'll be able to "weave characters and story throughout multiple missions in a single arc" which should allow for some pretty deep missions. However, one aspect that has my attention is how player-created missions will be evaluated: Players will rate story arcs created through the Mission Architect and some stories will be designated "Dev's Choice" by the game developers, which will make the mission give out rewards equal to the official missions.

By giving players the ability to create game content, we could have a way for gay-inclusive stories to become a part of the game and a way to bring gay characters into the fabric of Paragon City, even if content created through the Mission Architect most likely won't become incorporated into CoH continuity.

The potential downside lies in the community evaluations. Not only will players be evaluating stories submitted through the Mission Architect, it sounds like subscribers will also be able to report offensive content, meaning missions that include gay content could be marked as offensive simply for the inclusion of gay characters ... otherwise known as the YouTube effect.

The wedding of Manticore and Sister Psyche

Since I can already hear the cries of "Why does there need to be such a big deal about sexual orientation? I don't care if a character is gay or straight." from the usual suspects, I'll point out that that City of Heroes has had stories where heterosexual relationships were front and center. We've seen Calvin Scott seek out heroes to help his wife and the "Wedding Pack" was promoted with an in-game wedding between two major characters, so sexual orientation has been a part of the game.

USA VIA TARDIS:
While I don't entirely trust the original source, I have to admit I'm more than a little intrigued by the rumor that two of the three upcoming Doctor Who specials might be set in the USA. The three specials will be Russell T. Davies' last Who stories and considering how Davies brought a gay sensibility to the long-lasting sci-fi franchise, I can't help but dream up what he might come up with, including possible American companions.

I can't help but think of an American sci-fi series with a gay sensibility, Pushing Daisies, and how much fun it would be to see Kristin Chenoweth paired up with David Tennant. Combining those two high-energy performers would make for an explosive combo.

Kristin Chenoweth

Since Davies gave us one openly gay man in the role of a sci-fi hero, why not repeat that feat here by teaming the Doctor up with Neil Patrick Harris? Considering the two actors' flair for comedy, they'd be amazing to watch together.

Neil Patrick Harris

One thing dampening my excitement is the fact that Davies has discussed being a Britney Spears fan (you might remember Davis' second episode featured the Spears single "Toxic") and there were rumors she might appear on Who a while back. Then again, maybe she can be related to villainess Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen, who introduced "Toxic" as an ancient earth love song. I did like Lady Cassandra.

But who would your dream American companion for the Doctor be?

Luckily, the dead space that is summer TV gives Angy Puppy's Marc & Lee time to catch up on the latest from gay comic artists Brian Andersen (So Super Duper) and Tommy Roddy (Pride High). With all this reading time, Marc's seemingly never-ending foray into the Dune universe and Lee's new-found interest in the Mayfair witches (including the ubiquitous gay and bisexual males found in all of Anne Rice's pre-conversion novels) led to their latest list of 15 favorite witches in geekdom.

Check it out after the break!

In the long-awaited return of Angry Puppy, Marc and Lee take their title literally in an episode filled with puppies. The guys introduce their new mascot, and run down a list of the greatest sci-fi dogs.

But that's not all! Jumping species, the fellas get a little bat-crazy in reviewing The Dark Knight and a host of other bat-related titles. Plus, Dr. Horrible, Dr. Who, a new Mystery Geek Challenge, and much more!

Check it out after the break!

In this week's unintentionally Joss Whedoncentric edition, Marc and Lee review the latest installment of the comic book series Buffy Season 8 as well as the Astonishing X-Men.

Turning to television, along with their usual review of Doctor Who, Marc and Lee give a preview of the next movie in here!'s "Everyday Gay Heroes" series, Solar Flare.

And in the return of Lists, find out who are the nine greatest lesbian and bi female characters in the sci fi/geek world.

Check it out after the break!