Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released a statement yesterday on why he chose not to attend HRC's boycotted gala:

The Human Rights Campaign is on the frontlines of the fight for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights and I fully support its important mission at this critical moment in history.

It has come to my attention that the San Francisco Labor Council has voted to formally boycott HRC's annual fundraising gala and regretfully, I cannot attend this years event.

As Mayor of the largest city in California, I am committed to creating a world in which no member or group in society is denied full and equal rights. It is my hope that this time next year will find us all united by victory in the fight against Proposition 8 and ever more determined to establish equal rights, with no exceptions, for every one of us.

And peace shall reign…

We know it's hard to believe, but West Hollywood got even more gay this weekend as about 175,000 homos took to the street for Los Angeles' pride march.

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It may sound queer, but John August never realized that one could be a screenwriter. No, August spent his formative years in Colorado, where he churned out fantastical short stories, which he continued penning while studying journalism. A certain script, however, changed all that:

It wasn't until I had gone through college that I read my first screenplay - I read the script for Sex, Lies and Videotape and realized that images are happening, the movies really is happening on the page first.

August's focus soon switched to films, where his taste for fantasy scored him some winning scripts - and killer collaborations, including three Tim Burton-directed flicks: Big Fish, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and The Corpse Bride. He also penned and directed his own feature, The Nines, which starred Ryan Reynolds.

It's not that August can't get enough fantasy. He learned to play the game:

As I've had the luxury of going through the process, I've gravitated more towards fantasy movies, which have been getting made in the last ten years. It's not a genre that I'm dying to write, but I'm fortunate in that I'm good at doing it.

August recently opened up to our editor about a lot more than just his movies, like whether or not staying in the closet qualifies as a lie and why he never rebelled against his Colorado upbringing. Never fear, movie loving reader, we also get a bit of dirt on his latest project, Shazam!

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Hello, readers! Editor Andrew here! I felt it best to introduce this interview in first person, because I've known this particular subject for - well, longer than I care to mention. And I'm sure Annie "Anne" Hathaway wouldn't want you to know that we met dangerously close to a dumpster. The horror! (But, seriously, she was moving into her dorm at college when I stumbled by and thrust myself upon her, the way I start all my serious relationships.)

Anyway, Hathaway's currently in Los Angeles, where she'll receive the Human Rights Campaign's Ally Award. Rumor has it HRC has a hit out on me, so I unfortunately wasn't able attend this evening's festivities. Luckily, Hathaway made some time yesterday to have a chat with me, to whom she's always been quite the ally.

We touched on some predictable topics, but I also threw her for a loop with some curve balls. For example, "Should Sally Kern be censured?" and "Does Hollywood condone the closet?"

Hathaway handled herself like a pro, of course and I offer Annie many thanks for being a friend. We've traveled down that road and back again. Her heart is true. She's a pal and a confidant. And if Annie Hathaway threw a party, invited everyone she knew, you would see that the biggest gift would be from me. And the card attached would say, "Thank you for being a friend."

Now that I've proven my gayness by quoting the Golden Girls theme, dive into that there jump and read what Hathaway had to say for her pretty self…

[Image by Jeremy Kost]

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Cabaret? Rock? Self-aware musical masturbation? We really didn't know what to think of the johns when we first heard their debut, the johns WANNA Dance. "They sound like a movie band" was our first reaction, but we were quick to add, "And that's not a bad thing". The New York-based quintet's full-length offers a buffet of burlesque-inspired dance punk rock disco. See why we were confused?

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Los Angeles-based musician Linda Strawberry spent nearly seven years on the road. She ran away from home at eighteen. She has toured with the Smashing Pumpkins as a sound engineer and appeared on Billy Corgan's solo album. Her Mormon family fears for her soul and her brother's a missionary in Indonesia. Think this 26-year old doesn't have anything to say about home? Well, you're wrong, because she's got plenty to share.

Our editor and Strawberry spent two weeks trying to get in touch, but technical difficulties and swollen throats prevented a conversation until this weekend. Read what transpired, after the jump. Oh, and we've also included Strawberry's track, "Fuck You, I'm Beautiful".

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Many of you homos know that West Hollywood can get pretty wild. That place can be more cruel than the Serengeti and Amazon combined!

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FiveFour Clothing gave guerilla marketing some fresh energy last week when it dispatched 54 models and seven Suburbans to spread their sartorial message.

What would you do if you saw 54 identically-clad male models marching down the road?

The late, great Divine made a few appearances at Grey Ant's Los Angeles fashion show yesterday. As you can see, the original Hairspray and Pink Flamingos star adorned a skimpy bathing suit. Sure, the real Divine wouldn't look so hot in it, but she looks great on it!

The wackiness didn't end there - Grey Ant included black and plus-sized models in their show! OMG!

See some more shots after the jump.

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Los Angeles-based artist Patrick Lee strives to explore - and deconstruct - contemporary concepts of masculinity and beauty. Seeking out "rough men," Lee snaps a quick shot and then spends countless hours sketching granite recreations. The result: a startlingly contradictory collection of breathtaking images. And a new definition of beauty.

In this interview, his first published chat, Lee and editor Andrew Belonsky discuss the artist's process, the ever-evolving state of American masculinity and why men are so fearful. After the jump, of course…

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Los Angeles-based radio station K-ROQ Kevin & Bean show recently started playing a track called "Lean Like A Homo," a send up of Kilo's "Lean Like a Cholo".

Before you get hot and bothered, consider these somewhat clever lyrics: "Ass cheeks up, spread them wide… That's how we live, party, and play, every single day for the gay."

While we got a bit of a chuckle, one concerned queer wasn't having it.

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There's a battle brewing in Los Angeles. Former AIDS/LifeCycle organizer Jeffrey Shapiro filed a discrimination lawsuit against the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and LA's Gay and Lesbian Community Center after being fired "for being straight".

LA's CBS affiliate reports:

According to the lawsuit, Shapiro was hired in March and received praise for his work, which generated a record $11 million compared to $8 million the previous year.

But he claims LAGLC and SFAF leaders held a meeting with Shapiro in June and fired him, telling him that "everybody liked him as a person, but they needed somebody who better fit into the culture."

He said that when he asked for a clarification, a LAGLC director told him "things like this happen and that they made a mistake to think this could work."

The bosses weren't entirely heartless, he says: they gave him two weeks wage. Now Shapiro's seeking unspecified damages. He's also asked for an injunction prohibiting the activists from breaking another breeder's heart. If Shapiro's telling the truth, his bosses should be ashamed of themselves.