• Who says gays can't play baseball? Or, at least guys who look gay... [Deadspin]

• Yes, our Jem And The Holograms contest is the coolest contest in the blogosphere right now. But the Congressional Catfight is pretty good too. Go vote on Barney Frank vs. David Dreier. (Duh, Barney Frank would totally win!)

• Bound plays on IFC TV tonight. Have you seen this film yet? It's not so much the lesbian-bondage film it was marketed as; it's more a gangster film. The Wachovski brothers direct, Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon star. GENIUS. [IFC TV]

• Speaking of women we love: Darryl Hannah, our favorite assasin ever, keeps a video blog on how to live harmoniously with Earth. She was brilliant in gay-themed Speedway Junkie, by the way--the film that gave slack-jawed cutie Jesse Bradford his start. [Popbytes]

• For the woman we love most of all: don't forget that this weekend is Mother's Day. And don't you dare show up to her house without a gift! A bottle of wine is always appreciated, and if we may make a recommendation: try the Guigal Cotes du Rhone, for about $11. With flavors of red berries and just a hint of spice, this French red wine breaks the "serve with red meat only" rule, and can be enjoyed with all sorts of food, including Chinese or roast chicken. If you can splurge on your Mom, Guigal offers a Chateauneuf Du Pape for around $40 (often on sale for $30). This wine is easy to drink and incredibly friendly on the palate. Wine Spectator called this one of the top 100 wines of 2003. We all love Mom, but if your family is anything like ours, sobriety isn't an option. [WineFetch]

• She's on her way to being a woman: Alexis Arquette, the coolest trannie to hit Hollywood since Bea Arthur, accepted the Platinum Circle Award in honor of her family. We love Alexis, and she is the best thing to happen to The Surreal Life since, well, it was created. Just keep her away from the patio table umbrellas, she will kill you with one of those things. [Cityrag]

• And finally, he's not a woman, and we're starting to not love him: Howard Dean screwed up. Again. He is the poster boy for the "Say The Wrong Thing" club. After screaming his head off at his political rally, you can't expect him to suddenly learn tact. We're hearing Princess Leia again: "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope." [ABC News]

• Paula Abdul Rehab Watch. We hope she never sobers up. [Rotten Ryan]

• Kate Moss' beau pleads guilty--and goes apeshit on a reporter. Hot! [Jossip]

• Gay icon Gina Gershon divas out over a pair of shoes, solidifies gay icon status juuuust a little more. [Daily Dish] via [Socialite Life]

• The real reason we watch Footballer's Wives. [PAYOR]

• Soap operas filling up with bubbly gay teens. [AfterElton]

• Brokeback Mountain (yes, we're sick of talking about it too, but this is actually legit) has inspired new anti-discrimination laws in Taiwan. Cool. [Taipei Kid]

• Chief Justice Roberts or Justice Souter: who is more gay? [Wonkette]

We gays have always loved tragic figures (Judy), bad films (Madonna's), and big hair (Cher). So it is not that surprising that Showgirls has remained a cult classic in our eyes much like the beloved John Waters' films, Rocky Horror, and Baby Jane. Two new shows are reinventing the Elizabeth Berkely/Gina Gershon masterpiece, which is nearing its 10th anniversary.

Showgirls: The Best Movie Ever Made. Ever! is a parody production being performed by the hilarious Upright Citizen’s Brigade for one night only in NYC on October 29th. “It’s half staged reading, half Inside the Actor’s Studio, and half female empowerment, Eszterhas style.” It will also be packed full of homos.

We are even more excited to see Harvey Finklestein’s Sock Puppet Showgirls. The show “is a unique and unauthorized parody of Showgirls as performed by sock puppets." We have been told, “if you haven't seen sock puppets pole dance, you haven't experienced the true power of the theater.” The show runs October 15th through the 30th. We cannot wait to check it out.

The fabulous queens over at Spin Cycle are giving a lucky Queerty reader in New York a pair of tickets to see Sock Puppet Showgirls. All you need to do is write a Showgirls inspired haiku and send it over. The winner will be announced on Friday.

The Empire State Pride Agenda, one of the country’s important gay lobbying groups, will hold its annual Fall Dinner on October 6th at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers. A VIP reception will be held at 6p.m. with the dinner and a live auction to follow at 8. Donors at the VIP level will have a chance to rub shoulders with celebs such as keynote speaker Al Franken, emcees Mario Cantone and Gina Gershon, entertainer Rufus Wainwright and special guests Randy Harrison and Billy Porter. You can purchase passes to the Fall Dinner here.

Meanwhile, if you can’t make the dinner, you might bookmark the ESPA website. A good resource for keeping abreast of advances and setbacks in gay rights, the site also allows you to volunteer for the organization. You can, furthermore, contact them through the site to arrange for a speaker to appear at an event you might be planning. Queerty joins you in wondering why they’re called rights if the right doesn’t want you to have them.