In other media-related, but certainly more lighthearted news, the boys over at AfterElton have compiled a list of Hollywood's most powerful gay boys, complete with list of anally-inclined accomplishments and fun queer quotes. Included in the list are Michael Patrick King, Will and Grace co-creator, Max Mutchnick and music mogul, David Geffen. And, of course, who could forget the only black man included, Paris Barclay: the same man who just days ago called for Isaiah Washington's head? It's also worth noting that there's not a single actor among the bunch.

As for our favorite, we have to say Darren Star.

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• Fine, we get it: The Boy Scouts don't want homos running their programs. But that doesn't mean a newspaper needs to agree with them — and go so far as to call sexual orientation discrimination a "non-issue." [Northeast Times, via]

• A brilliant answer to a needless problem: On the heels of Archbishop George Niederauer forbidding San Francisco's Catholic Charities from placing foster children with gay couples, the non-profit org is teaming up with California Kids Connection to act as a middleman — and thus bypass SFCC's anti-gay mandate. [ABC San Francisco]

• Don't think Jake and Heath are the only homos on the big screen. Robin Williams plays a gay man in The Night Listener,while Little Miss Sunshine has Steve Carell and The Groomsmen features John Leguiizamo going gay. Meanwhile, Quinceanera and Shock to the System: A Donald Strachey Mystery both feature members of the family. [LA Daily News]

• U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris (R-Fl.) is facing even more controversy, with her fourth campaign manager tied to an org that's accused of using fraudlent practices to collect signatures on anti-gay rights petitions. [Raw Story]

We didn't even know Ryan Seacrest had his own radio show, but apparently the other day he had living skeleton Kate Bosworth as a guest, and they had a very awkward exchange about the good looks of Kate's boyfriend Orlando Bloom:

RYAN: "Orlando compliments you left and right, but said he's afraid to put love ahead of his career. Why would he say that?"

KATE: "I don't know, man, you'd have to ask him!"

RYAN: "Well, don't blame me. I see him at the gym."

KATE: "Oh, do you?"

RYAN: "Yeah!"

After the jump, read the rest of the interview, wherein Kate Bostworth calls Ryan Seacrest gay and he gets embarassed.

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Rex Lee plays one of our favorite characters on one of our favorite shows: He's Lloyd, assistant to Ari Gold in Entourage. That's Lloyd, as in gay Lloyd. As in gay and Asian Lloyd. He might as well be missing his legs with all those Hollywood handicaps. But in the second season of the HBO show, he's the biggest comic relief behind Ari himself. And as an openly gay actor, Lee has the perspective on homophobia in Tinsletown most of the industry would rather not recognize.

Lloyd also helps viewers see what working in Hollywood might be like for an openly gay man. For Lee, however, the authentic reproduction of the world behind the camera includes a few aspects that he grudgingly admits belong there--notably the show's use of casual homophobia used as a conversational device.

“The truth is I wish there was less of it, but I also feel like it's pretty realistic,” Lee said of the stray remarks that occasionally pepper certain characters' dialogue. “As far as Ari making homophobic comments--and I know this doesn't entirely excuse it--he's kind of insulting everybody. It's just one comment among the enormous barrage of comments against everybody.

“As far as the boys are concerned, the show gives us a fly-on-the-wall perspective into these guys' lives and they're really uncensored. It's very realistic that these guys who grow up in New York and--and who, in their own way, are a little bit “street” --talk this way. And in the long run, I think I respect the writers for not censoring this element of dialogue.”

Lee is also quick to note that the homophobic sentiments the characters express to each other are never directed at Lloyd.

“Those same boys are very polite to Lloyd whenever they see him. They don't say ‘fag' or ‘homo' or any of that around Lloyd,” Lee said. “So again, I have to think that it's when they're confronted with the gay guy, they're sort of doing their best to be respectful toward him.”

Rex Lee: More Than Just the “Gay” One On TV's Entourage [AfterElton]

• It wasn't his new best friend Jake Gyllenhaal that drew criticism when Lance Armstrong arrived at the Tour De France. Rather, it was his comments during the ESPY Awards, where he joked, "All their players [France] tested positive. . .for being assholes." French newspaper France Soir fired back with the headline "Welcome to France trouduc" — a "gentle translation of "asshole." [ABC, PITNB]

• The latest – and certainly greatest – way to satiate your late night munchies is the same means you use to find your friends at the Roxy. [Jossip]

• Jake Shears & Co. wind up on the cover of Interview, looking as fashion forward as their music. [Interview]

• If you've ever wondered how the paparazzi gets its shots of celebs, this primer might answer some questions. [How Stuff Works]

• Madonna's rumored to be falling in line with every marriage savior: a new baby! [Digital Spy]

• When K-Fed closes the show at next month's Teen Choice Awards, he promises to wow ya. But the real shock is that he's bringing wife Britney as his date. And she'll be wearing a dress (we assume). And shoes (we hope). [MollyGood]

• In typical fashion, Slate hopes to generate a modicum of buzz by defending M. Night. Shyamalan. [Slate]

The stars were out at the London premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest on Monday. The usual suspects (Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom) were joined on the red carpet by the fugly (Kim Stewart, Mischa Barton, who we've spared you from sneering at) and some pleasant surprises (William Moseley, Daniel Dae Kim). But perhaps the biggest news came when Depp and producer Jerry Bruckheimer announced Keith Richards – yes, that Keith Richards – would make a cameo in the franchise's third installment, playing Jack Sparrow's father.

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The fracas over Superman's sexuality isn't just hitting the cover of The Advocate — it's reverberating back to the Warner Bros. studio, as execs continue to fight its summer blockbuster's gay rep. And gay director Bryan Singer is caught up in all of it.

The gay buzz sparked by one-sheets presenting Brandon Routh as the Babyfaced Superbod. Then Warner’s ridiculous panic because of gay-themed Superman stories in, god forbid, The Advocate. Singer’s own desperate damage control that this was “probably the most heterosexual character in any movie I’ve ever made.” Things got so out of hand, I’m told, that Warner’s president of production Jeff Robinov sought advice from his Matrix pal Joel Silver on how the hell to sell Superman in a more butch fashion. After all, when it comes to making and marketing manly movies to manly men, Silver’s the manliest. (I’ve learned that uber-heterosexual Joel loved Superman Returns

And if that's not enough of a Hollywood headache, the studio managed to bungle the marketing of its $260 million project where it counts: MySpace.

I also hear that Warner Bros. screwed up the film’s promotion on MySpace.com, which has become a key component of any good campaign. Not only was Superman Returns late to display there, but for many days the wrong opening date was posted since no one bothered to update when the film’s opening was moved earlier to June 28th.

Warner Bros. Asked Joel Silver For Advice On How To Market More Manly Superman [Deadline Hollywood]

We're not even that big of comic book fans, but we've already secured out tickets to Superman Returns for Tuesday — not because anyone at Warner Bros. is taking care of us, but because Fandango is. It's going to be a Blockbuster hit; we know that. Part of that, of course, will be thanks to director Bryan Singer, the openly gay Hollywooder who, it was recently announced, will be directing the upcoming Harvey Milk biopic.

Beating out the likes of Oliver Stone and Gus Van Sant, Singer will be telling the story of fellow homo Milk, the first openly gay city supervisor of San Francisco and gay rights activist, whose 1978 assassination (and mocking seven year prison sentence for assassin Dan White) caused rioting throughout the Bay Area.

The Mayor of Castro Street, based on the 1982 birography, is slated to hit theaters in 2007. We'll be here, refreshing Fandango.

* Yes, some might argue Superman Returns was Singer's gay Hollywood debut.

Bryan Singer to direct Harvey Milk biopic [Gay.com]
Harvey Milk [Wikipedia]
Related: The Fight to Keep Superman Straight

Without a doubt, AIDS is still a hot charitable topic in Hollywood. But it used to be the hot charitable topic. Now the A-list aren't just competing for roles in Ron Howard pictures but for charity dollars for their own causes. Cancer. MS. 9/11. Africa. The environment. Hurricane Katrina. Angelina Jolie, Barbra Streisand, Ellen DeGeneres, and Leonardo DiCaprio are becoming just as famous for their outreach as they are for their screen time.

Maybe it's the burnout factor. Or perhaps it's because Hollywood has a short attention span. But as AIDS enters its 25th year, it is no longer The Cause among celebrities. There is also the perception that AIDS now affects only developing nations instead of the U.S., where ever-improving medical cocktails are helping those with HIV live longer.

We can always count on Elton John and Liza Minelli to bring in the bucks for AIDS research and treatment. And keeping CO2 emissions down is a worthy cause. So is finding a cure for prostate cancer, helping Katrina victims find new homes, and making sure the people on the poorest continent in the world have enough food to eat.

But decreasing attention from celebrities seems to coincide with less funding for HIV/AIDS. Gone are the red ribbons from the Academy Awards red carpet, and gone too are budget increases for AIDS shelters. Choosing a charitable cause is quickly becoming a decision on which color ribbon or arm band matches you dress.

Goodbye AIDS. Celebs Move on to New Causes [LAT]

Movie studios spend a lot of money getting their films on magazine covers. But when The Advocate stamped its May 23 issue with Superman Returns, Warner Bros. was less than thrilled. Perhaps it had something to do with the story's headline: "How Gay Is Superman?" Pretty damn gay, you're right.

Certainly the ginormous bulge hanging from a life-size Batman statue in a comic store window display on our block and news that Batwoman is coming back as a dyke aren't doing the studios any favors to fight off their recurring gay vibes. But when Hollywood is spending 9-figures to produce and market a big budget action flic, their concern over public perception appears warranted.

Kudos to Warner Bros. for buying time on Logo to promote Superman Returns — even that step to attract gay audiences stands out when you consider what's at stake.

An informal poll of six veteran Hollywood marketing executives at rival studios revealed sharply divided opinions over how — or even if — "Superman's" gay attention would affect the film. Two of the executives said the focus could actually expand the film's audience, much as gay moviegoers have responded to the "X-Men" superhero series, which has been praised for its metaphorical plots about acceptance. The first two "X-Men" movies were directed by Bryan Singer, the openly gay filmmaker who also made "Superman Returns." Singer did not respond to an interview request.

But four of the movie marketing executives, all of whom declined to speak on the record, said gay "Superman Returns" interest presented two potential box-office problems. First, teenage moviegoers, especially those in conservative states, might be put off by a movie carrying a gay vibe; among some teens, these executives agreed, saying something "is gay" is still the ultimate put-down. Second, the attention threatens to undermine the film's status as a hard-edged action movie, making it feel softer, more romantic, and thus less interesting to young ticket buyers who crave pyrotechnics.

Can you blame a big budget movie studio for wanting to protect their investment? Certainly not. And at this point, it'd be unrealistic to contend it doesn't make smart business sense to separate a movie like Superman Returns from gay chatter. That doesn't make it admirable, of course, or ethically sound. For its part, Hollywood never claimed to be either.

How will it fly? [LAT]
Related: Morning Goods: Brandon Routh

• Not only is George Michael admitting he is a complete mess, he is writing a song about it. Hopefully he'll include the lyrics in the liner notes. [ITN]

• Michelle Williams may have a sort-of-lesbian romance with Cate Blanchett in the upcoming Bob Dylan movie and Heath Ledger will co-star! What a reversal. [PEN15 Club]

• Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette period drama got booed by the press at Cannes. Coppola says it's "not for everybody," but we expect the gays to love it, though we wonder how arch Kirsten Dunst is capable of being. [Gabsmash]

• It's hard to get onto the cover of Vanity Fair nowadays. Really hard, in fact, unless you're dreamy and tragic like Anderson Cooper. [The Bosh]

If you didn't hear yesterday evening – after we'd checked out for the day – we had a good feeling you'd want to wake up to your Jared Leto news.

Yes, the mascara-wearing actor-rocker told AOL he was gay. In an IM interview, no less. At first, the AOLer on the reporter side of the keyboard thought Leto must be kidding; so he asked the question again, wherein Leto compared himself to Morrissey: i.e. he's been a-sexual for a while, but only recently acknowledged his homo tendencies.

ThirtySecondLeto: I’m gay TyeinMusic: *!* TyeinMusic: please tell me you're serious ThirtySecondLeto: as a goose. TyeinMusic: so does this mean that in real life, you were more “Ricky Vasquez” than “Jordan Catalano”? TyeinMusic: don’t tease me, jared!

...

TyeinMusic: but wait. back up... are you gay or not?
TyeinMusic: cuz if not, that was SO mean!
ThirtySecondLeto: hahaha
ThirtySecondLeto: I’m like Morrissey.
TyeinMusic: and... morrissey's kinda gay
TyeinMusic: when he’s not being celibate :)
ThirtySecondLeto: i thought he was asexual?
TyeinMusic: oh, he's totally doin’ it now.
TyeinMusic: listen to the new CD ;)
ThirtySecondLeto: good for him. let it all out man
TyeinMusic: hahaha
ThirtySecondLeto: if people only knew the real stories...

Good to know it only takes Hollywood starlets like Scarlett Johansson, Claire Danes, and Lindsay Lohan to a turn one.

Now, whether Jared was being serious or going after a Dave Navarro-esque gay PR stunt is yet to be determined. But for now, let us wallow in the bonus point for our side as we honor Leto with Morning Goods status.

AIM Interview: Jared Leto [AOL]

More photos after the jump!

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