From the editor: I remember growing up in Ohio and seeing really low-budget commercials hyping country music shows or gospel shows or trucking shows - you know, good old middle American shit.

Now, fast-forward 147 years, and I see this commercial for the "Bearapalooza Road Trip" and realize that we gays may have finally made our mark on blue-collar American culture.

Yee-fucking-haw!

California-based clothing line Colossal pins its hope on getting some bear love.

Says co-founder David Friedman:

What we call "Sopranos wear" — the standard three vertical stripes. You know there's a reason why that makes sense, because vertical stripes do tend to be a little slimming, but the problem is the style hasn't changed since somebody figured that out forty years ago.

We wonder if they'll be any lesbian crossover…

• Mary J's new video for "Just Fine"!

• Gay paper Outlook refuses to endorse Republican queer Bill Brownson. Says co-publisher Michael Daniels:

We started the process, as the queer newspaper, hoping we could endorse the queer candidate. But we were not going to endorse someone based purely on their sexual orientation.

They will, however, endorse every Democrat in the district. Hmmm…

• Mitt Romney endorsed by anti-gay Bob Jones University.

• The outs and outs of Oprah's gay show.

CONTINUED »

Husky movie maker Kevin Smith's about to become a pin-up! The director and writer, who brought us Clerks and Chasing Amy, will be appearing on a new issue of hairy men's man, A Bear's Life.

While some straight men would shy away from fag rag's, Smith seems excited. In a chat with David Letterman, Smith said:

Within that community there are bears - guys who look like me - and dudes who are really into them, who are called cubs. And, apparently, I'm the focus of a lot of admiration in this community. I'd be considered something of a coup, a score for a cub - the ultimate bear to get.

"And they called and said, 'Do you want to be on the cover of a magazine?' I was like, 'Are you telling me there's someone out there who sexualizes me? I'll be on that magazine, totally.'

Smith, we've been sexualizing you for years!

• NFL disses AfterElton! Prefers GLAAD fags! (Suckers!)

• Shocker: studios still won't hire gay actors!

• Run for your lives! The gay bear internet wars have begun!

• Donald Trump loves Rudy Giuliani's titties!

• John Edwards caved! Fired bloggers!

• Britney Spears can't get enough vagina! She loves it! She wishes she could lick it right now. If you had a vagina, she'd probably lick it and then say, "Damn, I love vagina"! (We can't stop exclaiming! Someone call for help!)

Of all the places to find the most ostentatious gay car we have ever seen, we never thought it would be at a rest stop on the New York Thruway. We didn't get a photo of the pair of matching "rainbow bear" stickers on the side window, but they were a nice touch.

We tried to spot the two extremely gay (and Canadian) bears eating pizza inside, but they eluded our search and slipped away by the time we left.

You could yet plan a trip to the International German Bear Week, being held in Cologne, Germany from November 21 – 29. During the festively furry week, events will be held in saunas, discos and bars. The contestants for Mr. Bear 2005 may be seen here.

As part of your pre-Bear Week education, you might read an article on Bears in this week’s New York magazine. The piece gets right down to business, describing a bear gathering at The Dugout in the Village as smelling: “beery, sweaty, like a frat party gone on way too long.” If you didn’t know that a bear’s fag hags are called “Goldilocks,” you will after reading this article.

John Waters says: “The porn section in Lambda Rising in Baltimore is half-nude 350-pound men, and I don’t get it.” Amibearornot.com, by contrast, offers the opportunity to rate bears in their birthday bear suits on a scale of one to ten. More National Geographic than Playgirl, it nonetheless is not safe for work.

• Andrew Sullivan's blog has gone MSM. It will now be a part of Time.com. We're much too jealous to accuse him of selling out.

• Germany has won the 2010 Gay Games which will definately piss off their neighbor's new president.

• Just as we suspected. New York Magazine loves bears.

• This Thursday's Oprah is titled "When I Knew I Was Gay." Guest Carson Kressley will reveal that he knew in first grade. Most likely when his show and tell project turned out to be a make-over of his frumpy teacher.

• That much anticipated queer-restricting document from the Vatican is being released at the end of the month. What a thoughtful early Christmas gift from the Church to gay Catholic priests everywhere.