As you know, we absolutely adore tips from our readers. It's nice to have a few extra pairs of eyes out in the homonet, because otherwise so many juicy bits'll go unnoticed. For example, we never would have known that The Observer ran an all-gay music issue yesterday had a charming reader not sent us this link.

While the issue's headlined by an interview between Elton John and Jakes Shears (in which John laments all the teenage sex he could have had had he come out earlier and has some choice words on religion, which we'll get to in the next posting), the really juicy bits comes in the form of more obscure topics.

For example, Jon Savage's piece delves into the history of a gay record producer named Joe Meek, who produced the first gay-pop single only to shoot himself six months later. Meanwhile, Stuart Brumfitt takes a tour through the seemingly-contradictory world of gay ragga clubs, Ed Vulliamy tracks the trials and tribulations of the The Village People and a bevy of gay movers and shakers offer their favorite queer pop culture memories. Don't think you'll see any Lance Bass action here, readers. Boy George remembers his first sighting of David Bowie, Peter Tatchell pens a little ditty on the first pride anthem and Morrissey lauds Bruce Wayne Campbell's glam rock alter ego, Jobriath.

Now that's something to sing about. (If that's not a gay comment, nothing is…)

• Face it, you've got an internet addiction. Don't worry, so do about 12-14% of Americans. [Physorg via Tom's Grab Bag]

• Can Helmut Lang survive without Helmut Lang? Well, sort of… [The New York Times]

• Truly disturbing: a passed out 17-year old kid was found tagged with anti-gay epithets. [Boston Herald]

• Speaking of epithets, Boy George's former bandmates had a few for him. [365 Gay]

• Al-Qaeda's To-Do List: Destroy freedom, make video on America's evils, kill Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. [Mollygood]

• Would-be killer wants to kill all the homos. What a mensch. [Dallas Observer]

• Lindsay Lohan and Keira Knightley will start in a film with "lesbian undertones." Hey, if Lohan's going to eat something, it might as well be poon. [Pink News UK]

• New ad campaign proves that living in Chelsea make you the coolest douche bag ever. [Copyranter]

• An ex-gay civil war? Sweet! [Los Angeles Times]

• Madonna always gets what she wants. Even if that means kidnapping African babies. [AP]

• CBGB closes shop. For real this time. [The New York Times]

• Boy George says he often pays for sex. Well, duh! No one wants to sleep with him for free. (Also, calls Madonna "vile".) [The Himalayan Times]

• Gay college guide ranks the nation's schools. The system: the gay-point average. Oh, how clever… [Chicago Tribune]

Oh Boy George, do your legal woes ever end?

If AIDS Organization Care Resource has anything to say about it, never. Or, not until they get the $8400 deposit they gave him to perform at a 2005 event. Unfortunately, before Boy Georgie Boy could fulfill his end of the contract, he got nabbed for possession of cocaine following the "robbery" at his house.

Since then, Care Resource has been struggling to get their money, but to no avail. Now they're getting nasty by sending out press releases insisting their struggle shall continue until the former Culture Club front man coughs up the dough. In said press release, Care Resource Executive Director Rick Siclari says:

The $8,400 that Boy George and Red Parrot took from Care Resource would have paid the cost of primary medical care for 9 of our patients for a full year.

Damn, not only are they distributing this press release left and right, but they're making Boy George out to be a monster. That's not fair. We know he's not a monster. He's just a coke head.

CONTINUED »

Earlier this week we told you about Boy George striking a deal with prosecutors over cocaine possession charges. Rather than serve jail time, he'd serve the community. (He's picking up trash, we've since learned.) But George's string of bad luck doesn't end there. Now he's on the receiving end of a lawsuit from South Florida AIDS organization Care Resource, who claim the tired pop star canceled on a November 2005 White Party appearance and never returned the $8,400 deposit.

Care Resource, the South Florida AIDS group, signed a contract June 6, 2005, with Red Parrot, Boy George's booking company, for him to serve as celebrity guest D.J. at the annual White Party, the AIDS agency's largest fundraiser, said Terry DeCarlo, a spokesperson for the agency. The total cost for the appearance was $12,000, DeCarlo said.

On Aug. 4, 2005, Care Resource wired $8,400 to Red Parrot as a deposit for George's DJ services, DeCarlo said.

Boy George, whose real name is George O'Dowd, was arrested in New York City on Oct. 7, 2005, and charged with suspicion of drug possession and filing a false police report. He canceled the White Party engagement three weeks before the event was held in November 2005, DeCarlo said. But the $8,400 deposit money still has not been returned, DeCarlo said.

But isn't the real crime that Boy George's quote is only $12,000?

AIDS group to sue Boy George [NY Blade]
Earlier: Boy George Forced To Serve The Community

After being arrested last year when the police found cocaine in his New York apartment, Boy George has since been doing everything he can to avoid going to jail, and his lawyers struck a deal wherein he would do five days of community service instead of jail time. However, it seems that George thought that throwing electroclash parties was service enough, as he has now been scolded again and threatened with jail if he does not complete the community service requirement.

Obviously peeved that he has to contribute to society in some way, George suggested that he may be "teaching basketball in Harlem," which we would most definitely like to see, so long as he doesn't sweat all the dark make-up off of his neck.

Boy George Avoids Jail [AP]

• Justin Timberlake is to return to the Billboard charts with FutureSex/LoveSounds, his sophomore effort that sounds uncomfortably like he and Cam Diaz's bedroom soundtrack. [E!]

• It's a sad day when Nick Lachey is getting Ben Affleck's sloppy seconds. Especially when it comes to international marketing. And even more so when it has to do with a fragrance no man, gay or straight, should ever purchase. [MollyGood]

• Boy George is once again a top priority for law enforcement. Okay, not "top." After failing to show up in court Friday, a judge issued an arrest warrant for the performer — but isn't having the cops act on it till later this month. [E!]

• Gay media kingdom PlanetOut is naming Karen Magee as its new CEO, succeeding Lowell Selvin, who's leaving for medical reasons. Perhaps Magee can crack the whip and get new Out editor Aaron Hicklin to attend his own events. [GayWired]

At least not in prison. The former Culture Club lead singer and now tabloid train wreck, Boy George, cut a plea deal with Manhattan prosecutors over his recent cocaine bust charges. He got off with a $1,000 fine, a week of community service and some rehab.

As part of the plea agreement, the Manhattan District Attorney dropped the more serious drug-possession charges, which could have landed the former Culture Club crooner up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Judge Anthony Ferrara said the entertainer, whose real name is Gorge O'Dowd, to undergo his rehab at a clinic in his native England.

"I am relieved and happy that this case has been disposed of, and would like to thank the judge, the district attorney and my attorney, Lou Freeman, for the fair and speedy way it was dealt with," the singer said in a statement issued through his manager. "I love New York, and am looking forward to coming back and working in the States later this year."

Read: New York has the best cocaine and there’s no way I’m not coming back. Also, if any readers happen to spot Boy George, hopefully wearing an orange jumpsuit doing community service by cleaning up crack vials in Central Park, you know where to send the pics.

Boy George Tumbles for Plea Deal [Yahoo! Entertainment]

We don’t know what’s gotten into Boy George lately but he seems to in the news as much as he was during his Culture Club days in the 80's. It could just be the need to generate buzz for a nonexistent career. Or, more likely, it could be blamed on the massive cocaine withdrawal he might be suffering at the moment. We’re sure his publicist is making sure his nostrils are free of any nose candy.

It seems the Boy isn't too keen on gay marriage. Wonder what fellow brit (and newlyood) Sir Elton John has to say about this.

"Gay unions, what is that all about? I haven't been invited to any ceremonies and I wouldn't go anyway. The idea that gay people have to mimic what obviously doesn't work for straight people anymore, I think is a bit tragic.

"I'm looking forward to gay divorces."

Well, that pessimistic attitude is no way to get yourself invited to what is sure to be the hottest ticket of the year: George Michael’s summertime wedding. But if the Boy is right and gays all over start filing for divorce in droves, we owe him a coke. Of course we mean Coca-Cola.

Boy George ridicules gay marriage [Pink News]

• Having obviously missed her outstanding work on Crossroads, Will & Grace's producers are giving Britney Spears a cameo this season. Let's just be thankful she's not bringing Kevin with her. [MSNBC]

• In case you missed Dubya's State of the Union speech last night, he did manage to pander to the conservatives by throwing in some anti-gay sentiments: "(Americans) are concerned about unethical conduct by public officials, and discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine marriage." [365 Gay]

• A hit gay film that's not Brokeback Mountain? Korea's got their own. [Bloomberg]

• Gay Talk, the BBC's last gay radio show, will soon be forever silenced. [Gay.com UK]

• Kate Moss and Boy George have much in common: A shared English heritage, celebrity, a love for nose candy, and a strong likelihood they'll both get off easy for their crimes. [AP via Yahoo] [Evening Standard]

• We know you're going to go out dancing this weekend anyway, but LA area queens have the chance to rip off their shirts, boogey down for a good cause, and then drive their tired gay ass home in a new Scion. [iDance]

• Boy George and Anna Nicole Smith are teaming up on a reality show. Makes us we wish we lived in the UK so we can watch what will surely be a coked-up train wreck. [Hello Magazine]

• Latvia has banned same-sex marriage. How do you say "straights only" in Latvian? [Reuters]

• Senator Chris Buttars wants to ban gay-straight alliance clubs in high school. Says the man with the unfortunate surname: "In my mind, if you are in the chess club, what do you talk about? Chess. If you are in the dance club, what do you talk about? Dance. If you are in a gay club, what do you talk about?” Why, fashion of course! [Desert News]

• Jamie Bell, who played a ballerina in Billy Elliot and used to live with the film's much older director, can't possibly understand why people think he might be gay. [Hollywood.com]

• George Michael will be at Elton John’s wedding next week, but not as a hired wedding singer like we had hoped. [Sydney Morning Herald]

Queerty has exclusive and definitive proof that English pop sensation Robbie Williams is heterosexual. The definitive proof was gained in coincidence with Williams' winning settlements of up to one million $$$$$ from the cheese press in London, which outrageously asserted he is not a vagina-loving heterosexual.

For starters, we once saw Robbie Williams in the heat of passion with a female, and quite obviously not faking his enjoyment of the event. Don’t ask why we were peering through that window. Then you must consider that he sang Somethin’ Stupid as a duet with Nicole Kidman. Does Nicole look like a beard?

On his IMDB page, Williams is quoted as saying “When it comes down to it, I just like taking my pants down.” If you interviewed straight men on the street, 50% would also say they just like taking their pants down, and the other 50% would be lying. Gay men, on the other hand, would all admit that they just like taking their pants down (excepting of course those who just like lifting their skirts up). So spread the news, rather than your legs; Robbie Williams is as straight as Frankenstein’s monster.

As we showed you last week, Ari Gold is the hottie with the silky smooth voice. The singer recently got together with Bradford Shellhammer to discuss his new photo book, the blogs he reads, and how Boy George took his picture.

Hello Ari. Tell us about the new book of photographs ?

My new book is an audio/visual experience because it comes with a remix CD and there are lyrics printed in the book as well as photographs and illustrations from some amazing artists. As an independent artist, I’m always trying to figure out new ways to get the word and the work out there so I knew that Bruno Gmünder would be a great company to work with because their books are sold in over 25 countries. Plus, the quality of their printing is very high. Joe Phillips who I am a huge fan of and who has done illustrations of me that are in the book did a bunch of his books with them and that’s how I made the connection.

How did you get involved with some of the photographers?

I actually met most of them the day we did the shoot and ended up keeping a relationship, which is why with many of them I did a second shoot with them. I think I met James Houston in a club and he asked if he could photograph me. Duane Cramer found my website and when I came to San Francisco I called him up. Somehow he got me naked on that first day and we’ve been great friends since! Aaron Cobbett shot me for the cover of HX twice. Mr. Means shot my cousin Meryl of the Glamazons and asked if he could shoot me. Joe Oppedisano was set up by a friend and then I asked him to come to Fire Island and take some shots on the set of my “Wave Of You” video, which was a blast. Marco Caracari came to Paris all the way from Switzerland cause he was a fan of mine. All of the shoots felt very organic and fun and I think that comes through in the book.

I think it’s really interesting how each photographer captures something different. Depending on the chemistry between us or how I felt that day or just how they see me or want me to be seen. I think it changes radically from person to person, sometimes from image to image.

Continue reading after the jump.

CONTINUED »

The Village Voice celebrates its 50th year next week. This is also Michael Musto’s 20th year at the Voice. Those are two major milestones. Musto’s column, La Dolce Musto, is legendary. But you already know that. Michael took some time out of his party schedule to talk with us about his 20 years at the Voice, Madonna, and Star Jones.

You are celebrating your 20th year with the Voice. What has been your biggest accomplishment?
I pioneered snark and was openly gay way before that was cool. I stuck to my guns and kept afloat and now I'm probably not snarky or gay enough!

Which celebrity has been the sweetest? The biggest bitch?
Ninety nine percent of celebrities are actually quite decent. It's there publicists that should burn in hell. I have a soft spot for Parker Posey, who's always radiant. As for the biggest bitch, Boy George once gave me attitude at my own party. (He was mad about something I wrote about Taboo.) He bristles a lot, though he's basically soft and lovable way, way deep down.

We adore trannies as much as you. If you had to name the number one tranny in NYC, who would it be?
Ivana Trump.

I give you 1 Million dollars. What would you buy?
My apartment.

After the jump: Michael talks about Madonna and the Roxy, Gawker, and Star Jones.

CONTINUED »

Way back in 1995, Boy George wrote his book Take It Like A Man. Girls everywhere laughed into their panties at the title, but the volume revealed that Boy considered himself the pink sheep of his working-class English family.

By 2000, he had gone to London’s Sweet Suite nightclub one evening and punched its membership secretary Andrew Thompson in the nose during a brawl. Boy George paid a walloping settlement to Thompson and then had to pay him an additional $18,000 in libel damages when BG in an interview referred to the settlement as a “ridiculous amount of money.”

Whatever the objective truth about Boy George’s recent run-in with the law in New York might be, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has released documents showing that the amount of cocaine found in BG’s apartment was greater than the gender-bender’s lawyer claimed. Allegedly, the police found one-eighth of an ounce, or 3.5 grams in total. If convicted of the possession charge, Boy George could face up to 15 years in jail.

We could understand the 15 years if he had been in possession of a weapon of mass destruction. And it’s mystifying why U.S. law seems to include no penalties for government officials who lie about such weapons. Still, tickets are available for Boy George’s appearance at Club Gay USA in The Factory in Los Angeles on October 31. The Lady Bunny will also be there. Between those two girls, how is it possible that no powder will be in the air that night?