Out actor Bryan Batt, who plays a closeted homosexual on AMC's Mad Men, recently sat down with CNN to discuss the state of being gay in Hollywood.

While some label Hollywood's gay hesitancy as "homophobic," Batt takes a more nuanced approach:

It's just like any prejudice, once you let go of any prejudice they all have to go. They're not based on facts, just on stereotypes. I really think yes, there might be some homophobia in Hollywood, but it's based on what will sell. Hollywood is a huge industry, a multibillion-dollar business. If actors who are gay will get ratings and will sell, they will get cast.

There are always going to be people who look at people who are different and who disapprove [of them] either through fear or through ignorance. We have to work toward acceptance on all levels. How long ago were the civil rights movement and the women's movement? And, still today, women don't make the same amount of money as men do for doing the same job.

Batt, you're our new favorite Hollywood homo.

When it comes to gays and Hollywood, what needs to change? With Fox News' John Gibson making it clear that not everybody is okay with gay plotlines, let alone gay actors, Queerty editorial director David Hauslaib sat down with BigThink.com to discuss that issue.

Also touched upon, in the clip below: what David believes to be the most important issues facing the gay community today, as well as the responsibility gay men and women have toward the younger generation.

Will someone please tell Rupert Everett to shut his pretty little mouth?

The Clooney questioning actor garnered some ink again today after comparing Hollywood, a geographical location, with Al-Qeada, a terrorist organization. As if that's not enough, the actor goes on to criticize the entertainment industry's double standards:

A 50 year old male drug addict will be supported. Everyone feels enormous compassion for them. Without naming names, female alcoholics and drug addicts are absolutely rejected. It's not accepted.

"No one suggests that Robert Downey Jr (who went to prison twice while battling drink and drug problems) was really that crazy whereas Britney Spears is almost witch hunted.

Oh, please! We don't hunt Britney because she's a woman! We stalk the pop star because she's partly our creation: we feel responsible for her gloriously tragic end and want to revel in her tabloid-ready beauty.

The Washington Post launched it's new "Where Are They Now?" column by following up on everyone's favorite Congressional page loving politico, Mark Foley.

Floridian Foley's been keeping a low profile since last year's disgraceful resignation, but rumor has it he's hoping to break back into the national scene:

Foley has been paying visits recently to Beverly Hills, where he was spotted just last weekend. We figure he may be looking for a job in Hollywood. Because in addition to his cringingly ironic role as chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, Foley - until he resigned on Sept. 29, 2006 - also served as head of the Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus. In that role, he cultivated lots of contacts in Hollywood.
…
We're told Foley is quietly plotting a comeback in some form, political or not. "He's talking about how to re-emerge publicly after the investigation is over," a source close to Foley tells the Sleuth.

Foley's press folk won't officially comment on the former Represenatives plans until they sort through that nasty criminal investigation. The politico and his dermatologist boyfriend, however, are reportedly all over the Palm Beach social scene, which gives us one more reason never to go to Palm Beach.

While we normally get off on watching rich, famous folk fall from grace, we can't help but shed a negligible tear for Lindsay Lohan.

Remember that sweet freckle face from Parent Trap? Well, we were really hoping her second rehab stint would set her straight. According to our friends over at TMZ, though, she's been arrested - again - for DUI, had blow on her and apparently chasing another car!!

This bitch is straight up crazy. And obviously troubled. And you can be sure our home-boy Cord Jefferson over at Mollygood will be offering blow-by-blowhans throughout the day.

In the meantime, let's all take a second to congratulate Hollywood on another successful child star undone. Go Hollywood!!

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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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

when Jeff showed it to him.)

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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Leave it to Sir Ian McKellen to talk honestly and openly about sexuality in Hollywood. After the slew of gay themed films that came out of Hollywood this year, one would think that homosexuality is anything but taboo. We may have films about gays, but where are all the out gay actors?

"It is very, very, very difficult for an American actor who wants a film career to be open about his sexuality and even more difficult for a woman . . . The film industry is very old-fashioned in California."

And he should know. The Lord of the Rings star has been out since 1988. It is easy to get wrapped up in the lives of fictional cowboys, but maybe Hollywood should be a bit more concerned about those who live lies among them.

Hollywood tough on gay actors, says McKellen [The Telegraph]

Earlier this week Andy Towle discovered Newsweek’s story on Heidi Fleiss’ Stud Farm and reported that the first hustler signed was Lester James Brandt, an actor who “never got the big break.”

Looking more carefully at Lester’s website, one can see just what he means. After appearing for one season on Another World, Lester drove his Harley to Hollywood. “Three days in LA he booked a role on The Nanny opposite Fran Drescher. He has not stopped working since.” Oh, we know Lester.

And work he did. There were the varied appearances on shows as diverse as Dharma & Greg, Just Shoot Me, and Walker Texas Ranger. Your former cast mates read like a who’s who of the C-List: Mark Hamill, Gerald McRaney, even Pam Anderson. And in your official bio you declare “Thank you, God.”

Thanks for what, Lester? The amazing career? The heart-wrenching performances? The magazine covers?

Or is it the fact that you finally found your calling? A glorified hooker playing the role of your life. Hallelujah!