It's been quite a year for The Advocate. Not only did the news mag celebrate it's 40th year and a new, controversial design, but now they're celebrating their 1000th issue.

And, as you can see, they decided to put Lance Bass on the cover. But, like a true champ, former boy bander Bass rationalizes popular skepticism:

You know, every community is hard to please. Our community is very fickle. It’s a touchy community because it’s the last civil rights movement we have left here in America. So when someone new like myself comes along and says off-the-mark things, yeah, I can see how people would get pissed.

The performer also gabs about former love Reichen, saying, "We've already established that Reichen is someone who wanted the fame and the spotlight…" Touchy?

While some of us may doubt Bass' validity as a cover boy, homo-journos Sean Kennedy and John Cloud duke it out over where we queers stand…

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The gays have long loved Mary J Blige, so it should come as no surprise that the beautiful singer makes an appearance on the forthcoming issue of The Advocate. Our soul sister Stereotyped passes along some of Blige's money quotes:

On having gay fans: “The majority of them are [gay], and I have to really make sure that they know I’m paying attention to the fact that they support me, and I support them.”

On the reason she became involved in the fight to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS: “It was the elephant in the room that nobody’s looking at. It made me be like, Oh, this is right at our front door. This can touch us. So why wouldn’t I want to get involved with something that can help save all our lives, save everybody’s lives?”

Blige also takes on homophobia in the hip-hop community, telling journo Ernest Hardy, that the haters are nothing but suckers and give hp-hop a bad name. Word.

Also in this issue, a look at New York's domestic partnership laws, an inside view of the war on AIDS and a rousing interview with fag favorite Amy Adams, who admits her Psycho Beach Party doesn't do Ann-Margaret's original justice. Ain't that the truth.

Recommitting themselves to their media outlets, PlanetOut executives announced that they'll sell cruise line boat chartering RSVP to former competitor Atlantis.

PlanetOut CEO Karen Magee says the company, which publishes Out and The Advocate, will get back to its roots:

From a corporate perspective, we believe this transaction demonstrates to our shareholders that we are continuing to deliver on our commitment to leverage our strengths by simplifying our business model and emphasizing our core competencies. We are focused on ensuring that we are in the best position to realize our full potential as the leading media and entertainment company exclusively serving the LGBT market, while also strengthening our balance sheet.

The move shouldn't come as a surprise: the company's been fighting financial disaster for months and many predicted PlanetOut would ditch the cruise line. The company also recently reverse split its stock, compressing ten shares into one.

Those shares are currently trading at $12.65.

As The World Turns actors Jake Silbermann and Van Hansis made history as television's first gay teen couple.

In honor of National Coming Out Day, the gents sat down with Dan Avery for an Advocate-hosted chat. While most of fans have been supportive, they say, there are a few bad apples every once in a while. Van Hansis:

I get tons of mail and almost all of it is positive. If it’s a negative letter or e-mail, it's usually people who can't see past their own limitations and prejudices. And they don’t have a very good grasp of grammar or punctuation.

We wonder why…

Matthew Rhys has no qualms playing gay on Brothers & Sisters. In fact, the only down side, the Welshman tells The Advocate, comes when people find out he's not gay.

Dennis Hensley writes:

At a burger stand in the heart of West Hollywood, Calif., Matthew Rhys was straight-bashed. Sort of, anyway. "This huge, muscley guy came up to me and went 'gay power' and sort of punched me… Then the man went, "You're gay, right?" I went, "No, I'm not." he went, "You're not? Oh, I feel betrayed…"

Rhys also tells Hensley that playing gay has some unforeseen romantic advantages.

When you’re in a relationship with a girl, you go to set and you go, ‘I’m going to make out with [Sex and the City’s] Jason Lewis.’ And they go, ‘Oh, you lucky thing,’ and they feel totally secure about it. But if you go to set and you have to make out with a hot blond girl, then you have the argument.

And what of that kiss with Jason Lewis, who reportedly didn't dig the idea. "He was a consummate professional."

In addition to the Rhys piece, the next issue of The Advocate includes a handy guide to gay-friendly businesses and a chat with actor Bobby Cannavale, who played gay on Will & Grace and in The Night Listener. Like so many journalists before him, Brandon Voss asks the requisite "dude crush" question. Cannavale's response: Derek Jeter.

We have a feeling that could be arranged…

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act continues to evolve down in Washington.

Due to a lack of votes, representative Barney Frank decided to split the once comprehensive equal rights bill into two distinct parts. The Advocate tells us more:

The ENDA bill without trans-inclusion will be marked up by the chamber's Education and Labor Committee next Tuesday so that it can be sent it to the House floor for a vote, Steven Adamske, a spokesperson for Rep. Frank, told The Advocate.

“The other one, GENDA if you will, will move on a separate track and will give the ability for the committee and other lawmakers to hold hearings on it and better educate other lawmakers,” Adamske added.

GENDA - cute. - will reportedly be nearly identical to ENDA, but will include more in-depth look at potential shower and bathroom discrimination.

HRC has not yet released a statement. Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi, however, did have something to say. Gist: She supports equality for all, but trans rights squash too many "yay" votes, so those citizens can just cool their jets. It's an understandable argument, but aren't politicians supposed to be persuasive? Why don't they work their magic on their peers? Just asking…

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The gays love Hillary Clinton. But, as we've already heard, she's adamantly against gay marriage.

Sure, she may have winked and nodded at the HRC forum, leading some to believe she's just playing politics, but in Sean Kennedy's stellar interview over at The Advocate, Clinton keeps it real: gay marriage ain't gonna happen overnight. And most probably not on her watch.

The Senator from New York, however, does intend to keep fighting to dismantle her husband's discriminatory Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

I’m certainly going to continue to push forward. But again, I can’t guarantee that the negative feedback will go away. The president is not a king, despite George Bush’s efforts to be one…and don’t forget, there’s another set of agenda items too. We’ve got ENDA and hate crimes.

If elected president, Clinton insists she'll do her best to get these - the most realistic - bills passed. She can't, however, make any guarantees…

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Those The Advocate accountants sure do have a sense of humor. The fag rag's accounts payable honcho Jeff Lee played a trick on TMZ the other night.

As the gossip site's camera's swarmed The Advocate's 40th anniversary party, Lee pretended to be Judge Lance Ito of OJ Simpson murder trial fame. Says Lee:

At first I thought they just wanted to take photos of celebrities. Then after a while, I thought they were interested in getting an opinion poll. But then I heard one mention ‘Judge Ito’ and it just clicked in.

Yeah, sometimes it takes us to realize which other Asian person we're being mistaken for, too.

After posting the video, in which Lee says Simpson's "guilty as sin" of kidnapping et al, TMZ clarified that Judge Ito did not, in fact, attend The Advocate's party. Nor does Ito think Simpson's guilty as sin. Not that we know of at least.

As for Lee, he looks forward to playing a young Pat Morita.

Hillary Clinton may want your lavender vote, but the Democratic Presidential candidate doesn't believe in your right to marry.

While some delude themselves by saying she's playing politics by supporting civil unions, Clinton tells The Advocate's Sean Kennedy she's "authentically" against gay marriage:

This is an issue that I’ve had very few years of my life to think about when you really look at it, when you compare it to a whole life span. I am where I am right now, and it is a position that I come to authentically.

Hmm… So, when's the next HRC event?

Legendary queer activist Larry Kramer took aim at The Advocate at last week's National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention.

Taking the microphone following publisher Michael Phelps' celebration of the 40-year old magazine's "new" design, Kramer - whose ACT-UP helped pave the way for the AIDS movement - implored Phelps and his staffers to do more than toying with new fonts.

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The Advocate's 40th anniversary cover's certainly colorful, but one wonders if much lauded new art director Luke Hayman's creation can be called original. Not by the looks of it…

Holy fag rag!

The Advocate's turning 40 this week - can you believe it? In honor of their very special birthday, the kids are treating themselves to a little face lift courtesy of Luke Hayman, who's credited for revamping Time and New York magazine. A new logo, more graphics and expanded editorial coverage await readers who pick up the celebratory spectacular.

In addition to all that - and more! - the editorial team's compiled a list of the top 40 gay and pro-gay movers and shakers. So, who's on the list? Well, we don't know everyone, but we do know that Barbara Gittings starts the list #40, Rita Mae Brown ranks as 20, Larry Kramer comes in at 18, Rosie hits up the 10-spot.

So, who's in the top spot? We'd tell you, but why ruin the birthday surprise

Here's a hint: it's a girl. And the world loves her.

• We started today with some pictures of William Devaughn, a Filipino McDonald's spokesperson. Here's one of his commercials. He's even dreamier in motion. The McRice sandwich, meanwhile, looks sick.

• The Russian Orthodox Church wants some anti-gay education.

• Michael Rogers wants straight people to watch the gay debates. Here's why.

• Don't have Logo? Watch the gay forum online.

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More troubles – or improvements? – at Out and The Advocate publisher LPI Media. Bob Cohen, who runs things over there, has just been let go in what looks like a dismissal ordered from the top. That, or PlanetOut Inc. savior Bill Gates ordered it. Jossip has the memo.

Director Brett Ratner's best known for his slew of box office hits, such as X-Men: The Last Stand and the Rush Hour franchise, but there's plenty you don't know about him - and may not want to know…

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