Annise Parker Wins, Houston Becomes Largest U.S. City With Openly Gay Mayor

Annise Parker won her runoff election tonight, making Houston the largest American city with an openly gay mayor.

The Houston Chronicle is calling the mayoral election for City Controller Annise Parker. With 89 percent of precincts counted, Parker holds a lead of nearly 8,000 voters, a divide that former City Attorney Gene Locke cannot make up with the relatively small pool of voters expected to be counted in the remainder of the night. Parker's election-day advantage has reached nearly 11 points. With 652 of 738 precincts reporting in Harris County and 100 percent in Fort Bend County (slightly less than half of the total), Parker leads former City Attorney Gene Locke by about three points with 52.7 percent to his 47.3 percent. About 7,000 votes separate them out of more than 145,000.

During the campaign, Parker suffered outrageously homophobic attacks by some members of Texas' evangelical community. Until tonight, the largest U.S. city with an openly gay mayor was Portland, Oregon.

Author Of Uganda's "Kill Gays" Bill Says Death Penalty Will Remain

According to a report in tomorrow's issue of the UK's Guardian, Ugandan member of parliament David Behati has presented his "kill gays" bill and vows that it will not be watered down. In addition to the death penalty or a life sentence for some cases, the bill provides for the imprisonment of people who don't turn in someone they know to be gay.

The Ugandan bill extends existing laws to make it illegal to promote homosexuality by talking or writing about it, and forcing people to tell the authorities about anyone they know who is gay. The bill, said Bahati, 35, an MP from the ruling party, aims to "protect the cherished culture of the people of Uganda against the attempts of sexual rights activists seeking to impose their values of sex promiscuity on the people of Uganda". He denied reports that international pressure might result in parts of the bill being toned down. "We are not going to yield to any international pressure – we cannot allow people to play with the future of our children and put aid into the game. We are not in the trade of values. We need mutual respect."

The Guardian goes on to point out that despite Bahati's claim that Uganda is immune to outside pressure, it was in fact outsiders from America's evangelical world that spawned the bill in the first place.

In March, Bahati met several prominent anti-gay US Christian activists who attended a conference in Uganda where they pledged to "wipe out" homosexuality. The conference featured Scott Lively, president of California's anti-gay Abiding Truth Ministries and co-author of The Pink Swastika, a book claiming that leading Nazis were gay. Also there was Don Schmierer, on the board of Exodus International, which promotes the "ex-gay" movement, believing people can change their sexuality and be redeemed. The third extremist evangelical to attend was Caleb Lee Brundidge, who is linked to Richard Cohen who believes that psychotherapy can "cure" homosexuality. Bahati's bill was drawn up within weeks of the conference.

Another American evangelical deeply involved in Uganda is Rick Warren, who yesterday released a videotaped message denouncing the submitted bill, something he only did after weeks of criticism over his silence. Bahati is disappointed with Warren, saying, "It's unfortunate that a man of God who has inspired many people across the world can give in to pressure and disappoint them."

Insurance Companies Paying Facebookers To Oppose Health Care Reform

Insurance companies have been busted paying Facebook members in virtual currency in return for sending their Congress members an email opposing health care reform.

Facebook users play a social game, like "FarmVille" or "Friends For Sale." They get addicted to it. Eager to accelerate their progress inside the game, the gamers buy "virtual goods" such as a machine gun for "Mafia Wars." But these gamers don't buy these virtual goods with real money. They use virtual currency. The gamers get virtual currency three ways:

• Winning it playing the games
• Paying for it with real money
• By accepting offers from third-parties -- usually companies like online movie rentals service Netflix -- who agree to give the gamer virtual currency so long as that gamer agrees to try a product or service. This is done through an "offers" provider -- a middleman that brings the companies like Netflix, the Facebook gamemakers, and the Facebook gamemaker's users together.

It's this third method that an anti-reform group called "Get Health Reform Right" is using to pay gamers virtual currency for their support. Instead of asking the gamers to try a product the way Netflix would, "Get Health Reform Right" requires gamers to take a survey, which, upon completion, automatically sends the following email to their Congressional Rep: "I am concerned a new government plan could cause me to lose the employer coverage I have today. More government bureaucracy will only create more problems, not solve the ones we have."

Members of Get Health Reform Right include BlueCross BlueShield and nine other health insurance consortiums.

Palin's Revenge

Last night Sarah Palin took her revenge on William Shatner by making a surprise appearance on the Tonight Show to perform a dramatic reading of excerpts from his biography. The NY Daily News says, "Sarah Palin has a sense of humor after all - maybe."

White House Condemns Uganda Bill

In response to a request from the Advocate, the White House has issued a statement (finally) condemning Uganda's proposed "kill gays" bill. Via Kerry Eleveld:

"The President strongly opposes efforts, such as the draft law pending in Uganda, that would criminalize homosexuality and move against the tide of history," read the statement that came late Friday in response to an inquiry from The Advocate. The bill in question would extend the punishment for engaging in gay sex to life imprisonment and introduce the death penalty for those who do so repeatedly or while HIV-positive — acts termed "aggravated homosexuality” within the bill.

Earlier this week a Uganda MP proposed striking the death penalty and life imprisonment portions from the bill.

Prop 8 Backers Win Appeal To Cloak Internal Documents And Emails

The backers of Proposition 8 have won their appeal to shield their internal documents and emails from Ted Olson and David Boies, who are hoping to taking their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The federal appeals court ruled that the First Amendment right of freedom of association would be violated if such information was to be required to be made available.

Lawyers for two gay couples challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the voter initiative in California that banned same-sex marriage after a five-month period last year when it was legal, had sought disclosure of e-mails and other communications to show that backers of the ballot measure had tried to create "discriminatory animus" against homosexuals. The decision of the appeals court panel, composed of three judges appointed by President Bill Clinton, reverses rulings by District Court Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco ordering the initiative's supporters to disclose their campaign strategy.

Earlier this month the ACLU filed a motion opposing the forced release of such documents, saying it would have a chilling effect on freedom of speech during political campaigns.

Captain Picard Proposes

(Via - Comic Alliance)

The 12 Gays Of Christmas

I posted this last year, but longtime reader Jeff in Fort Lauderdale suggests it's worthy of a rerun. Totally.

ACLU Loses Quarter Of Annual Budget

The national ACLU organization has lost a quarter of its annual funding after a long-time anonymous donor withdrew his $20M yearly pledge due to financial difficulties.

Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the A.C.L.U., acknowledged in a written statement that a “family” had told the organization in September that it could not make its annual gifts, at least for next year. “This family, that has sought to protect its privacy by arranging its gifts anonymously, notified us last month that due to market conditions it will be unable to make its expected sizable donations of over $20 million,” Mr. Romero said.

A.C.L.U. board members, who insisted on anonymity because the loss of the gift was reported in an executive session of their meeting, identified the donor as David Gelbaum, who made a fortune as a hedge fund manager and is now better known as a major investor in clean technology. Mr. Romero said that donors like the Leon Levy Foundation, the Open Society Institute, Peter B. Lewis and John Sperling had stepped up with pledges totaling $23 million spread over the next three years. But unlike the annual Gelbaum gifts, the new money will have to be shared with state affiliates.

The ACLU says they are preparing to make staffing and budget cuts.

Superman Comes Out

"Just treat Clark like the princess he is!"

(Tipped by JMG reader Scott)

Killer Of Gay Teen Jorge Mercado Found Mentally Incompetent To Stand Trial

Juan Martinez Matos, the confessed killer of Puerto Rican gay teen Jorge Mercado, has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial for the time being. But is he faking it?

Psychiatrist Rafael Cabrera urged Caguas Superior Court Judge Camila Jusino to send the 26-year old suspect, Juan Martínez Matos, back to the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Río Piedras to keep him under evaluation by the medical staff there. However, Cabrera acknowledged during a preliminary hearing that he is not certain whether the symptoms of psychosis referred to by the defendant are real, feigned or exaggerated.

Under questioning by prosecutor Yaritza Carrasquillo, the psychiatrist agreed that the facts that Martínez Matos says he cannot clearly remember are essentially those of the night of the crime. The judge ordered Martínez Matos to undergo another evaluation on January 7 and set a new hearing on his fitness to face criminal proceedings for January 13. Gay rights activist Pedro Julio Serrano was quick to criticize the court developments. “Although full justice can never be done, as Jorge Steven is no longer with us, the process of prosecuting the confessed murderer in one of the most heinous crimes committed in the history of our country has been delayed again,” Serrano said in a statement .

Note that the above-linked story describes Mercado as a "19 year-old transvestite," despite there being no evidence other than the killer's word that Mercado was in drag at the time that Matos decapitated him and burned his body.

Scientologists Want An Institute Of Crazy In Your Neighborhood

The Church Of Scientology wants contributions to put an "Ideal Org" (i.e. church) in your neighborhood. What you do mean you don't want to be "clear"? Stormtroopers heard in distance.

RELATED: I've developed a habit of teasing the Scientologists that infest the Times Square subway station. Try it. It's fun. They really don't like it.

1 Of 6 Americans Have Had Swine Flu

New numbers out today from the CDC indicate that 50 million Americans, or about 1 in 6, have already had H1N1. There have been about 10,000 deaths.

The new estimates suggest that the flu, also known as H1N1, has spread through 15% of the U.S. population since it was first identified in April. As of Nov. 17, 200,000 people have been hospitalized, says Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's about the same number of people hospitalized during the entire flu season, which usually lasts until May. At least 7,500 adults 18 to 64 and 1,000 children younger than 18 have died of the disease, Frieden said. In a typical flu season, roughly 80 children die. "Many times more children and younger adults, unfortunately, have been hospitalized or killed by H1N1 influenza than occurs during a usual flu season," Frieden says. The analysis marks the government's latest assessment of the H1N1 epidemic. The virus has upended expectations of flu by targeting the young rather than the old. In a typical year, 95% of deaths are in people 65 and older; so far, 95% of deaths have been in people younger than 65.

Have you been vaccinated yet? I finally got mine a couple of weeks ago.

Gene Discovery May Aid Transgender And Intersex Therapies

Scientists have discovered a genetic "on-off" switch that tells the body what gender it is.

An international team found that the action of a single gene is all that stops females from developing male physical traits, including testes and facial hair. When this gene was artificially “switched off” in adult female mice their ovaries began to turn into testes and they started to produce a level of testosterone found in healthy male mice. The discovery could eventually revolutionise gender reassignment therapy and improve treatments for babies who are born with a mixed gender. The research, published today in the journal Cell, challenges a common perception that gender is determined purely by the X-chromosomes and Y-chromosomes. The gene that was switched off, known as FOXL2, lies on a non-sex chromosome that is shared by males and females.

Researchers had merely expected the female mice to stop producing eggs. Other than the change in gender characteristics, the test animals appeared to experience no other physical changes and lived a normal lifespan.

The Right's Newest Martyr

As expected, the wingnutosphere is rallying around fired Maine reporter Larry Grard, who was dismissed from the Morning Sentinel after 19 years following his "in your face" email to the Human Rights Campaign on the morning after the vote to repeal same-sex marriage.

Catholic League:

As a Catholic, Grard has a right to hold, express and defend the teachings of the Catholic Church with impunity. While the First Amendment does not apply to private organizations, the fact remains that if Grard can be fired for something like this, then the rights of all reporters are in jeopardy. This explains why the Portland Newspaper Guild is standing squarely behind him. So is the Catholic League. We have put Grard, and his wife, in contact with law firms that may want to sue Mr. Thompson and his newspaper.

American Family Association:

Regardless of the fact that his e-mail reply was done through his personal account, Grard was ultimately fired for his "unethical" and "unprofessional" rebuttal, and he believes it was because he defended traditional marriage. Grard, who suffers from chronic insomnia and prostate cancer and whose wife is diabetic, says the loss of employment has made it difficult for his family to make ends meet. He believes he is now paying a price for being a committed Christian who took a stance for traditional marriage.

Newsbusters:

The censorious intolerance of the gay left is on display again – a reporter was fired in Waterville, Maine. His offense? Sending an angry private e-mail to the Human Rights Campaign in Washington. The HRC wanted the reporter dismissed – and bang, he was terminated.s this a new trend? Being Google-canned? It didn’t matter that Grard sent an e-mail privately. It didn’t matter that Grard never covered the "gay marriage" initiative battle. He had taken offense at the HRC, and that was apparently grounds for firing:

His Parents Knew Early

(Via - Daily What)

Broadway To GLEE

Via Muckety, a Broadway to GLEE chart. Interactive version here.

Queens Nightclub Bashing Victim Speaks

Ireland-born activist Tarlach MacNiallais (center, rear), who was beaten by bouncers at a Queens nightclub on Saturday, has given his first extensive interview to Irish Central. MacNiallais stresses that he was not just dancing with a "total stranger" as early press accounts hinted, but was enjoying an evening out with his partner of seven years and his partner's four brothers.

The story began on Saturday evening when MacNiallais, his partner of seven years, Juan, and four of Juan's brothers visited the Guadalajara De Noche restaurant in Jackson Heights. The group had expected an open mike sing-along, but they discovered that a club night had been scheduled instead. “I’ve been in that bar a handful of times in the past,” said MacNiallais. “Sometimes they have open night, where people can get up and sing Mexican songs. But when we got there it was a dance night. So we took a table at the back of the place just beside the dance floor and we ordered a round of drinks.” When a song that MacNiallais liked came on, he suggested to his partner that they dance. They got up, and MacNiallais led his partner to the floor. This simple act signaled to onlookers that they were probably gay.

“We’re weren’t doing a lambada or dancing close or anything provocative like that. We were dancing the way you do at any night – not touching, just moving to the music, you know?" But before they had even got started, a man, described as an employee of the nightclub, came over to the couple and said: “You can’t do that in here. This is not a gay bar.” “To be quite honest I thought he was joking. I didn’t even look at him," continued MacNiallais. “I turned around and said, ‘We have as much right to dance as anyone else.’” Immediately, MacNiallais was yanked from behind. He was thrown against a wall and then punched repeatedly on the face and chest. “They knocked me to the ground. They started kicking me. They were shouting ‘this is not a gay bar’ over and over. I didn’t fight back because I’m not a violent person. But I did think I wasn’t going to let them throw me out. I did have a right to be there. If they had asked me to leave I would have, but they didn’t do that. Instead they beat me and physically dragged me to the ground.”

MacNiallais: "I did not just jump up and dance with a total stranger, or with the first man who walked into the bar. I want to stress that. I was dancing with my partner of seven years. He and his family have been part of my life for years." The two bouncers are said to have been laughing while they beat MacNiallis. One of his partner's brothers recorded the assault on his cell phone.

Justice For Ryan Skipper

Via Bilerico's Nadine Smith:

In 2007, Ryan Skipper was stabbed to death in Central Florida because he was gay . In 2009, two men were found guilty in separate trials of butchering Ryan, and were sentenced to life terms in state prison. Prosecutor Cass Castillo and Circuit Judge J. Michael Hunter powerfully and explicitly stated in a Bartow courtroom that Ryan Skipper was murdered because he was gay.

SC Gov. Mark Sanford's Wife Hits The (Non-Appalachian) Trail

The wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has filed for divorce in the wake her public humiliation when her husband was caught with his Argentine mistress.

Sanford said in a written statement Friday that the decision to file for divorce came after "many unsuccessful efforts at reconciliation," but that she's committed to keeping the process "peaceful for our family." "As so many of us know, the dissolution of any marriage is a sad and painful process. It is also a very personal and private one. Because Mark and I are public figures, we have naturally had less privacy with which to deal with our difficulties than do other couples," she said. "Indeed, I know it will soon become known so I choose to release this brief notice that I am now filing for divorce."

Earlier this week the South Carolina legislature decided not to pursue removing Gov. Sanford from office, saying they couldn't act on another person's personal immorality. They were singing a different song in 2007 when they ratified a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Scott Lively "Commends" The Brave Ugandans Who Want To Kill Gays

American evangelical Scott Lively, widely considered to be the chief U.S. architect of Uganda's "kill gays" bill, today issued a press release saying that while he bears no responsibility for the legislation, which he calls a "serious overcorrection," he also "commends the courage of the Ugandan people."

By official count 22 young men were executed under Uganda’s law on homosexuality. The law in question required that all men and boys in Uganda be willing to submit to the homosexual seduction of it’s ruler, King Mwanga. When Ugandans began to convert to Christianity in the 1800s, a group of Catholics, led by Charles Lwanga, refused to allow themselves to be sodomized by the King. Enraged, King Mwanga had them torurously bound, marched 37 miles and then roasted alive in a fire pit. The date of their execution was June 3rd, 1886, and is today a national holiday commemorating Uganda’s rejection of homosexuality and commitment to Christian values.

It should be no surprise, therefore, that modern Ugandans are very unhappy that homosexual political activists from Europe and the United States are working aggressively to re-homosexualize their nation. Ugandan citizens report a growing number of foreign homosexual men coming to their country to turn desperately poor young men from the slums into their personal houseboys, and that some girls in public schools have being paid to recruit others into lesbianism. Foreign interests have exerted intense pressure on Uganda’s government to compromise its laws regarding sexual morality, often using their control over foreign aid funding for leverage. [snip] In the mean time, despite all of the hysteria in the liberal media, it is important to remember that there is no death penalty for homosexuals in Uganda, only a bill under debate that will hopefully be modified before passage. The only Ugandans who have been executed for their beliefs and actions about homosexuality have been Christians.

Lively is the author of The Pink Swastika, a book that blames the Holocaust on gay Nazis. SRSLY.

Scholarship Opportunity For Philadelphia's Young Gay Men

If you are a young openly gay man in the Philly metropolitan area, tuition scholarships are available.

The Lax Scholarship Fund was established in 1994 by the late entrepreneur and inventor Jonathan R. Lax for the purpose of encouraging gay men to obtain additional education; aspiring to positions in which they contribute to society; being out about their sexual orientation; and acting as role models for other gay men with similar potential. Tuition scholarships are awarded in amounts up to $20,000 to men from the five county Philadelphia region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties) and Camden County who are attending accredited colleges, graduate or professional schools anywhere, or to men attending such schools within the Philadelphia region. Applicants should be either from the five-county metropolitan Philadelphia region attending a qualified school in or out of the region, or from outside the region, attending college, graduate or professional school within the region.

The online application is here.

Greece Near Bankruptcy

Greece is perilously close to defaulting on its debts, putting the solvency of the euro at risk as well.

If no buyers can be found for its securities, Greece will have no choice but to declare insolvency -- just as Mexico, Ecuador, Russia and Argentina have done in past decades. This puts Brussels in a predicament. European Union rules preclude the 27-member bloc from lending money to member states to plug holes in their budgets or bridge deficits. And even if there were a way to circumvent this prohibition, the consequences could be disastrous. The lack of concern over budget discipline in countries like Spain, Italy and Ireland would spread like wildfire across the entire continent. The message would be clear: Why save, if others will eventually foot the bill? On the other hand, if Brussels left the Greeks to their own devices, the consequences would also be dire. Confidence in the euro would be shattered, and the union would face a crucial test. What good is a common currency, many would ask, if some of the member states pay their debts while others do not?

PhoboQuotable - Randy Thomasson

"John A. Perez is an aggressive supporter of the sexual indoctrination of schoolchildren, homosexual 'marriages,' and punishing business owners that don't support homosexuality and cross-dressing. We're concerned he will add to existing homosexual-agenda laws, such as 'Harvey Milk Gay Day,' $150,000 in government fines against family-oriented businesspersons, and a dozen other bad laws trampling people's rights and freedoms." - Save California executive douche Randy Thomasson, complaining about his state's newly elected openly gay Speaker of the Assembly.

New Law Forces NYC Buildings To Allow Bikes In The Office

NYC's new Bicycle Access To Buildings Law takes effect today. Office buildings must allow workers to bring their bikes up via the freight elevators, if your employer allows it. And unless building owners file for an exemption, you'll soon be able to bring your bike right to your desk, if your office manager allows it.

That's what the law says anyway. As pointed out by the commenters in the above-linked Gothamist post, the reality will be far different. In many Manhattan buildings, the entrances to freight elevators are in secured alleys or areas not accessible to office workers. Getting surly building managers to come and allow a stream of workers into the freight elevators will be an endless war. Plus most buildings have limited delivery hours, meaning that those elevators will be locked and abandoned long before the average worker is ready to leave the office. It'll be interesting to see how this new law works out. Years ago I rode my bike to my then-office on East 42nd (right at the bridge in the photo). Had to turn right around and ride home because I stupidly didn't think that I wouldn't be able to bring it inside.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Single-digit wind chills today in the Big Popsicle. The perfect day for ordering in. Food. I'm talking about food, you dirty birds.

Maddow On Rick Warren & Uganda

Last night Rachel Maddow covered Rick Warren's long-overdue denouncement of Uganda's "kill gays" bill, pointing out his previous hypocrisies and lies about Prop 8. Watch this.

Broadway Friday

- Valerie Harper will star as Tallulah Bankhead in Looped, a new comedy by Matthew Lombardo. Previews at the Lyceum begin Feb. 19th.

"Looped tells the story of Tallulah Bankhead, the internationally celebrated actress, being called into a sound studio in 1965 to re-record (or 'loop') one line of dialogue for what would be her last film — the dreadful 'Die, Die My Darling.'

- Enron, a show about the financial collapse of the ultilities giant, begins previews at the Broadhurst on April 8th.

"Using music, dance and video, Enron explores one of the most infamous scandals in financial history, reviewing the tumultuous 1990s and casting a new light on the financial turmoil in which the world currently finds itself."

- Gene Barry, who earned a Tony nomination for originating the role of Georges in La Cage Aux Folles, has died at the age of 90.

- Tony winner Idina Menzel (Wicked) will become the latest Broadway star to join the cast of GLEE. Menzel will appear in nine episodes as the coach of McKinley High's archrivals Vocal Adrenaline.

- After suffering savage reviews, the revival of Bye Bye Birdie will close on January 24th.

- Broadway Carols For A Cure: Volume 11, a collection of holiday tunes from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is on sale now. Tracks from the casts of Finian's Rainbow, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Hair, West Side Story, others.

John Perez: Openly Gay Man Elected Speaker Of California Assembly

First term California Assembly member John Perez was today elected by his fellow Democrats as the first openly gay Speaker of that body.

Members emerged from a closed-door caucus at the historic Stanford Mansion to announce that Democrats had chosen Perez, of Los Angeles, on an unanimous vote. A public vote on the Assembly floor is expected in January. Perez walked arm-in-arm from the caucus meeting with current Assmbly Speaker Karen Bass and Kevin de Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat who had fought fiercely for the job but ultimately bowed out and formally nominated Perez before today's voice vote. Perez said it was an "incredibly moving experience to have the unanimous support of my colleagues."

Perez is the cousin of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who with Perez' agreement, initially backed another Democrat who proved unable to muster enough support to take the post.

No DOMA Repeal Attempt In 2010 (And Maybe Not Until 2013)

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the sponsor of a House bill to overturn DOMA, says that there will be no attempt to pass the bill in 2010 and that serious work on the repeal probably won't begin until 2013.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in an interview with DC Agenda that lawmakers will work on passing other pro-LGBT bills next year, and could take up legislation to repeal DOMA — known as the Respect for Marriage Act — at the end of the two-year session starting in 2011. “The Respect for Marriage Act is a bill that we can’t pass right now; we know we can’t pass it right now,” he said. Nadler said Congress won’t take up the DOMA repeal next year because other LGBT-related bills, including the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, legislation providing partner benefits for LGBT federal workers and a repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” are taking precedence. Supporters hope to pass those measures by the end of 2010. “The Respect for Marriage Act comes up after that, maybe at the end of the next Congress, maybe afterward,” he said.

By 2013, we will probably have the result of the Olson/Boies case, rendering a DOMA repeal either moot or impossible.

(Via - DC Agenda)

Adam Lambert On The View

Adam Lambert returned to ABC this morning to talk with the ladies of The View about health care reform and the escalation of the war in Afghanistan. PSYCHE. You know what he talked about.

Who Are You And What Have You Done With The REAL Lou Dobbs?

Just-resigned CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, who endeared himself to the right-wing with his regular rants against the brown hordes pouring across our southern border, says he's had a change of heart and now supports amnesty for undocumented residents.

Resentment has been burbling across the wingnut blogosphere ever since Dobbs told Spanish-language network Telemundo late last month that he wants a "pathway to legalize the illegals." Yesterday the American Family Association's OneNewsNow site reported that Dobbs has now lost the endorsement of a major anti-immigrant group that had been urging him to run for president.

William Gheen, president of ALIPAC, explains why the organization is appalled by his words. "Lou Dobbs went on Telemundo Network on November 20th, and the full copy of the interview we got had him talking about a form of amnesty or path to citizenship for illegal aliens on several occasions," Gheen explains. "He also apologized for not speaking Spanish to the audience and a bunch of other stuff that we saw as surrender and capitulation, especially considering that the La Raza pro-amnesty groups are now celebrating his departure from CNN. He also went on to say he doesn't support deportation. He didn't say he didn't support mass deportations, he said he doesn't support deportation at all."

Has Dobbs really changed? Or is this just a transparently insincere ploy to move him up on the list of 2012 contenders?

The Worst Songs Of The Decade

This month the Village Voice is counting down the worst songs of the Aughties. Some acts to make the list so far: Simple Plan, Weezer, Santana, and Crazy Frog, whose evil spawn from 2007 is below. The reviewer notes: "Every generation gets the Barbie Girl it deserves. As horrible as we've acted this decade, we should actually consider ourselves lucky to get three minutes of dead-eyed European house music with chipmunk voices going 'gummy gummy gummy gummy gummy bear.'" I'm pretty sure I posted The Gummy Bear Song here when it came out. Yes, it's completely horrible. And I just played it three more times. I denounce myself.

Austria Approves Civil Unions

The Austrian parliament approved a civil unions bill today, bringing the number of EU member nations with such a law to ten.

The bill, slated to become law Jan. 1., will give same-sex couples a series of rights enjoyed by their heterosexual counterparts, including access to a pension if one partner dies and alimony in the event of a split. It bans the adoption of children or artificial insemination. "We are living in the 21st century and I'm very glad this step is being taken today," Justice Minister Claudia Bandion-Ortner said during parliamentary debate leading up to the vote. Christian Hoegl, co-president of the Homosexual Initiative Vienna, Austria's oldest group of gays and lesbians, agreed. "It's a relief, a big success and a reward for two decades of lobbying," Hoegl said. Earlier in the day, Hoegl and co-president Jona Solomon passed out pink rum-filled cupcakes to parliamentarians, along with a letter that urged them to vote yes.

As we saw with Ireland yesterday, some LGBT advocates opposed the bill, arguing that it was too limiting.

Editor & Publisher Folds In Massive Selloff Of Media Trade Titles

Today Nielsen Business Media announced the sales of Billboard Magazine, Adweek, Brandweek, The Hollywood Reporter, and four other titles as well as their film industry conventions business. The new owner is a just formed media company called e5 Global Media Holdings. Not surviving the sale was the 125 year-old Editor & Publisher, the seemingly eternal watchdog of print journalism. From Nielsen's press release:

This move will allow us to strengthen investment in our core businesses – those parts of our portfolio that have the greatest potential for growth – and ensure our long-term success. We remain committed to building our trade show group and affiliated brands. These assets continue to be a key part of The Nielsen Company's overall portfolio and we strongly believe they are positioned to grow as the economy recovers. In addition, we'll continue to assess the strategic fit of our remaining portfolio of publications. [snip] I want to take this opportunity to offer heartfelt thanks to our colleagues who will be leaving the company for their dedication and commitment to Nielsen over the years. Please join me in wishing them well in their future endeavors.

Rick Warren Sends Open Letter To Uganda Denouncing "Kill Gays" Bill

After weeks of media criticism, Rick Warren has at last specifically denounced Uganda's now-dismantled "kill gays" bill. Previously Warren had said it was not his business to "interfere with sovereign nations," despite his years-long championing of the bill's chief proponent, Martin Ssempa. The text of the below video is here. An excerpt:

We are all familiar with Edmund Burke’s insight, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” That is why I’m sharing my heart with you today. As an American pastor, it is not my role to interfere with the politics of other nations, but it IS my role to speak out on moral issues. It is my role to shepherd other pastors who look to me for guidance, and it is my role to correct lies, errors and false reports when others associate my name with a law that I had nothing to do with, completely oppose and vigorously condemn. I am referring to the pending law under consideration by the Ugandan Parliament, known as the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. As a pastor, I’ve found the most effective way to build consensus for social change is usually through direct quiet diplomacy and behind-the-scenes dialogue, rather than through media. But because I didn’t rush to make a public statement, some erroneously concluded that I supported this terrible bill, and some even claimed I was a sponsor of the bill. You in Uganda know that is untrue. I am releasing this video to you and your congregations to correct these untruths and to urge you to make a positive difference at this critical point in your nation.

Tomorrow: SNAXX 7th Anniversary, A Fundraiser For NYC's LGBT Center

DJs Rich King and Gustavo's long-running and popular SNAXX party celebrates its seventh anniversary tomorrow night with a special fundraiser for the NYC LGBT Community Center.

A la Blowoff, the SNAXX party will soon be touring cities on the east coast for a series of monthly events. Friday's party takes place at Rebel NYC at 251 W.30th. Doors open at 10PM. $15.

South Carolina's Adulterous Sanctity Of Marriage Advocate To Stay In Office

South Carolina Gov. Mark "Appalachian Trail" Sanford will be allowed to complete his term, despite the scandal surrounding his week-long disappearance to visit his Argentine mistress.

South Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday quashed a move to oust Gov. Mark Sanford over his summertime tryst and his use of state aircraft, saying his embarrassing conduct was not serious enough to merit impeachment. Lawmakers were still considering whether to recommend an official reprimand. Six of the seven panel members said they believed the events surrounding Sanford's extramarital affair involving an Argentine woman did not rise to a high enough level to warrant his removal from office prior to the end of his second and final term in January 2011. "We can't impeach for hypocrisy. We can't impeach for arrogance. We can't impeach an officeholder for his lack of leadership skills," said Rep. James Harrison, the Columbia Republican who headed the panel.

Before cheating on and publicly humiliating his wife, the born-again Sanford also had no qualms in enthusiastically supporting his state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Sanctity. Of. Marriage.

Fox Fail Math? That Unpossible!

Fox's graphic about a Rasmussen poll on global warming adds up to 120%. Rasmussen is surely unamused. That didn't make the list, but go to Ranker for their Top Ten Fox News Fails Of 2009.

HomoQuotable - Christopher Muther

"If the FCC is going to investigate anything it should be that Lambert may be compromising the reputation of gay men everywhere. Gay men have proudly worked hard for centuries to cultivate the appearance of having good taste. Tom Ford, fashion designer and the living embodiment of homo-sexy refinement, is even bringing his mission to movie theaters this month with "A Single Man.’’ And then comes Lambert with his Mystic Tan, makeup, and eyeliner to steamroll it all back dozens of years.

"Even more offensive than the bump, grind, and kiss is that Lambert is now taking it upon himself to explain why folks had a difficult time digesting his American Music Awards performance. 'People aren’t used to seeing gay men portrayed that way on TV,' he told Ellen DeGeneres last week. 'The gay male image in the media tends to be very cliché.’ So, let me get this straight. Lambert, who dresses like the immaculately conceived love child of Siegfried and Roy, is not a cliché? Cut to me giving the TV the side eye and scratching my head. He’s a bundle of clichés, and represents a very outdated image of the flamboyant gay performer. Freddie Mercury and his stretch unitards were more groundbreaking, and definitely sexier."- Boston Globe style columnist Christopher Muther.

TIME Names Advocate's June Issue As A Top Ten Cover For 2009

TIME Magazine has named the Advocate's June 7th issue as one of the ten best magazine covers of 2009.

This clever and hilarious cover either consciously or unconsciously pays homage to the famous painting The Scream by Edvard Munch. The article it sells is about how the recession has affected the porn industry — hard times indeed! The photo suggests, among other things, that if it gets bad enough, movie producers may have to substitute blow-up dolls for flesh-and-blood actors. The movies may be rated X, but this cover gets an A. It pushes the boundaries of taste, but not for its target audience.

I didn't think of Edvard Munch when I first saw that issue.

CA: Alameda County Pulls Anti-Bullying Program Under Threats From Christianists

Score one for the Christianists that endorse the beating and taunting of LGBT students.

The school board blinked. Under the duress of a lawsuit and threats of recall, the Alameda Board of Education has voted to phase out an elementary school curriculum it adopted in May to prevent anti-gay bullying. The so-called Lesson 9, which had become an opposition centerpiece in a national anti-gay marriage campaign, will be replaced by a more generic anti-bullying message. But the board's action Tuesday night did little to ease the tension between gay parents, who want their children protected, and parents who who think elementary school is too early to talk to students about gay people.

Earlier this year a group of Christian families sued Alameda County over the right to keep their children out of school whenever anti-gay bullying was to be discussed. After the court ruled against them, they launched a recall petition against the members of the school board. The above decision is the result of their campaign.

Maddow Continues To Expose GOP Connection To Uganda's "Kill Gays" Bill

Last night Rachel Maddow continued her expose on the connection between Uganda's "kill gays" bill and the GOP's secretive "Family."

Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize

This morning President Obama accepted his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. A portion of his acceptance speech is below. In the audience: Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, for some reason.

Gay Activist Beaten By Queens Bouncers For Dancing With Another Man

On Saturday well-known LGBT activist Tarlach MacNiallais was beaten by the bouncers at a Queens nightclub for dancing with another man.

Tarlach MacNiallais, 47, was punched and kicked and had a chair smashed over his head in the attack by two security guards at the Guadalajara De Noche restaurant in Jackson Heights at 12:43 a.m. Saturday, police said. The attack is being treated as a possible hate crime. "[The bouncer] said, 'You can't do that here, this is not a gay bar,' " MacNiallais told cops. "I said I have just as much right as anyone else." MacNiallais -- spokesman for the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization, which is best known for its annual fight to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade -- said the bouncers wrestled him to the ground and dragged him away from other dancers before they attacked him. He was treated for cuts and bruises at Elmhurst Hospital Center.

The nightclub is located in the heavily gay Jackson Heights area of Queens. I'll have more on this incident as soon as possible.

North Carolina Law Bans Atheists, One Gets Into Office Anyway

Some folks tried to prevent newly elected Asheville, North Carolina city councilman Cecil Bothwell from taking office. Because he's an atheist. And that's still against the law there, as it is in five other states.

North Carolina's constitution is clear: politicians who deny the existence of God are barred from holding office. Opponents of Cecil Bothwell are seizing on that law to argue he should not be seated as a City Council member today, even though federal courts have ruled religious tests for public office are unlawful under the U.S. Constitution. Voters elected the writer and builder to the council last month. “I'm not saying that Cecil Bothwell is not a good man, but if he's an atheist, he's not eligible to serve in public office, according to the state constitution,” said H.K. Edgerton, a former Asheville NAACP president. Article 6, section 8 of the state constitution says: “The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.” Rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution trump the restriction in the state constitution, said Bob Orr, executive director of the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law.

Bothwell "affirmed" his oath of office late on Tuesday, because state law allows one to avoid placing a hand on the Bible and swearing "so help me God." His case is being cited by some "Tenthers" as another example of the imposition of federal laws on the states.

RELATED: Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) is the only openly atheist person ever elected to Congress.

Bob Dylan - Must Be Santa

I think that's him in the dreadlocks and white top hat. Super strange, coming from Dylan.

Oprah And Tyler Perry Disqualified For Precious Oscar Eligibility

Academy Award officials have ruled that Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, who signed on as executive producers of Precious after the movie was completed, are not eligible to receive Oscars should the picture win. The pair's involvement has annoyed some movie industry insiders and well as some critics

Huge controversy surrounds the involvement of Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire." They signed on as executive producers after the film was shot, thus offering their celebrity status as support to help boost the profile of a movie with an important social message. Are they therefore entitled to win an Oscar statuette if "Precious" wins best picture? Official answer: no. "The rule is up to three producers get statuettes," a studio rep tells Gold Derby. "The producers are Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness."

The above-linked LA Times story points to this scathing review by black film critic Armond White. His final paragraph expresses why I'm uncomfortable with the film's seemingly exploitive tone, which is why I haven't seen it.

Worse than Precious itself was the ordeal of watching it with an audience full of patronizing white folk at the New York Film Festival, then enduring its media hoodwink as a credible depiction of black American life. A scene such as the hippopotamus-like teenager climbing a K-2 incline of tenement stairs to present her newborn, incest-bred baby to her unhinged virago matriarch, might have been met howls of skeptical laughter at Harlem’s Magic Johnson theater. Black audiences would surely have seen the comedy in this ludicrous, overloaded situation, whereas too many white film habitués casually enjoy it for the sense of superiority—and relief—it allows them to feel. Some people like being conned.

Daily Grumble

The horrible shrieking noise that startled most of Manhattan last night was the sound of tens of thousands of gay men when Time-Warner Cable's Fox signal fucking froze during the last fifteen minutes of the season finale of GLEE. This was at least second time that's happened during GLEE. TWC is clearly anti-gay. Or at least, anti-show queen.

Rep. Alan Grayson To Cheney: STFU

The above title is taken directly from Grayson's office YouTube channel. Hah.

Open Thread Thursday

Where are you spending the holidays?

Uganda Drops Death Penalty, Life Sentence From Proposed Anti-Gay Legislation

After weeks of international condemnation including threats to end foreign aid, Uganda will be dropping the sections of its anti-gay bill that call for the death penalty or life imprisonment.

The draft bill, which is under consideration by a parliamentary committee, will drop the two punishments to attract the support of religious leaders who are opposed to these penalties, Buturo said today in a phone interview from the capital, Kampala. Ugandan lawmaker David Bahati presented a private member’s bill on Oct. 14 which sought the death penalty and life imprisonment for gay people in the country. The Ugandan government supports the bill because homosexuality and lesbianism are “repugnant to the Ugandan culture,” Buturo said. Still, it favors a more refined set of punishments, he said. In addition to formulating punishments for the gay people, the bill will also promote counseling to help “attract errant people to acceptable sexual orientation,” said Buturo.

A "more refined set of punishments" - like forced reparative therapy. Overall good news nonetheless, but we must continue to expose the American evangelicals and GOP leaders that got this murderous legislation rolling in the first place.

Deviant Homosexual Bloggers Lead Air America Cruise Contest

Today Air America released an updated ranking in their rebooted contest and its two homofascist/hellbound/pinko contestants are in the lead!

Does the "Go me" dance.* Does the "Go Pam" dance.*

Don't worry, all this is over in a week, so you'll only have to hear about it...say...seven more times.
*Something like the cabbage patch. I think.

We're Talking Showgirls Bad

Real Housewives Of Atlanta "star" Kim Zolciak performed her hit "song" on Ellen today, prompting this comment on YouTube: "She's 31 according to Wikipedia, but I dunno if it's true cuz according to Wikipedia she's also a singer HAHAHAHAHA."

NJ Marriage Vote Postponed

Tomorrow's scheduled NJ Senate vote on marriage equality has been postponed until the bill can be heard by the state Assembly Judiciary Committee. The lower body has not yet made a vote on the issue.

Sens. Ray Lesniak (D-Union) and Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) said the bill -- which was up for passage on Thursday -- instead will likely be introduced in the Assembly Judiciary Committee in preparation for a vote by the lower house. The lawmakers said they expect Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) to agree to the delay. Codey, who had posted the bill on Thursday's agenda, could not immediately be reached for comment this afternoon. Lesniak said he still expects a vote on same-sex marriage in both houses before the end of the lame-duck legislative session in January.

Advocates are pushing for passage of the bill before Gov. Jon Corzine leaves office Jan. 19. Corzine supports the measure, while incoming Gov. Chris Christie says he will veto it. While even proponents conceded this week that passage was in doubt, Lesniak and Weinberg said they were not postponing the debate because they lacked the 21 votes to succeed in the Senate. They said they want Assembly members to engage in the public dialogue and hear the testimony from both sides that senators already have been exposed to. "We think this is the fairest way to proceed, and anybody on the other side can say whatever they want to say," Weinberg said.

A positive vote from the NJ Senate could have pushed over at least a few votes in the state Assembly, so this isn't great news. And here I was all set for another eight-hour live blogathon tomorrow night, something I've done, what, four times in the last six weeks?

UPDATE: According to an excerpted blog post on Blue Jersey, the postponement IS a good thing. But the Assembly vote may not come until early January, perilously close to Chris Christie's inauguration on the 19th.

Here is the bottom line: the votes are not there in the Senate. And it appears as though they are there in the Assembly - to clear the both the Judiciary committee and to pass the full house. Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts is unlikely to give dates for the upcoming hearing and subsequent floor debate, but I understand it could be early January. Initially, members of the Assembly had said they would not consider gay marriage until the Senate passed the bill. That thinking seems to have now been turned on its head.

Already?? Trouble For Pride Agenda's First 2010 NY Senate Pick

Yesterday the Empire State Pride Agenda announced their endorsement of NY Assemblyman Jose Peralta in his bid to unseat NY Sen. Hiram Monserrate, who stunned activists with his betrayal on marriage last week. But today we learn that Peralta may not be a squeaky-clean choice. Via NY Daily News:

Queens Assemblyman Jose Peralta landed more than $500,000 in taxpayer money for a nonprofit that never filed federal tax records, has no employees and has been inactive for more than two years. Peralta helped organize the Corona-Elmhurst Center for Economic Development after joining the Legislature, and for years it was located in the same building as his campaign office. This year, he and his chief political consultants have continued to lobby state and city lawmakers for additional grants for the dormant group, the Daily News has learned. Until a month ago, the Corona-Elmhurst group maintained an office at 104-01 Roosevelt Ave., in a two-story commercial building, where Peralta rents space for his election committee. The building is owned by Dr. Mercedes Mota-Martinez, a dentist who runs a clinic on the building's upper floor and who also employs Peralta's mother, Rosa Hernandez, as an office manager.

Well, that doesn't look good, does it? There's more to the story and Peralta may be in the clear here, but so far this gets a big "uh-oh."

In related news. today Peralta slammed Monserrate as "a liar and and abuser," referring to Monserrate's recent conviction for slashing his girlfriend's face with a broken glass.

Assemblyman Jose Peralta has unleashed his harshest criticism of his primary opponent, Sen. Hiram Monserrate, to date, calling his fellow Queens Democrat "a liar and an abuser." Peralta's attack came in response to Monserrate's appearance on NY1's "The Road to City Hall" last night - his first one-on-one interview since he was sentenced last week following his conviction in October on a misdemeanor charge of assaulting his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo. Peralta said he was "appalled and disgusted by what I heard and saw.

The Daily News' reliable Elizabeth Benjamin notes: "It's interesting that the assemblyman has chosen to ratchet up his criticism of his target on the same day the DN's Juan Gonzalez reported Peralta has directed some $500,000 worth of taxpayer funds to a nonprofit of dubious standing to which he has a personal connection."

Yup, that's interesting.

NOM Expands Lawsuit To Evade Maine's Financial Disclosure Law

NOM has expanded its lawsuit against Maine, now saying that not only should they not have to comply with financial disclosure laws regarding the source of funding for their ballot initiative campaigns, they should not have to disclose where they get the money they spend to support or oppose individual candidates.

The National Organization for Marriage says it hopes to influence next year's legislative and gubernatorial elections by letting voters know which candidates support or oppose gay marriage. Lawyers for NOM have filed an amended complaint in the U.S. District Court last week asking that it not be subjected to state laws requiring financial disclosures from its contributors. "We added additional claims that go beyond initiative campaign finance laws to campaign finance laws that deal with candidate elections because NOM would like to participate in state elections," says Jim Bopp, an attorney for the New Jersey-based National Organization for Marriage, which is fighting a ruling by the state Ethics Commission requiring the group to register as a political action committee, and to submit campaign finance reports for independent expenditures it made during the gay marriage campaign.

But Bopp says NOM wants the same First Amendment protections given to those who contribute money to elect or defeat candidates for state offices. "Right now the problem is that there are significant unconstitutional limits on participating in state elections that they have now brought to the attention of the federal court and are looking for a decision in early spring from the court regarding that." "We know the characteristic of Maine -- we come from a live-and-let-live state," says Betsy Smith of Equality Maine, the group that fought to preserve gay marriage in the state. Smith says NOM is going to be out of touch with Maine voters before it even tries to connect.

Meanwhile Fred Karger at Californians Against Hate reports that NOM may be under investigation from the tax evasion, news he received via a carefully worded email from the IRS. Via press release:

In an IRS letter recently received by Ben Katzenberg on behalf of Californians Against Hate (CLICK HERE), Sunita Lough, Director, EO Examinations said, “Thank you for the information you submitted regarding the National Organization for Marriage PAC New York. The Internal Revenue Service has an ongoing examination program to ensure that exempt organizations comply with the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code…. Internal Revenue Code section 6103 protects the privacy of tax returns and tax return information of all taxpayers. Therefore, we cannot disclose the status of any investigation.”

Karger has launched a legal defense fund to help pay for his inclusion in NOM's lawsuit to end financial disclosure requirements in California. Karger has been subpoenaed in the suit.

iTunes' Top Downloads For 2009

I'm usually more interested in Billboard's year-end charts, which include physical and download sales, but here's what sold best on iTunes. I recognize half of the most popular singles, which is pretty good for me these days.

Top-Selling Songs:

“Boom Boom Pow,” Black Eyed Peas
“Right Round,” Flo Rida
“Poker Face,” Lady GaGa
“I Gotta Feeling,” Black Eyed Peas
“Gives You Hell,” The All-American Rejects
“Just Dance,” Lady GaGa & Colby O’Donis
“Party in the U.S.A.,” Miley Cyrus
“The Climb,” Miley Cyrus
“Dead and Gone (feat. Justin Timberlake),” T.I.
“Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon

Top-Selling Albums:

Kings of Leon, “Only By the Night”
Various Artists, “Twilight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)”
Lady GaGa, “The Fame”
Taylor Swift, “Fearless”
Dave Matthews Band, “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King”
Michael Jackson, “The Essential Michael Jackson”
The Fray, “The Fray”
Jay-Z, “The Blueprint 3″
Eminem, “Relapse”
Black Eyed Peas, “The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)”

LGBT Activists Object To Ireland's Proposed Civil Unions Bill

Ireland's civil unions bill is set to sail through with little opposition. Except from some gay activists who says it doesn't go far enough.

Despite the fact that the bill represents a sea-change in Irish attitudes to sexual orientation, many have complained that it still allows some discrimination. “The bill is clearly a stepping stone but does not go far enough,” says political commentator and election adviser Robert Cassidy. “It has failed to address the rights of the child within a civil partnership as described with the bill and that is a major flaw.”

MarrigEquality, a group that argues for full recognition of same-sex marriages, complains that the bill in fact institutionalizes discrimination. “Civil partnership without the option to marry sends a clear message out to the public that the government do not consider gay and lesbian relationships to be equal,” says the organization’s director Moninne Griffith. Similar laws in the UK are set to be tested as a heterosexual couple, Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, have threatened to take the British government to the European Court of Human Rights after they were refused a civil union on the basis that only homosexual couples could be registered.

Nine other EU member countries have civil union laws, including the UK. Full marriage equality exists in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

MTV Gets Threats, Loses Advertiser Over Reality Show Jersey Shore

According to an unnamed "insider," Fox News is reporting that MTV has had to hire extra security for its Times Square headquarters after receiving threats about its "Guido" reality show, Jersey Shore.

After the show's Dec. 3 premiere, featuring cast members self-described as "guidos" and "guidettes," MTV staffers were reportedly the target of threats, according to Fox News.com. "The MTV building in Times Square was getting crazy threats and they are in the process of hiring more security [and] bodyguards," an insider revealed to Fox News. Those involved with the press for the show were particular targets — receiving threatening emails, abusive phone calls and even hurtful Facebook messages, says the insider. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for MTV responded to the rumors, but said everything was fine at their headquarters. He denied the insider's claim entirely, saying that the company "has not received any death threats."

MTV may be denying the threats, but an MTV staffer friend of mine mentioned them to me on Friday, long before this story broke. Dominos Pizza has pulled their ads from the series in response to complaints - others are being pressured to do the same.

Today In Deadly Products...

If you thought the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk was stupid, check this out.

It's the perfect accessory for the BlackBerry-meets-Bugaboo crowd. A gizmo called Texthook lets parents strap phones to the bars of their strollers so they can text and e-mail without missing a step. The company that makes them said about 100 of the $30 devices have been bought since they went on sale last week. Some parents out with their tots Tuesday worried that it was a hazard - to other pedestrians and to Junior being pushed down the street. "It is a stupid idea," said Aniya Wolanska, 35, pushing her infant daughter on Skillman Ave. in Sunnyside, Queens. "Too many people spend too much time texting. It's crazy. You should watch your kid. Not your phone." Tribeca lawyer Christine Magdo, 36, agreed. "We don't need to encourage texting while pushing the stroller," she said as she strollered with her 18-month-old son on Greenwich St. The Texthook box features a warning that tells buyers that "using your phone to talk/text/e-mail while in motion can result in injury."

OMG! A truck just hit my baby! SEND