Celebs Playing Celebs

We all know Johnny Depp loves his outlandish roles -- the sympathetic scissor-handed humanoid, the antisocial chocolatier, the murderous barber, the eyeliner-loving pirate (just to name a few) -- but wouldn’t we all agree, considering his character choices over nearly two decades, that he might be getting just a tad bit, well, predictable? Look, put Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka, Sweeney Todd and Jack Sparrow in a lineup, and identifying one from another becomes almost as difficult as distinguishing between La Toya and Janet Jackson.

"Idol" Without Paula: Would You Watch?

Paula Abdul is forever our girl, but it looks like her run on American Idol could be over. "Very sadly, it does not appear that she's going to be back on Idol," her manager David Sonenberg tells The Los Angeles Times.

Idol, which begins its ninth season in January, will begin auditioning singers in a couple of weeks, but the producers of the show have yet to reach out to Paula to discuss extending her contract, according to Sonenberg.

"La Mission" Explores Homophobia

Making its premiere at the New York Latino International Film Festival this month is Benjamin Bratt's new film, "La Mission."  In it, Bratt's character is on "a journey toward redemption through his struggle with violence and homophobia."  From the trailer below, Bratt's still hot as ever...

The Full Package: Jason Bateman

Contrary to popular belief, we queers aren't attracted just to gym bods and pretty faces. We're looking for it all -- intelligence, charm, heart, style, talent, accessibility and that unexplainable sumthin' sumthin' called the "X-factor" that makes our hearts go thump.

From the worlds of entertainment, art, sports, business, politics and other realms we've plucked the very few people who fit these criteria, and we present them to you through our weekly series "The Full Package."

Johnny Depp might have the in-your-face charisma, but Jason Bateman's got the effortless, good-guy magnetism. Matt Damon might have the megawatt smile, but Jason's got the irresistible, self-deprecating grin. Brad Pitt might make passionate statements about his belief in marriage equality, while Jason jokes unselfconsciously about how he can't help flirting with the gays. Steve Carell might be the unthreatening everyman you wouldn't mind introducing to your parents, and Matthew McCounaghey the gristly stud you'd want to meet at a cheap motel for a dirty, boozy romp, but Jason is the guy you fantasize about taking home at Thanksgiving so you two could sit side by side at the family table and then spend the long weekend bedded down together in your old room having the sex you used to only dream about.

Gale Harold Turns 40 -- Where Would Brian Be?

There are certain gay men who use their looks and sexual prowess to get them through life. You know the type, the guy who gets laid on near-daily basis, uses sex to get ahead at work, in social situations and even to screw over friends. But how much is sex the means to this end or is it just a way for them to mask some other void in their life? We can try to analyze it as much as possible, but the best way to see how it works is to look at a real-life example, or in this case, a made-for-TV example that comes close to real life.Ok, maybe not so much.

New Doc Examines Homoeroticism of Wrestling

Where do old wrestlers go?

I’m not talking about the flamboyant basic cableTV professional “entertainers” as portrayed by Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler."   I’m talking about the real athletes who grappled on the mat in high school and college.  Whatever happens to them?

Old baseball jocks can still play in middle-aged beer-leagues, ex-varsity football players can still openly toss around the pigskin and proudly recall “the big game” years later to anyone willing to listen, but what about adult males who still love the world’s oldest sport?

Did You See "Bruno?" Post Your Review Now

Controversy has surrounded Sacha Baron Cohen's new "gay" film "Bruno" ever since it went into production.

In the past few weeks, gay groups have become vocal, calling the film "homophobic" amongst other things.

Well, "Bruno" has now hit the theaters and we want to know what gay audiences think. Did you find it homophobic? Or was the hype overblown? Post your review in the comments section below.

Ashton Kutcher Promotes HIV Testing Via Twitter

I have been a long-time fan of Ashton Kutcher (who didn't love him as Kelso on That '70s Show?), but he pissed me off awhile back with his stupid Twitter rant about the construction going on at his neighbor's home. As you may recall, the actor was livid because the noise woke him up at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m. I remember thinking, "Uh, Ashton, a lot of people who have real jobs are up and out of the house at 7 a.m."

New York's International Cringefest

Because there's enough terribly earnest terrible theater in the world (which gays knowingly conceive, create, produce, and consume), it's a bit refreshing to know that fresh satire about this issue planned well in advance thanks to the International CringeFest '09. If Woody Allen and Larry David can enjoy wild success with that awkward and discomforting comedy, so can we!

Frameline33: The Wrap-Up (aka Outfest/QFest: The Pre-View)

Frameline33: The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival (aka "The biggest queer film festival on earth") is all over until next summer.

Here's our whirlwind overview of some of the highlights you'll be wanting to add to your Netflix queue in the coming year or be looking for at a queer film fest near you — especially if you live in Los Angeles (Outfest.org) or Philadelphia (QFest.com) where those ginormous LGBT film festivals kick off this weekend as well!