My good friend (and sometimes roving reporter) Darion is working with the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center on their 2009 Gala and Auction this year (which takes place THIS SATURDAY October 24) and would like me to pass along some great info about this year’s event. Up for auction at this year’s event are some very cool items and experiences including: 2 VIP Tickets to see Lady Gaga in concert with limo transportation to her LA concert along with a meet and greet with Lady Gaga herself, 2 Tickets to The Showgirl Must Go On in Las Vegas, NV plus a meet and greet with The Divine Miss M Bette Midler, A walk-on role on How I Met Your Mother with Neil Patrick Harris, a signed iPod by Kylie Minogue, a signed guitar from Maroon 5, 2 Tickets to any Columbia Pictures world Premiere in 2010 (where you can walk the red carpet like your favorite star), and MUCH MUCH MORE!

For me, the big prize has to be the chance to win a walk-on role on HBO’s True Blood:

All proceeds from the auction and ticket sales for the gala ball will go to the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center which provides advocacy work, seniors programs, empowering youth programs, life-saving health services and personal development courses for GLBT members of the community … which is an endeavor that I fully and wholeheartedly support. This year’s Gala & Auction promises to be a complete blast!!!

Click HERE to see the (thus far) confirmed list of celeb attendees, click HERE to see what other items/experiences are up for auction and click HERE to purchase YOUR tickets to attend the event this year. My love and respect goes out to Darion and everyone involved with this year’s event. It is my sincere hope that they are able to generate LOTS of revenue for the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. Woot!!

Yesterday tens of thousands of people made their way to Washington DC, our nation’s capitol, in order to take to the streets to demand of our government that equal rights in marriage, military service, immigration and more be extended to ALL citizens of the United States of America. David and I were lucky enough to attend yesterday’s historic march and were able to see first hand the action up close and personal. Here are are a few photos from the New York Times to give a taste of the event yesterday and some deets about what went down:

Tens of thousands of gay-rights activists marched Sunday in Washington to show President Obama and Congress that they are impatient with what they consider piecemeal progress and are ready to fight at the federal level for across-the-board equality, including for the right to marry and the right to serve in the military. Key votes on same-sex marriage are coming up in the District and Maine, and Obama reiterated his campaign promise Saturday to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that forces gay and lesbian members of the armed forces to keep their sexual orientation a secret. But organizers of the National Equality March and its participants said they want to shift the political effort toward seeking equality in all states, rather than accepting just local and state-level victories. “We’re not settling,” said Cleve Jones, co-chairman of the march and founder of the Names Project, the AIDS memorial quilt that recognizes Americans who have died from HIV- or AIDS-related causes. “There’s no such thing as a fraction of equality. We want equal protection under the law.” The march was coordinated by Equality Across America, a group formed this year. Organizers said they represent those who want immediate fundamental change in the legal status of gays, as opposed to those who think patience is needed as legal obstacles are overcome. Some in the latter group are political veterans, such as Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the highest-ranking openly gay political figure in the United States. Last week, Frank said he thought the march was “useless,” a remark that was attacked at the rally. “How many more tears should be shed before some politicians in a backroom can decide it is convenient to join us and fight for our freedom?” asked David Mixner, a longtime activist who spoke at the rally. Attendees expressed complicated feelings about Obama. Nearly every person interviewed said he or she had voted for him, but many people said they were disappointed by what they see as a lack of action on key gay-rights issues, such as letting gays serve openly in the military. Thousands of people marched from McPherson Square, a few blocks from the White House, down Pennsylvania Avenue, chanting “President Obama: Let mama marry mama!” and “L, G, B, T — We demand equality!” Marchers carried signs reading “We Won’t Wait for Full Equality” and “Mind Your Own Marriage.” Spectators watched from the street and the roof of the Newseum, many cheering the participants. As the march ended about 2:30 p.m., people gathered on Capitol Hill for a rally. Many supporters identified themselves as heterosexual, carrying signs with such slogans as “I’m Not Queer But I’m Here.” Organizers seemed surprised by the turnout.

It was a pretty fantastic day … being a part of it all … there are no words. As anyone who even remotely knows me, I’m not the kind of person who likes to get up at 5AM in order to walk around all day long — so it must’ve been a pretty important cause to get me active. But in all seriousness, I am so thankful that David pushed and planned for us to be at yesterday’s march. Walking the streets of Washington DC with so many other people united in the single push to demand equal treatment from our government was really an event I’ll remember for the rest of my life. After the jump, check out some of my personal photos and watch video of speakers Lady Gaga, Cynthia Nixon and Dustin Lance Black at the National Equality March yesterday …

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While Ryan Reynolds played guest host on last night’s ep of Saturday Night Live, Lady Gaga was tapped as the musical guest. But, Gaga’s appearance on SNL wasn’t relegated to just the musical portions of the show … she also participated in a couple of skits. For the long-running skit Deep House Dish, Gaga was joined by none other than Madonna for her portion of the skit:

While the skit wasn’t all that funny, particularly because it looked as if neither Gaga or Madonna were properly prepared to deliver their lines (it was clear that Madonna messed up a few times), I’m impressed that Madge deigned to participate in the skit. While it’s true that it’s not difficult for Madonna to want to be included in all the fun at all times, it was nice of her to play along with Lady Gaga and the rest of the SNL kids on last night’s ep. After the jump, check out the skit in full …

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Hmmm … it looks like Kanye West’s big mouth has finally hurt him where it matters most … in the wallet. As you may recall, Kanye very douchily stole the spotlight from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards last month as she tried to give her Best Female Video acceptance speech and set off a firestorm of controversy with pretty much everyone on the planet (even President Obama called Kanye a “jackass” over the matter). Normally, his asshole behavior (which tends to piss off people on a regular basis) is just excused away without his needing to face any consequences. Days after the VMA incident, it was announced that Kanye would be teaming up with Lady Gaga for a co-headlinging tour called Fame Kills. Late yesterday, Live Nation released a statement annoucning that the tour has been CANCELED without offering any explanation why. Today … we know why … according to TMZ, ticket sales for the Fame Kills Tour were so low that the concert promoter decided to cut their losses before the tour even got underway … and additionally Kanye and Gaga just couldn’t get along. I guess Kanye and his “colorful behavior” don’t sell like they used to:

If Kanye West doesn’t regret hijacking Taylor Swift, he will now — we’re told his concert tour with Lady Gaga was scrapped because ticket sales sucked. And “sucked” happens to be a nicer version of the word we were told. And not only that — our insiders say another factor in the cancellation was West and Gaga’s people were at each others throats like their last names were Gosselin. When it came down do it, we’re told Gaga decided she’d be better off playing smaller venues … and far from the headache caused by Kanye’s ever present drama.

LMAOO!! Finally … perhaps, just maybe, Kanye West will finally learn that being an asshole will actually make people dislike you. How else will he learn better behavior? I find it humorous that Gaga was just days ago defending Kanye’s douchey behavior and now we learn that she couldn’t stand him either … neither one of them sound very professional. I personally had ZERO interest in seeing this show so I have no personal stake in the matter … but I did want to pass along the info to highlight the fact that being an asshole DOES have its consequences. Do I think Kanye West will learn a lesson here? Not really … but there is always hope.

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Lady Gaga is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine. She graces the cover of the annual Hot List issue and was photographed by David LaChapelle … which totally makes sense since they both seem to have the same aesthetic for inventive, colorful and eye-catching images. Here is Gaga’s cover and a portion of her coverstory interview:

Watch out, Katy Perry: there’s a new princess of pop who kisses girls (for real), claims Marilyn Manson and Madonna as fans and is on the verge of becoming the defining pop star of the year. Lady Gaga struts the streets pants-less, has everyone from Weezer to Justin Timberlake singing her songs and has moved nearly 10 million digital singles — and now she’s on the cover of Rolling Stone’s annual Hot List. “I don’t feel like I look like the other perfect little pop singers,” she tells RS‘ Brian Hiatt in our new feature, on newsstands today. “I think I’m changing what people think is sexy.” Gaga is also changing what it means to be a 21st century pop star, and she’s doing it through 24 hours a day of work — she’s a walking Gaga art project known as much for her outrageous fashion sense as her Eighties-flavored dance hits. “The truth is, the psychotic woman that I truly am comes out when I’m not working,” she says (during Hiatt’s time with the star, she rocks a massive radio concert, takes advice from Cyndi Lauper at a photo shoot and suffers a brief breakdown at a Walmart.com taping). “When I’m not working, I go crazy” … “When they called and told me about [my cover], I nearly cried,” she tells us on the set. Lady Gaga’s devotion to being a star drove her to order bags of cocaine and spend hours perfecting her hair and makeup in a tiny Lower East Side apartment after she dropped out of NYU several years ago — well before she was actually famous. “It was quite sick,” she admits. “I suppose that’s where the vanity of the album came from.” Her debut, The Fame, was almost entirely inspired by her relationship with a heavy-metal drummer named Luke, and their breakup profoundly changed Gaga. She tells Hiatt she’s bisexual, but her attraction to women is purely physical. It’s an aspect of her sexuality that makes boyfriends “uncomfortable,” she says. Her sexuality proclivities don’t seem to offend Marilyn Manson, however, who lobbed a series of awful pickup lines at his new friend at our cover shoot (grab the issue to hear his worst). “She knows exactly what she’s doing,” he tells RS. “She’s very smart, she’s not selling out, she’s a great musician, she’s a great singer, and she’s laughing when she’s doing it, the same way that I am.” The savvy Gaga reveals her real musical goals are serious, though: “My true legacy will be the test of time, and whether I can sustain a space in pop culture and really make stuff that will have a genuine impact.”

I suppose it can finally be said that Lady Gaga has made it … that is, if you consider landing the cover of Rolling Stone magazine “making it” anymore. I, personally, am not the biggest fan. While I like some of her songs, I really do not like her album The Fame. She deffo has the skillz to write amazing pop songs (as she has done for other artists) but the songs she chose for her album aren’t that great, IMHO. I’m really looking forward to hearing what her second album is like … that will be the determiner for me if she really has the chops to have a serious career. I admire her need to look “different” but I feel that she tries way too hard to look “out there”. It doesn’t seem cool to me to be trying so hard. But, it’s her thing and she is running with it … good for her. Click HERE to watch a short behind-the-scenes video from her Rolling Stone photoshoot. As I said, I find Lady Gaga to be very talented … but, thus far, those talents have yet to speak to me in order to make me go ga-ga. What do you think … should Lady Gaga be the covergirl for Rolling Stone’s Hot Issue this year?

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Duffy and Kings of Leon were the big winners at the 2009 Brit Awards which were held at Earls Court in London, England last night bringing home a total of five awards between them. Coldplay, who were nominated for 4 awards, were the Brangelina of the awards show as they went home empty-handed. Sad. In happy news, Kylie Minogue played host to the Brits last night and, I understand, managed to do a pretty nice job … and also managed to show off 6 different outfits thruout the night … as should be expected from any respectable fashionista. Here are a few pics of some of the Brit award winners last night and some info on what went down last night:

Soul singer Duffy and US rockers King of Leon have triumphed at the Brit awards in London, taking five prizes between them in the biggest night of the year for British music. Elbow were named best British group, beating Coldplay whom they will support during a North American tour this year, while former The Jam front man Paul Weller was crowned best male solo artist. Rapper Kanye West was named best international male solo artist, Katy Perry won best international female solo artist and Iron Maiden — currently on a world tour — were crowned best British live act. Welsh singer-songwriter Duffy was close to tears as she accepted the award for best British album for “Rockferry”, the biggest selling debut album in the world last year and the winner of a Grammy earlier this month. “I can’t tell you what this means after five years, thank you so much,” the 24-year-old said. She was also named best British female solo artist and British breakthrough act, while Bernard Butler won the award for best British producer of the year for his work on “Rockferry”. Kings of Lean frontman Caleb Followill paid tribute to his British following as he received gongs for best international album for “Only by the Night” and best international group. The singer, whose band has enjoyed much greater success in Europe and Australia than in their native United States, said: “If it were not for England, Kings of Leon would not be a band… You created Kings of Leon, so good luck getting rid of us” … Pop group Girls Aloud won the award for best British single for “The Promise”, which was chosen by a live public vote on the night, prompting delighted bandmember Sarah Harding to exclaim: “It’s about time!” Girls Aloud, Duffy, Kings of Leon and boy band Take That all performed live, with Take That descending on the stage in a cloud of smoke and green lights to screams from adoring fans in the audience. Also on stage were the Pet Shop Boys, who won the Brit for outstanding contribution to music. Joined by Lady GaGa and Brandon Flowers from the Killers, they performed a medley of their best-known hits from “West End Girls” to “Always on My Mind”. Coldplay left empty-handed despite being nominated for four awards, apparently cold-shouldered by their home fans despite winning three Grammys this year.

HMMM … a shut-out for Coldplay. Could this be the beginning of the end for them? I am glad to hear that Duffy won so many awards. She is such a talent, I’m really pleased to know that real musicianship still matters at these award shows. I have yet to jump on the Kings of Leon bandwagon but I understand they are very popular with the kids these days. I might have to get their album to see what all the hubbub is about. While I wasn’t able to watch the Brit Awards myself, I did manage to watch a few of the live performances online. The Pet Shop Boys/Lady Gaga/Killers collabo was really very fun. After the jump, check out the mash-up performance of all of their biggest hits …

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Xtina Aguilera talks to the LA Times about her new Greatest Hits compilation Keeps Gettin’ Better: A Decade of Hits (which went on sale today exclusively in Target stores) and manages to talk about all the usual stuff (you know, all the Blah Blah Blah). Then the question about Lady Gaga comes up and the claims that she has been “copying” Gaga’s style and look … to which Xtina responds …

What do you say to those on the Internet who are hinting that you borrowed Lady Gaga’s look?

You know, that’s funny that you mention that. This person [Lady Gaga] was just brought to my attention not too long ago. I’m not quite sure who this person is, to be honest. I don’t know if it is a man or a woman. I just wasn’t sure. I really don’t spend any time on the Internet, so I guess I live a little under a rock in that respect.

LOLOLOLOL! Best.Answer.Ever. To be honest, I first thought that Lady Gaga was a man as well … she tends to hide behind big sunglasses and covers her head up with cowls — I guess I, too, assumed she was a drag queen. I now know that she is a real girl but, I guess I can’t fault Xtina for thinking the same thing that I thought. Who knows how Gaga will respond to this quote from Xtina but we may be witnessing the birth of a new celebrity feud, y’all. Pick your side now — Team Xtina or Team Gaga?

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