It was like Kruger National Park for a short while at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. on Sunday afternoon when a wild deer from Rock Creek Park leapt over the zoo enclosure into the lion exhibit.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

While zoo visitors shrieked, the deer leapt around the enclosure, seeking safety in the moat.

NBC reports: "Zoo keepers got into the exhibit and were able to get the lions back inside the lion house. By that time, the deer had taken shelter behind a tree, according to Pamela Baker-Massan, a spokeswoman for the Zoo. Zoo police cleared visitors from the area and the zoo's vet staff went in, sedated the deer and took it to an animal hospital to be treated for injuries Baker-Massan called serious.. The whole ordeal lasted about 45 minutes, according to Baker-Massan, who said it's the first time she remembers a deer getting into a carnivore exhibit."

Watch the video, AFTER THE JUMP...

Part two:

"Supporters of gay rights have long been trying to change the tax treatment of health benefits provided by employers to the domestic partners of their employees. In effect, such benefits are now treated as taxable income for the employee, and the employer may owe payroll taxes on their fair-market value. Under the bill, such benefits would be tax-free, just like health benefits provided to the family of an employee married to a person of the opposite sex. Representative Jim McDermott, Democrat of Washington, who proposed the change, said it would 'correct a longstanding injustice, end a blatant inequity in the tax code and help make health care coverage more affordable for more Americans.' Joseph R. Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group, said federal tax law had not kept up with changes in the workplace. 'I meet people all the time who are gratified they work for companies that offer domestic partner benefits,' he said. 'But they pass on the benefits because they cannot afford the taxes that go with the benefits.'"

HRC Back Story makes note of several other LGBT-related provisions in the health care bill.

After passing the House on a 220-215 vote (chart) over the weekend, the bill now heads to the Senate where it faces as tough, if not tougher, a battle as it did in the House.

Levi and his johnson arrive in NYC for their close-ups.

Meeting Johnston at the airport was Playgirl consultant and NYC nightlife promoter Daniel Nardicio, whose conquest of Levi was detailed this week in The Daily Beast:

"At first, Nardicio hoped the photographer Terry Richardson (who is known for his oversaturated eroticized pictures) might be available to do the Johnston pictorial, but the assignment went to photographer Greg Weiner instead. Nardicio is particularly pleased with the serendipitous pun. 'His name is actually Greg Weiner!' he beams. 'That’s the funny thing.'

And Nardicio’s already begun scouting locations for Johnston’s shoot at locker rooms and ice hockey rinks, which was leaked to Gawker, earlier this week. Then, on Thursday, The New York Post's Page Six ran an item suggesting the boy from Alaska might be “worried about how his manhood may look” in such an chilly environment.

Nardicio says the story was 'total bullshit,' though he admits he hasn’t actually seen Johnston naked nor has he asked his representatives about the size of the goods. 'I don’t think it’s appropriate,' he says. 'I ask models [for a look], but they’re not famous. When they’re famous, I’m not going to worry about it. We wouldn’t turn away Levi if he had a small penis.'"

"Espada suggested linking the marriage bill, which Gov. David Paterson has put on the calendar for Tuesday's session, with the farm workers' rights bill that he (and the DN) have been championing for some time.

"Sen. Pedro Espada is linking the two, and I am writing to the governor, dismayed as I am that migrant workers is not on, and I think there's probably more support for that," the majority leader told me, lapsing into that rather odd habit he has of referring to himself in the third person.

For those trying to get a read on whether the marriage bill will come up for a vote Tuesday, this cannot come as good news. It seems to be that Espada is setting himself up with an out should the bill come to the floor - or, at the very least, an excuse for voting 'no'.

It's going to be touch and go on marriage until right up to the moment the Senate Democrats come into the chamber on Tuesday. In fact, it's possible they might simply gavel in and gavel out again without doing anything at all, depending on where negotiations stand.

Video of Espada, AFTER THE JUMP...

Recently...
VIDEO: Governor David Paterson Discusses Marriage Equality Bill [tr]

Espada Jr. Links Gay Marriage To Farm Workers' Rights from Elizabeth Benjamin on Vimeo.

Maggie Gallagher clucks to the Catholic News Agency over the bigot victory in Maine ,
AFTER THE JUMP...

New York Governor David Paterson has scheduled a special session of the state Senate for this Tuesday, November 10. Paterson has placed a marriage equality bill on the session's agenda.

Yesterday, Corey Johnson and I sat down with Paterson for an exclusive interview with Paterson in his office in Harlem to discuss that bill and ask him whether or not he believes action will actually take place on Tuesday, and what conversations he's had with Senate leadership that indicate it might be acted upon. We also ask him if he thinks Obama needs to take a stronger position on issues important to the gay and lesbian community like the ballot measure in Maine.

Watch the interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

Says Paterson of the marriage equality bill: "People who've lived together for 10, 20, 30 years are waiting, hoping that this legislation will pass while they still have the breath to elicit an 'I do' on the altar, and I think it's time that it happens, and if I have to see legislation fail so I can identify who voted against it to better persuade them, then I'll take that chance."

Of the bill's fate should Senators vote on it, Paterson says: "In this case, I have a feeling if it got on the floor it would be voted up."

Paterson also says people should see opportunity in defeats like the ballot measure in Maine: "I think there's this feeling that if legislation fails that it's this colossal loss for the cause. I find it to be motivational. I think that the public referendum in Maine should inspire us that there's more work to do, more persuasion to be made, more understanding to be reached, and more sensitivity to be displayed, and those of us who have been a catalyst for marriage equality have to regroup and work harder."

We also ask Paterson about the ads he posted on Friday which signal he's already begun his 2010 campaign for governor.

Watch the interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

NATHANIEL ROGERS

Nathaniel would live inside a movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

YOUR FEATURE PRESENTATION

You're barely a reel into Lee Daniel's Precious (based on the novel Push by Sapphire) before you begin to realize that maybe Job didn't have it so bad after all. Claireece "Precious" Jones is suffering. She's obese, she's a welfare mother of a disabled child, she's pregnant again, kicked out of high school, her parents abuse her, neighborhood kids taunt her. She's illiterate on top of that... as the twee incorrectly spelled opening credits foreshadow.

Before too long, though, "Precious" has enrolled in an alternate school for girls who are slipping through the cracks. She blossoms, as much as a continually trampled living thing can, under the guidance of a new teacher (Paula Patton). The further she steps away from her nightmare home life, the more she begins to see new possible futures. It's already hell at home but her abusive mentally ill mother Mary (Mo'Nique in an Oscar-winning performance... four months from now that is, just wait) is ready to drag her to the next circle when she realizes her meal ticket is transforming into a girl that might actually fly away.

Add a third party (Mariah Carey's weary social worker, miles from Glitter) to this tug of war for Claireece's soul, and you have an absolutely riveting drama. For all of the misery, the film is remarkably energizing.

Because Precious is so vividly felt, staged and acted (it's a sure fire Oscar contender) and because the tub-thumping for the movie comes from a bullseye as big as Oprah Winfrey, whose every recommendation seems to be treated with disdain in some corners (despite a track record  that's not entirely disdain-worthy... just hit and miss like anyone else's verbal thumbs up) reactions to Precious will undoubtedly be just as vividly delivered.

MORE on Precious and other films, AFTER THE JUMP...

It's true that there are many cracks in the artful construction of Precious. But like its heroine, beautifully played by first time screen actress Gabourey Sidibe, it proves unexpectedly resilient. It never breaks down while walking its risky path. At times out director Lee Daniels doesn't seem able to reign in his most flamboyant impulses -- a black and white Italian sequence. Really? -- but it's doubtful the film would work as well without Claireece's fantastical escapes from reality which manage to be moving and troubling simultaneously. The segments at school bring the film welcome humor and happiness, but Paula Patton's leans too hard on the saintliness of her lesbian teacher. But on the other hand, teachers who finally do reach students seem like angels to those students, don't they? Mo'Nique's frightening portrayal of an unstable mother is so effectively imagined and shaded that the actress sometimes threaten to dominate even the scenes she isn't in. But why shouldn't she? Claireece has been living under Mary's sickness and oppression all her life, why shouldn't her presence unbalance upset and threaten to topple the entire forward thrust of this character journey?

In a lesser film the parade of misery might also feel exploitative but there are few moments in Precious that aren't thoroughly suffused with the humanity. It's almost as if the movies blood sweat and tears are rushing in to seal up every crack or arguable stumble in the rough telling. Many moviegoers are about to fall hard for Precious's throbbing humanity and hard won optimism. Maybe you will, too.

Now we'll have to moodswing like Mary to finish this week's post...

Also Opening: Oscar-seeking Hal Holbrook (recently nominated for Into the Wild) and Ray McKinnon (Deadwood) are both terrific as two men warring over a farm in the well judged indie drama That Evening Sun; Cameron Diaz and James Mardsen must make a high concept movie choice in The Box. Should they press a button that kills a stranger in order to receive one million dollars? The things people will do in movies for a cool million. (Sleeping with Robert Redford for the money seems a lot less morally objectionable. Calling Demi Moore!); Jim Carrey gets Scrooged in the 257,392nd version of A Christmas Carol. How many have you seen? My question is one of medium: Jim Carrey's face is already inhumanly flexible...why does that face need the extra flexibility that animation provides?; The latest scary movie, The Fourth Kind, concerns alien abductions; and The Men Who Stare At Goats gathers a top tier male cast (George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey) for some snarky war games... jedi war games.

BONUS SCENES

"The Ten Gayest Freeze Frames From the Hannah Montana Movie"... Awww, cowboy twink.

Robert Pattison underwear? You go too far, Twilight. You go too far.

If you're into gay zombies (no judgments!) you can follow Bruce LaBruce's (Hustler White, The Raspberry Reich) wild shooting diaries from the ultra low budget LA Zombie, starring François Sagat, his undead horror/porn follow up to Otto, Or Up With Dead People.

When Pedro Met Penelope. The great director Pedro Almodóvar and Oscar winner Penélope Cruz have been making the rounds promoting Broken Embraces. More on their famous collaborative relationship at the NY Times.

Will Ninja Assassin make Rain, Korea's Justin Timberlake if you will, into a bigger star in the US? Surely he hopes so with those Vegas concerts coming up. 'are you gonna a bad boy / are you gonna be a bad bad boy?'

Remember when paparazzi caught Dolph Lundgren nude on the beach this summer? (nsfw) This week the 80s action star turned 52. I celebrated reminiscing about the years when he was always nekked. Like good action stars should be. Ah, Showdown In Little Tokyo.

Do you love bad movies? Thankfully there's lots of so-bad-it's-good appreciations on the internet. While I was in Little Tokyo, Stale Popcorn hilariously skewered Babs's self-aggrandizing fantasy The Mirror Has Two Faces this week. Read it and weep laugh.

You'll probably need to if you've just seen Precious.

Jon Hamm in high school.

What does Maine's marriage loss mean to California?

Vermont lawmaker relieved of masturbation charges: "Perkett said his review of the evidence found that Flanagan did engage in the conduct alleged — masturbation in open view inside a men’s fitness room at the YMCA — in late July but did not do so intentionally. 'I don’t believe beyond a reasonable doubt that he intentionally engaged in the conduct,' Perkett said. 'More importantly, I don’t believe I could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.'” 

UK man sentenced to six years in prison for targeting gay men on the internet with the intention to rob them.

Pastors planning to "incite hate crimes" to test Matthew Shepard Act?: "We're going to declare the whole counsel of God, including those parts that some may consider 'inciting a hate crime' to see if the attorney general is going to come down and arrest a group of peaceful clergy exercising their First Amendment rights."

Mariah shoots H.A.T.E.U. video.

 NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks out about cabbie who ejected gays for hugging: "I thought the taxi driver's behavior -- if it is as reported -- was a disgrace. Somebody's orientation has absolutely nothing to do with whether they can ride a taxi. That kind of attitude doesn't fit with what this city's become."

Just Jared interviews Alexander Skarsgard.

GYM sportsbar a hit in West Hollywood. "...a dedicated sports bar, where the audio and video are played simultaneously, is something most people haven't seen before, says Gym co-owner Rich Schmutzler: "When we first started, I got a lot of Scooby Doo faces, like, 'huh?' "

The National Organization for Marriage is short on cash.

An update on the anti-gay charges against NBA player Drew Gooden.

WATCH: Rihanna describes assault by Chris Brown on Good Morning America.

One of the enigmatic plumes on Saturn's moon Enceladus, shot as the Cassini probe made a pass about 120,000 miles over the moon.

Beyoncé at the EMAs.

Chelsea erotica shop putting massage on display tonight: "Manworks.com, the leading erotic male masseur listings company in New York City, will host a live erotic massage demonstration in the window of The Blue Chelsea, an erotica shop on 8th Avenue NYC on Friday, Nov 6th from 6pm-10pm. Every hour, a new male masseur will demonstrate the rubbing techniques he uses to calm and relax his clients."

Go-ahead given for Britain's first underground mansion.

Boyzone honored by UK gay rights group Stonewall: "The late singer and his Boyzone bandmates were hailed as entertainers of the year at the high-profile gay event. Mr Cowles fought back tears as he collected the award on behalf of the band – and received a standing ovation from the crowd. He said: 'Hi everyone, I'm Stephen's man, husband, whatever. You know what I mean. Thank you everyone for voting.' He said that the Irish group had always 'loved and supported' his husband in everything he did."

FILIPINO PRISONERS: They're back with a Queen medley.

WHEN - SOME SAY: New York Governor David Paterson launches reelection campaign.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

Although there were no transgender witnesses at yesterday's ENDA hearings, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) made sure transgender voices were heard. Retired U.S. Army Col. Diane Schroer and Earline Budd spoke at a press conference before the ENDA hearings yesterday. Officer Mike Carney spoke as well.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

In a scene identical to the one he used to punk Paula Abdul, Bruno degrades the gardeners by having them serve as furniture for a Pete Rose interview, and then rolls out the human sushi platter.

Abdul wisely fled the situation. Rose instead, sat and responded to the sushi offer: "The only problem it's all got hair with it. I don't eat hair."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

(clip nsfw)

Celebs and unknowns got ready for their close-ups in these shots from a forthcoming book by photographer John Russo called About Face. Russo used type 55 Polaroid film and used natural light.

More, AFTER THE JUMP...

According to the publisher:

Other Actors/Models/Athletes in the book include Ingo Rademacher (General Hospital), Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood, Summerland), Matthew Rhys (Brothers and Sisters), Jerry O’Connell (Crossing Jordan), Justin Chon (Twilight, New Moon), Justin Hartley (Smallville), Mark Wystrach (Passions), Gilles Marini (Sex and the City, Dancing with the Stars), James Tupper (Men In Trees, Mercy), Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives, 90210), Victor Webster (Mutant X, Days of our Lives), Andrew St. John (General Hospital), Brandon Beemer (The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives), Ethan Erickson (General Hospital, Fashion House), Will Tant (Model, Surfer), Antonio Sabato Jr. (My Antonio, General Hospital, The Bold & the Beautiful), Will Estes (American Dreams), Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ), Daniel Goddard (The Young & the Restless), Travis Van Winkle (Friday the 13th, Transformers), Mark Forster (Director; Quantum of Solace, The Kite Runner, Monster's Ball), Adrian Bellani (Passions), Michael Ealy (7 Pounds, ER), Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives), Clay Adler (Newport Harbor), Greg Rikaart (The Young & The Restless), Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2), Eric Dearborn (Bedazzled, All My Children), Enrique (Model: Versace Ad Campaign), Jan-Michael Gambill (Tennis Player), Daren Kagasoff (The Secret Life of the American Teenager), William Fichtner (Prison Break, The Dark Night, Crash)...

"Rep. DuWayne Bridges, R-Valley, said support is building among Republi­cans for a bill that would prohibit the use of tax dol­lars for domestic partner benefits. 'I don't think the univer­sity should waste money by making a liberal or politi­cally correct statement,' he said Thursday. The bill would be aimed at the University of Ala­bama at Birmingham, which last month began al­lowing employees to enroll domestic partners of either sex in its health insurance plan, with benefits begin­ning Jan. 1. UAB officials have said they need to offer domestic partner benefits so their medical school can compete with other top schools, which routinely do so."

Openly gay state rep. Patricia Todd spoke out against the Bridges plan: "We don't know how many gay, lesbian and transgender people there are in the country or even in Alabama, but we know that we're present and we make a contribution and we're not asking for any more or less than any other group of folks. We just want equality. Like it or not, Rep. Bridges, the world is chang­ing and people are accept­ing more diversity."

Writes Wieder: "Before I begin, I need to say that an earlier VERY rough draft of this piece accidentally got posted. That never should have happened and I apologize to anyone who saw it."

The magazine is now no longer a murder victim (What Killed the Advocate?) — but instead died a slow, and apparently painful death (The Not-So-Sudden Death of the Advocate).

At a press conference yesterday, Fort Worth police chief Jeff Halstead announced that a chapter was being closed in discussing investigations related to the June raid on the Rainbow Lounge:

"Speaking at a news conference across from the bar, chief Jeffrey Halstead acknowledged officers were overaggressive, creating an atmosphere of 'fear and confusion' in the bar. But he said none crossed the line in how they handled people or went into the bar because of its clientele. 'It was very clear from this inquiry that there was no malice or ill will on the part of any officers who entered the Rainbow Lounge,' he said."

In August, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission fired three agents for their participation in the raid. Halstead's discipline to the Fort Worth force can only be described as insulting to those targeted in the raid:

The Dallas Morning News:

Suspended for a variety of policy violations were Fort Worth police Sgt. R.M. Morris, and Officers K.Q. Gober and J.M. Back.

• Morris, who joined the force in 1995, received a one-day suspension for "poor judgment" in the way he conducted the bar check on the Rainbow Lounge. "The decision to utilize a total of nine law enforcement officers to check a newly established club was excessive," his suspension letter states. The investigation also found that he failed to follow procedures, such as checking liquor licenses or other permits.

• Gober, a nearly three-year veteran, received a one-day suspension after he arrested two bar patrons for public intoxication but failed to complete his police reports by the end of his shift. "This negative media attention could have been averted had Officer Gober completed the required offense report," his suspension letter states.

• Back, a nine-year veteran, received a three-day suspension after he arrested a bar patron for having a "drunk look," which does not meet requirements for a public intoxication arrest. Back released the patron to a friend after learning the friend was Fort Worth police employee. Back violated department policy by not issuing a citation to the patron before releasing him. "Officer Back’s conduct in releasing the patron gave the appearance of favoritism and that he did not have sufficient cause to arrest the person," his suspension letter states.

Watch Halstead's press conference, AFTER THE JUMP...