Jack Mackenroth unveils his new HIV/AIDS education campaign

Jack Mackenroth of Project Runway season 4 unveiled his new HIV/AIDS education campaign Monday night at the Gay Men's Health Crisis Fashion Forward benefit in New York City. Called "Living Positive by Design" and sponsored by Merck and Co., the initiative seeks to combat the stigmatization of people living with HIV, while encouraging them to have a positive outlook on life and manage their disease effectively. And Mackenroth, who's been HIV-positive for almost 20 years, is a well-suited spokesman for that message. "I'm happy to use the little bit of celebrity that I have to be a role model and show people that you can be infected and still have a successful life," he told The Advocate before the event, which was hosted by Tim Gunn and took place at Manhattan’s Skylight Studios. Later, in remarks before the crowd, he said, "I’m a living testament that you can do it." READ MORE

Controversy: L.A. Film Festival director, Richard Raddon donated money to Yes on 8

Los Angeles Film Festival director Richard Raddon turned up on the secretary of state's donation list as having given money to Yes on 8, backing the California ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage throughout the state. Movie City News blogger David Poland turned up the $1,500 donation Wednesday morning on the California secretary of state's website. Raddon is a Mormon and the producer of a number of independent films, including the Lili Taylor-Guy Pearce movie A Slipping-Down Life. Raddon has been with the festival since 2000. Film Independent made a statement to Poland, saying no employee can be fired for their religious affiliation.

California Supreme Court taking Prop. 8 lawsuits seriously: Report

The California Supreme Court has asked state Attorney General Jerry Brown to reply by Monday to lawsuits challenging the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage - a sign that the justices are taking the cases seriously and will not dispose of them quickly. Two groups of gay and lesbian couples and local governments led by the city of San Francisco filed the suits a day after the Nov. 4 election, when Proposition 8 passed with a 52 percent majority. They argue that the initiative, a state constitutional amendment, violates other provisions of the California Constitution by taking rights away from a historically persecuted minority group and stripping judges of their power to protect that group. The couples' suits contend that Prop. 8 makes such fundamental changes that it amounts to a constitutional revision, which can be placed on the ballot only by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature. Brown has said he will defend Prop. 8 in court while also supporting the legality of an estimated 18,000 weddings performed under the court's May 15 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. READ MORE

Officials: Hillary Clinton being considered for secretary of state

(Chicago) Sen. Hillary Clinton is among the candidates that President-elect Barack Obama is considering for secretary of state, according to two Democratic officials in close contact with the Obama transition team. Clinton, the former first lady who pushed Obama hard for the Democratic presidential nomination, was rumored to be a contender for the job last week, but the talk died down as party activists questioned whether she was best-suited to be the nation's top diplomat in an Obama administration. The talk resumed in Washington and elsewhere Thursday, a day after Obama named several former aides to President Bill Clinton to help run his transition effort. The two Democratic officials who spoke Thursday did so on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering Obama and his staff. Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines referred questions to the Obama transition team, which said it had no comment. Other people frequently mentioned for the State Department job are Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and New Mexico's Democratic governor, Bill Richardson.

• Obama resigns from U.S. Senate seat effective Sunday
• Patrick Sammon leaving Log Cabin Republicans
• Big Three carmakers line up for another bailout
• 5 lessons we hope Obama learned from Spider-man
• War crimes: The modern world's 10 most infamous cases
• Gay marriage may make California ballot again in 2010
• World leaders gather for financial crisis summit
• CEO of movie chain giant, Cinemark, gave $9,999 to Prop 8
• The economy of the 15 nations sharing the euro has slumped into recession
Miami Dolphins football player, Ricky Williams in touch with his 'feminine side'
I have always been a big fan of running back Ricky Williams (now with the Miami Dolphins) for years since he thanked all his fans “straight or gay” during an interview. He posed for a famous ESPN the Magazine cover when he was drafted by coach Mike Ditka of the New Orleans Saints wearing a wedding dress. READ MORE

Perry Moore's book Hero to be made into a TV series

Showtime announced that it is developing gay author Perry Moore's book Hero, the story of a young gay superhero, into a hour-long series for the network. Moore will be writing the script and will executive-produce the series along with his partner in business as well as life, Hunter Hill. The two are also collaborating with comic book legend Stan Lee and his Pow! Entertainment partner Gill Champion. Moore and Hill recently wrote, produced, and directed the film Lake City, starring Sissy Spacek, which will be in theaters later this month.

Has time run out for Prison Break?

Have the expert escapees of "Prison Break" broken into and out of their last hoosegow? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show's cast has been told that two additional episodes may be shot after production ends on the series' midseason finale. The trade paper speculates that those two episodes could be a resolution to the fourth year drama. "Prison Break" began production this week on what was intended to be its fall finale. That episode, set to air on Dec. 22, would be Episode 16 out of a 22 episode order for the season. FOX's disorienting midseason schedule, unveiled last week, said only that the remaining six episodes would be scheduled in the future.

The Hollywood Reporter story doesn't say for sure that the two extra hours would be a series conclusion (it uses the words "speculation is") and it notes that FOX hasn't committed to air the additional episodes at all. That means that the two hours, should they exist at all, might be a DVD bonus, or a two-hour telefilm aired next spring or fall. And it may, in fact, all be just "speculation." Another possibility would make the additional two hours a telefilm in the manner of "24: Redemption" and wouldn't necessarily preclude the production and airing of the remaining six episodes of this season. What we're saying is that until something's official, it's all just speculation.

One thing that isn't speculation is that ratings for "Prison Break"have dropped every season since its first. After averaging an already disappointing 8.2 million viewers last year, "Prison Break" has averaged only 6.4 million viewers through its first eight airings of this season.