“When I heard [Barack Obama] speak about a gay person never having to sit outside the hospital room with their loved one sick inside, I burst into tears because so many people I care about are homosexual and it was profound to have someone be sensitive to that.” – Drew Barrymore explains why Barack will get her vote.

At a recent personal appearance, I advised young performers to trademark their name. This is one of the reasons I was able to buy my Web site from someone. If Kathy Griffin had this foresight, she wouldn’t have had to file a $100K lawsuit against the owners of kathygriffin.com, claiming they are reaping benefits from the unauthorized use of her name. Intriguingly enough, we hear that the owners of the site offered to sell it to Kathy this past summer for a paltry $3,500 (I paid only slightly less for my own name). Controversy follows Griffin wherever she goes – whether it’s online or in person. She’s also filed a complaint to stop her neighbors from building a wall and extension to their driveway. OY!

Although the new TV season is only weeks old, tongues are wagging about two shows in development for next year. Fox has revived the long-abandoned idea of a U.S. version of “Absolutely Fabulous.” What’s strange about this is that creator Jennifer Saunders previously stated that given the changes in the world economy, the premise would never work (a French version landed with a resounding thud). On the other hand, Saunders surely ain’t gonna turn down a check!

In more probable news, the idea of a “Will & Grace” spin-off has been revisited – likely due to the unemployment of Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes. Although the idea was discussed prior to “W&G” going off the air, the disaster that was “Joey” and the fact that Mullally had lined up a talk show put the kibosh on going forward. Now, the National Enquirer claims that NBC has put “Karen & Jack” in development. While some might scoff at such a dubious source, remember these are the same folks who told us all about John Edwards’ affair … to say nothing of the rumors regarding Sarah Palin’s liaison with her “first dude’s” former business partner. To date, no one has come forward to confirm or deny this project … which in this case may be a plus.

Margaret Cho was just named “Korean of the Year” by a leading Korean-American newspaper – which would probably be a bigger honor if I could think of another famous Korean … aside from Kim Jong-Il, who might have been the runner-up!

Ellen is again trying to play matchmaker, because pairing up Ryan Seacrest and Eva Mendes was such a success. Now she’s attempting to hook up the unlikely couple of Shemar Moore and Jennifer Aniston. You know, if you think about it, there is indeed a possible couple in this group …

Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels are waiting until after the election to wed. But they still haven’t made a donation to the fight to keep same-sex marriage legal in California. Hmm …

Lest you think no queer celebs have donated to fight Proposition 8 (the same-sex marriage ban), think again. Little TR Knight has stepped up with a check for $50K! This would be the equivalent of Melissa or Ellen giving about 5 billion. “Angels in America” writer Tony Kushner donated $15K, while Chelsea Handler gave $5K – or, as she’d call it, half a face lift!

Last week, Zac Efron was in London for the opening of the latest High School Musical flick when he was accosted by a middle-aged man. As Efron was leaving the Apollo Theatre, this guy lunged out of the crowd and tried to grab Zac’s hair – presumably the hair on his head!

The delectable Max von Essen (a former Mrs. Neil Patrick Harris, by the by) will headline the national tour of Xanadu. And, baby, he’ll look DAMN good in those shorts!

Cher and her Hell’s Angel boyfriend Tim Medvetz have broken up. Apparently, hanging around Vegas while the half breed watches her own holographic image onstage wasn’t particularly engaging for him.

A little birdie tells us that Liza is planning a return to Broadway as soon as this Christmas. The site will be the Palace Theatre, where her mom famously staged a comeback, and where Liza herself last appeared in 1999 with Minnelli on Minnelli. Although dates are not yet locked in, the theatre is slated to be dark once Legally Blonde closes next week.

Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino had such fun starring in Righteous Kill, they’d like to make another movie together – preferably a comedy in which they play sisters. Yes, my darlings, I said SISTERS! If they wait long enough, they could do a remake of Arsenic and Old Lace – or What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?!

Our “Ask Billy” question comes from Grant in Cleveland: “What do you know about Ryan Kwanten from ‘True Blood’. He’s smokin’ hot! Do you have any nudes? Since he’s always naked on the show, I’m hoping.”

I previously wrote about Ryan when he was on the short-lived “Summerland.” The Aussie was very popular in his homeland as a soap actor and quite a sex symbol – and, yes, we’ve got a fistful of nudes to share with you on my Web site. While he doesn’t appear to be of the homosexual persuasion, he’s quite fond of his gay fans. That may be one of the reasons he’s vowed to do whatever necessary to make “True Blood” a hit – including frequent and prolonged nudity. Sounds good to me! Intriguingly enough, while his ass was always quite delectable, it’s now taken on almost mythic proportions … to the point that I’m thinking of nicknaming it the Aussie Bum!

Continuing with what is fast turning into our nude reality star of the week, many of you have written in asking if the rumored nude photo of “Dallas” from “The Amazing Race” really exists. Yes it does, and yes we have it, and yes, it’s quite enormous. As the story goes, Dallas posted a nude photo more than a year ago on an amateur site and it mysteriously vanished – but not before someone with eagle eyes snatched it and dropped it in my inbox. I’m happy to post this pendulous penis on my site.

Could it be that a certain sexy stud in the city has been indulging in some same-sex sessions? And in his own home! Sure, he has a wife, but we’re told the two have separate bedrooms/separate lives. Plus the missus ain’t exactly his type – unless she has a penis I’m unaware of. Our most certainly believes variety is the spice of life, because his life is plenty spicy. And squeaky clean, too.

When Clooney is tanning with Tonto, it’s definitely time to end yet another column. Have I mentioned I too am headed for London? Oh, yes, it’s a whirlwind bit of business you will be able to read all about on my site, which you can link to at www.gaylesbiantimes.com/links/1086. Even though I’m becoming a global presence, I still have time for all my domestic readers. You can find my contact info there too, and I promise to get back to you before Zac’s pubic hair ends up on eBay! So, until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.