1. A gay couple is threatening to sue the British government after being told they cannot get married because they are already in a civil partnership. The Guardian reports that Michael and Paul Atwal-Brice, who have been in a civil partnership since 2008, were told that they would have to dissolve their partnership--effectively getting a divorce--in order to marry. It seems that the British government has not worked out a mechanism to convert civil partnerships to marriages. To make matters worse, the only way to dissolve a civil partnership in the UK is on grounds of unreasonable behavior, two years' desertion, two year's separation (with the respondent's consent), or five years' separation (without consent). Same-sex couples can begin to tie the knot March 29.
2. Fox has ordered a pilot of Empire, a hip-hop drama written and directed by Lee Daniels. Deadline reports that Empire is "unique family drama set in the world of a hip-hop empire."
3. Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Derek Jacobi will star in an American adaptation of Vicious, a show about two aging gay men who have been together for 48 years. "Gay is rather taken for granted," says McKellen about the show. "It's just two real men surviving with all the problems that many people share."
4. The Advocate reports that Elton John wants to "introduce President Putin to some Russians who deserve to be heard." John also slammed Putin and his anti-gays laws and wrote in a statment, "I am absolutely clear from my own personal experience that it is proving deeply dangerous to the LGBT community and deeply divisive to Russian society. I would welcome the opportunity to introduce President Putin to some Russians who deserve to be heard, and who deserve to be treated in their own country with the same respect and warm welcome that I received on my last visit."
5. Tegan and Sara did a jingle for an Oreo commercial. That's the good-ish news. The bad news: Nabisco is releasing cookie dough and marshmallow crispy flavored Oreos. WHY, GOD, WHY?
6. Andrew Rannells, Jonathan Groff, Michael Musto, Michael Urie, Harvey Fierstein, and other show-biz greats have collaborated to create Love & Punishment, a YouTube musical which takes aim at Russia's anti-gay laws. It's pretty funny and for once the accents sound like something that resembles a Russian accent and not Boris and Natasha after a bender.
