Setoodeh argues that between Perez Hilton, Adam Lambert, Kurt on Glee, Marc on Ugly Betty and "the dozens of squealing contestants" on Projet Runway, it seems that one stereotype — "fey" — is the only kind of homosexuality represented. Back when Will & Grace, The L Word, and Queer Eye were on, there was a more multifaceted image of what it means to be gay. He adds:

Lesbians face a different problem. They are invariably played by gorgeous, curvy women straight out of a straight man's fantasy-Olivia Wilde on House, Sara Ramirez on Grey's Anatomy, Evan Rachel Wood on True Blood-and they're usually bisexual. How convenient.

Should we even be worried about fictional characters? Actually, yes: According to Setoodeh, "A survey by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation found that of the people who say their feelings toward gays and lesbians had become more favorable in the past five years, about one third credited that in part to characters they saw on TV."

While it's true that there have been serious setbacks — Maine and California reversing existing laws legalizing gay marriage — is toning it down the answer? Setoodeh says"maybe": "It's not that gay men and women should pretend to be straight, or file down all their fabulously spiky edges," he writes. "The key is balance."

What I don't like about this argument is that it makes being intolerant of gay people a problem for gay people. When really, if you're intolerant of gays, you're the one with the problem — and it's everyone's problem.

Kings Of Queens [Newsweek]

Answer: Dita Von Teese, née Heather Sweet. [WWD]

Like Springsteen and Franklin, Beyoncé was asked to sing for Barack Obama at inaugural events. But Frere-Jones wonders what the 27-year-old really brings to the table. Take, for instance, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)." Frere-Jones writes:

The whole thing is a bit off. The singer is out on the town, engaging her single lady friends and enjoying the attention of a new man. Why is she out on the town? Because her man didn’t "put a ring on it." But this is Sasha Fierce we’re talking about here. And what does Sasha want? Matrimony! When does she want it? Before "three good years" are up. "Single Ladies" is an infectious, crackling song and would be without fault if it weren’t the bearer of such dull advice. The wild R. & B. vampire Sasha is advocating marriage? What’s next, a sultry, R-rated defense of low-sodium soy sauce?

In addition, the Beyoncé ballad, "If I Were A Boy," tries to be all down-with-the-patriarchy, but, as Frere-Jones notes, "Destiny’s Child handled all this on 'Independent Women, Pt. 1,' and with a lot more verve."

While Beyoncé's alter-ego, Sasha Fierce, is actually quite tame, the singer did venture into bad-girl territory by playing Etta James in Cadillac Records. Frere-Jones sighs, "Why Knowles could not make her own record as spontaneous and magnetic [as her version of James] probably has something to do with the Knowles vision of Beyoncé’s fans and how much actual fierceness they can take." Of course, all eyes were on Beyoncé inauguration night, when she sang Etta James's "At Last" for the Obamas. And while other artists are "amazing," "awesome," or, yes, "fierce," Frere-Jones describes Beyoncé as "really good at being good." The question is: For a woman with so many number one songs under her belt, is "good" good enough?

The Queen: Beyoncé, At Last [The New Yorker]

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

[Answers: A. Aircraft carrier B. Tomahawk missile C. Patriot missile D. Scud missile E. Destroyer]

There. Don't you feel more osmositized already? Next time, I'll write you a little shopper's guide and try to explain which ones you can get in New York, and which you can only special-order from Russia.

Well, Honey, I Got News For You [TooHotForTNR]

Ms. Nomani has also told her editor at People that she will no longer write for the magazine. Bercovici talked to Larry Hackett, the managing editor of the weekly magazine, who says not covering something is not what the press does: "I don't know of any examples where the media unilaterally says 'We will not cover this because we feel it's invasive.' I just don't know of any case where that's happened and where it's worked out."

He continues: "I think the story she's going through is something we can cover responsibly, at least at this stage, without knowingly and unquestionably contributing to her mental illness." And today, People.com has a story called "The Britney Effect: The Impact a Year After Her Buzz Cut," which revisits the salon where the pop star shaved her head, as well as the tattoo parlor she visited after her buzz cut. Invasive? Maybe not. But newsworthy?

Britney Spears, Mental Illness and the Tabloids [Portƒolio]
The Britney Effect: The Impact a Year After Her Buzz Cut [People]

More facts: Britney's hospitalization on January 3 drove traffic to new heights on sites like PerezHilton.com and TMZ. "Britney is the most bankable celebrity out there right now, and she has been for the past year," says Francois Navarre, co-owner of photo agency x17 (the same agency that posted those photos of Britney menstruating through her underwear). Sometimes we get e-mails asking us to "Stop writing about Britney." And the truth is, we don't post about her as much as we could, were we so inclined. We include her in Dirt Bag and Midweek Madness, but she's rarely, if ever, the subject of a Snap Judgment (and it's not for a lack of photographs!). Honestly? It's tough to stay away from her: She's been a part of the American — nay, global — consciousness for a decade, and it would be disingenuous to pretend we're not interested in what she's doing, where she's going and what's happening to her, especially since her life is a whirlwind of monumental events: rehab, head-shaving, losing custody of her kids.

There are many revelations in the Blender story: Britney wanted to get implants at age 17 because, she told a publicist, "I work like a woman, everyone treats me like a woman, but I look like a girl." Additionally, her seemingly erratic behavior may just be born of never having been "normal" at all: Her record deal saved her parents from bankruptcy, but she never learned how to balance a checkbook or do things for herself. She's never kept regular hours, or had a nine-to-five job. She also has an impulsive personality. A former record label exec says of her 55-hour marriage to Jason Alexander: "She doesn't connect the dots sometimes. Everyone thinks you only do those things when you're drunk or you're high. Britney can do things like that stone-cold sober."

But is the attention she's getting from the media part of her demise, or the key to her salvation? When she's lost, gets a flat tire, or needs her gas pumped, it's often the paparazzi who step in — someone in one of the 15 cars that follow her at all times. She's not used to not having cameras around her. Even when she first got together with Kevin Federline, they taped each other constantly. In an interview that aired on their show Chaotic, she says: "I'm not really good with just really being intimate one-on-one, and I think it helped me to have a camera there, instead of it just being me and him." Watching her or not, she craves the attention, even if it's negative. Writes Gross in Blender:

Britney became the tabloids' wet dream by making herself the very image of a bad person. More than that: the worst person. There is, it seems, no limit to the number of things you can hate her for. She's irresponsible, lazy, selfish, arrogant, stupid, tacky, rich and so depraved as to look almost subhuman.

Ealier: Doth Not A Mentally-Ill Popstar Bleed?