Happy Holidays! How quickly can you solve this festive puzzle?
Move the pieces around with your mouse — they will snap together when in the right place. How fast can you complete this puzzle? Click here to view the completed pic.
You can find previous puzzles here.
Watch a joyous holiday celebration filled with love and laughter. Or you can join us as we Liveblog Days Of Our Lives at 1 PM ET!
Twas Christmas in Salem, and all through town square
Lies were unwrapped, and secrets laid bare
Sonny and Will, with passions inflamed
Both sharing the love, that dare not speak its name
With drama ahead, both must travail
Look on the bright side ... Hey, it's not Oakdale.
Ed will have a regular Meme Thursday and Friday, but in the meantime, here are a couple of newsy items you may find of interest.
Hollywood has lost two beloved actors. Jack Klugman (90), and Charles Durning (89) passed away over the Holiday.
It looks like Les Miserables is going to be the Holiday winner at the box office,
In shocking news, actually "Holiday Miracle" may be more apropos, It appears that the resurrections of All My Children and One Life To Live may, after all ... be happening.
Gay Avengers Will and SonnyHulkling and Wiccan have a snogging session.
Okay, your turn. We'd love to hear how your holiday went. Was Santa good to you this year? Which relative got drunk and made of fool of himself? Or was it ... you? Share your stories with us!
Christmas in Salem continues. Will we see Sonny and Will unwrap their packages? Join us for the merriment at 1 PM ET!
Happy holidays, AE readers! 2012 was a big year for us, and I'd like to take a moment and thank all of our community members who contribute to the discussion and make the AfterElton comment sections such a welcoming, witty and smart place to hang out. So thanks guys!
Now, if you're one of the many thousands of lurkers who just never got around to registering, why not make 2013 the year you get actively involved at AfterElton? We want to hear from you, so take a moment to sign up for an account so you can post comments and start forum topics of your own!
Now on to the subject at hand: 2012's most popular posts. We get a lot of questions about our content mix: why we choose to write so much about Glee for instance, or our seeming preoccupation with Teen Wolf, or why hot, youthful shirtless celebrities always seem to be so prominently featured when arguably more worthy, average looking mortals get so little attention. Well, the answer comes clear when you look at this list. These twenty features, in ascending order of popularity drew the most unique visitors to our site. Together, they accounted for roughly a third of our overall monthly visitor traffic for the year.
In July, we nabbed the handsome young Hawaiian actor who plays Teen Wolf's gay lacrosse player for an interview and extended photo spread.
Reality TV loves annoying gay guys, and so apparently do our readers. Some of the time. We ran down nine of the most annoying gay reality stars ever in this popular post.
This list had Kris Allen fans and Adam Lambert fans pitted against one another yet again. Can't we love both those guys? (And besides, Ace Young beat them both for top honors on this list.)
Back when it aired, our readers were very vocal about how much they disliked the cast of A-List: New York. And yet, surprise! Our exclusive photo spread with A-List's biggest bad boy was our 17th most popular piece of content this year.
Okay, how could this not be popular.
Get a hot So You Think You Can Dance alum out of his shirt and the people come running!
Back in June we ranked the Magic Mike star's most jaw-droppingly hot moments. You stopped by to gawk.
We took some flack for this one for not asking the actor about his personal life, but the interview still ranked as one of our most trafficked features.
Our Glee recaps always do well, but the one for episode 314 (the one where Dave Karofsky attempts suicide) made it all the way to #12 on our annual list of popular content.
Through the years, AfterElton has been criticized for not properly appreciating Maddona as a gay icon. We hope this definitive list, one of Louis Virtel's first features for the site, finally put that criticism to rest. It certainly attracted a large audience.
Winter is coming. But our readers would be happy to snuggle up with any of these fifteen fine fellows.
As soon as we had a look at the photos we knew we had something special with this one. We just wish we'd gotten Grant out of that hat for a couple shots.
Yet more Glee men making our most popular content list. And you wonder why we cover these guys so frequently!
We took a trip to the great white way for our annual round up of Broadway's most gorgeous men. Our readers were definitely along for the ride.
We published several photo galleries of hot athletes this year. The one that most captured our readers' imaginations was this great gallery of U.S. Olympic athletes.
We asked our readers to choose the TV characters nearest and dearest to their hearts. This exceedingly popular list was the result.
When you add together the nomination process, the voting (over 800,000 votes cast!) and the results announcement, the maiden voyage of our annual Hot in Hollywood poll was one of the biggest features of the year.
We turned to our readers to identify the greatest gay movies of all time. To almost everyone's surprise, Shelter beat out Brokeback as number one.
This was the sixth year for our massively popular Hot 100 poll. And this year, for the first time ever, we even hosted a live event in L.A. to celebrate the winners and raise awareness for the It Gets Better Project. An AfterElton feature can't get much bigger than that. And yet...
This one came out of nowhere. We heard from readers that EW.com had disqualified Teen Wolf's "Sterek" from their favorite TV couples poll because they weren't "canon", so we launched our own poll in response, pitting our readers' top 32 male slash pairings in a March Madness-style bracket tourney. There are A LOT OF SHIPPERS OUT THERE! After 4.7 million votes were cast, Sterek took home the crown... and we had a whole new appreciation for the online might of slash fandom.
And today's Briefs are brought to you by...
Olympian and Strictly Come Dancing winner Louis Smith is happy to be a gay icon, but wants all us gays to remember he's really, really straight. 
“As long as gay people can see the line, and that I fancy women, that’s fine. I don’t want to be put in a difficult, uncomfortable situation.” We'll try to control ourselves.
Jake Shears is thrilled his friend Anderson Cooper has finally come out. He also thinks that gay celebrities have a responsibility to come out. "I think gay celebrities at least have the responsibility to come out. It can be tricky though."
Buzzfeed has a list of seven states that they think could achieve marriage equality in 2013. Illinois, Delaware, Minnesota, Hawaii, New Jersey, Rhode Island and California are in play this year. I think Minnesota is a stretch – we didn't win the fight against a constitutional amendment by much, and assuming people don't want a giant permanent ban is a long way from deciding they're ready for equality.
The National Union o
f Students is warning colleges against naked calendars like the Warwick Rowing Club put out, saying (particularly women) could end up on porn sites. Isn't this stating the obvious? And much to my surprise, I'm not sure being naked online, particularly for charity, is going to be a life obstacle in the 21st century.
Lady Gaga has announced that celebrity photographer Terry Richardsonis making a movie about her called ARTPOP, which is also the title of her upcoming album.
In a little noticed policy change Mexico has lifted their ban on gay men donating blood, becoming the first nation in the Americas to do so. Now the ban focuses on conditions, like hepatitis and HIV status, rather than a class of people.
Sir Patrick Stewart still doesn't know much about his role in X-Men: Days of Future Past,
but he's thrilled about his costar. "I'm very happy that my lovely friend Ian McKellen is going to be with me. "I don’t know anyone else who is to be involved in the project. Maybe it’s just the two of us! "That would be a movie! Magneto and Xavier’s conversations…" I'd watch it.
A Maryland trolley company that offered wedding party transport is getting out of the business rather than accommodate same-sex couples. This was discovered when a straight man enquired about the service and was told it was ending, because the owner couldn't discriminate as a public accommodation as churches can. The straight man responded "It is your right to run your business any way you see fit, but let's be honest here, you drive a trolley up and down a street. Not exactly God's work."
Why do mirrors reverse left-right but not up-down? Have you ever thought about it? Because the answer may not be quite what you think.
Parrots have different tastes in music, just like people, but they all seem to hate dance music like Chemical Brothers and Prodigy.
I'm all for gun control (really, let's have a lot of it), but I think it's ridiculous that the D.C. police are investigating journalistDavid Gregory for holding up a large capacity clip on the air.
The Royal Mail is unveiling first class stamps with each of the elevenDoctors on them. Major enemies like the Daleks will adorn second class postage.
In the United States, we get less vacation time that almost any western nations, and we still don't take it. Personally, I don't have that problem, as I'm technically over on my vacation time for this year (but I only get two weeks).
Justice Sotomayorhas declined an emergency petition by Hobby Lobby to block the provision in the Affordable Care Act that requires employer plans to cover certain emergency contraception, like the morning after pill. The company is still able to take their lawsuit through the lower courts. This should serve as a reminder that Hobby Lobby is basically Chick-Fil-A for crafts, and you can spend your money elsewhere.
First, an announcement: These rings, and this marriage license belong to our former editors Michael Jensen and Brent Hartinger, who made it legal in Washington state this past Saturday. I want to wish them the absolute best in their marriage. It's been a long time coming.
Be sure to congratulate them on Twitter
Moving on, I remain fascinated by Blake Jenner's shoulders and arms. I should be so lucky to ever look half that good
And if we're talking hot bodies on guys, look at Suburgatory's Parker Young
As Ben Cohen said, "And proud of it!"
I still demand to see the new Teen Wolf Alphas without their shirts before signing off on this casting
Neil Patrick Harris says he was up until 2 AM assembling a table with trains for Gideon, who only wanted to play with a broom
All that Christmas prep completely wiped out David Burtka
Speaking of adorable gay families at Christmas, here's Alec Mapa's
How big does that chair have to be to make Gareth Thomas look so small?
Patrick Stewart is 72, and still hot
Matt Doyle just titled this "My boys" and I melted
My future ex-husband spent Christmas with a hairy guy
The latest Versace advertising campaign features a lot of male crotch.
Sometimes, you watch something and it just feels right. Operation Christmas Drop is an annual tradition, bringing much needed supplies to isolated islands in Micronesia. This is the way that the United States should be projecting strength around the world.
Google in real life. Honestly, I almost never have to invoke advanced search to find what I'm looking for.
There's a new trailer out for Spartacus: War of the Damned, and it promised all the manflesh and bloody kills you could possibly need. But does it give us the gay sex we've been wanting? Previous seasons have skimped on the graphic nature of the gay sex compared to the straight world, but at least it was there. Will they fulfill their promise in their final season? Only time will tell.
When First Lady Michele Obama went to a children's hospital to read Twas the Night Before Christmas, she got upstaged before she even started by Bo, who is competing with a very likeable family for attention, and possibly winning.
Cougar Town has moved to cable, which means they have fewer restrictions on what they can show on the air. If this video is any indication, it might be worth watching to see what Josh Hopkins gets up to.
When two guys get married, there are inevitably a lot of questions about the logistics, like who proposed. Adorable couple Billy and Pat just got engaged, and they're going to make a series of videos answering some of those questions as they prepare for their big day.
Teen Wolf has begun filming, which means Twin Alphas, makeup, costumes, and Sterek. I know that Tyler Posey and Dylan O'Brien are best friends in real life, but does that mean that Tyler has to stand between Dylan and Tyler Hoechlin all the time? And what did Hoechlin throw at Dylan's butt?
From the moment we first saw his memorable turn as anguished gay teen Rickie Vasquez on My So-Called Life, Wilson Cruz has been a wonderful representative for out actors, juggling a successful career with GLBT activism (he also gives a great interview, as we discovered last year.)
Wilson also happens to be one of the hottest male specimens alive, so we're paying tribute to him on his 39th birthday be presenting some of his hottest pecs pics. Enjoy, and thank you Wilson for the years of enjoyment you've given us.
Will Young wearing that damn scarf again.
And today's Briefs are brought to you by...
Matt Damon was a major Obama supporter in 2008, but has expressed his disappointment with the President over the last year. Still, he voted for him. 
“I assume there will be some Supreme Court appointments in this next term; that alone was reason to vote for him. I don’t think I said anything a lot of people weren’t thinking. It’s easier now more than ever in my life to feel the fix is in, the game is rigged and no matter how hard you work to change things, it just doesn’t matter.”
Not that the writing wasn't on the wall, but NBC has officially passed on Mockingbird Lane.
Is anyone else surprised that the most pirated movie of 2012 was teen party movie Project X?
I really encourage you to go read a straight actor's (reluctant) confession that he's still uncomfortable playing a gay man, a realization he came to while auditioning for a commercial for Logo, our parent company. It's incredibly honest and thoughtful.
Matt Doyle is one of the sweetest (and hottest) guys on Broadway, so I think it's wonderful that he had such a great 2012. “I had a lot of highlights this year! Meeting and falling in love with my boyfriend was a major highlight for me. Writing and releasing my second EP was incredible, as well. And of course, joining The Book of Mormon as Elder Price has been particularly amazing. It has been a really wonderful year. ”
Fontella Bass, singer of the 1965 hit "Rescue Me"has passed away. While I was raised on Motown, it still struck me that as soon as I saw the title, the song popped into my head, though I didn't know until that moment who sang it.
The Log Cabin Republicanstook out a full page ad in theNew York Times questioning the sincerity of possible Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel's apology concerning Ambassador Hormel, in addition to his stances on Israel and Iran. While I also question the sincerity of the apology, I frequently find myself questioning the sincerity of the Log Cabin Republicans.
You should absolutely check out these completely SFW pictures of nude dancers.
On paper, it's stunning that Apple CEO Tim Cooktook a nearly 99% pay cut to just over $4 million this year, until you understand that last year he made nearly $378 million if you included his restricted stock options he received when he was named to the top post. Is this because I've passed on the iPhone 5 upgrade?
Take a read at the NSFW account of a gay male escort's strangest encounter.
Scientists are having some success using MDMA to treat severe PTSD. It's not even an ongoing treatment, just three doses are necessary to alleviate the symptoms long term. Does this mean there's a chance of medical grade ecstasy coming back on the market?
The Baltimore Ravens Brendan Ayanbadejoestimates that maybe 3% of the NFL players are gay. That adds up to about 51 players. He also thinks the first player to come out publicly will be able to cash in big. " But I think the first person who comes out and says they are gay, everyone is going to write a book and do stories about them. They’re going to make a lot more money by saying they’re gay than by not saying they’re gay. But are we ready to hear that? Is that person going to be comfortable to do that? I don’t think 
they are right now because of society and the way things are."
The Ernest Hemingway Museum on Key West is occupied by 44 cats who have roamed freely until now (a terrifying thought). Now a judge has confirmed a ruling that the property must now be considered an animal exhibitor, which basically means it has to provide veterinary care for the animals just like a zoo.
During an interview with anti-gay pastor Rick Warren, Piers Morganproposed that the Bible be amended to allow for gay rights. Pastor Warren didn't like the idea. “Uh, no. Not a chance. What I believe is flawed is human opinion, because it constantly changes.”
Zachary Quinto and his kid
Glee's Alex Newell endorses this, and so do I
You can now get Warehouse 13 casts of Pete and Claudia. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed you can't play dress up with Pete
Rod 2.0 has some details on new web series Freefall, built around the lives of roommates Xavier, Trent and Cameron. The first episode starts off a bit slow (and extremely NSFW), but the second and the third episodes build nicely.
The news is a constant source of pain and drama most of the time, but then at certain magical moments, you can find something (frequently a mistake) that makes you laugh out loud. These are the best bloopers from the news in 2012.
Nasty Pig, purveyor of streetwear to porn stars and the men who love them, have started putting out videos called #iamNASTYPIG with different hot guys in their clothes. One was already pulled by YouTube for being too hot, but this one with Mark brings just enough heat. One day, three years of gym time from now, I hope to be able to put on something from Nasty Pig and not feel ridiculous.
It's cold here at the branch office of AfterElton.com, but nothing compared to the -41 in this video from Russia. Boiling water tossed off a seventh story balcony instantly turns to snow, which might be useful for a ski resort, but who wants to ski anywhere that it's -41?
I remain fascinated by Warm Bodies, the zombie pic with Nicholas Hoult, who wants nothing more than to not be a zombie. I don't see any way that this movie can actually be a box office hit, but it's something I really want to see, as the warped humor really resonates with me. These are the first four minutes of the movie so you can see why I it's not your typical zombie movie.
As Liz Strangepointed out in the comments to yesterday's Meme, Dan Feuerriegel, the actor playing Agron in Spartacus: War of the Damned, has a video up talking about the character's future, both in the army, and in his relationship. I sort of love how it's discussed, because never once is it called a gay relationship, but just a relationship like any other on the show.
Time for another one of those time-wasting yet hopelessly addictive online jigsaw puzzles! We're not going to give you any hints, but if you want to see the finished product then click here.
Move the pieces around with your mouse — they will snap together when in the right place. How fast can you complete this puzzle?
How can you root against this?
This week the designers have to create a ready-to-wear "wow" look while meeting a retail budget of $700 - $900. Their guest mentor and judge is Elie Tahari, who actually goes into the workroom with Joanna Coles to talk to the designers and assess their unfinished designs. It's the first time this season that the guest judge has entered the workroom, and I think it should happen more often, because it was one of the most affecting moments of the entire season. The designers learned his bootstrap backstory while receiving advice and encouragement about navigating the world of fashion.
The best moment of the show was when Anthony video chatted with close pal Matthew, who said he was giving up "Beer Night" at work to talk to him. But that's what best friends do for each other. And I'm glad My Sweet Anthony has someone to talk to until we can be together.
Not to be outdone, Ivy has a hilarious chat with ousted designer Casanova. "Oh my God, your head is huge!" That's what she said. No, really, that's what Ivy told Casanova. He tells her to be strong and she'll go far in the competition. I think he meant "farther than me."
Below you can see the designers discuss "Joshua's Temper," which has actually been muted compared to his regular season, but apparently is still a distraction.
Let's take a look at how each of the designers fared!
ANTHONY RYAN - Anthony won his fourth challenge, and for the first time in a while, I have no problem with his winning design. I thought what he did with the print was creative and the final look was eye-popping.
EMILIO - Bottom three, and this was dull, dull, dull, but I think it could be very easily be mass-produced, which was one of the challenges this week.
IVY - Well, they could only prolong the agony so long. After weeks of being in the bottom and scraping the barrel, Ivy is finally eliminated, but as many problems as this design had, I don't think it was the worst thing this week.
JOSHUA - That honor belongs to Joshua, who took a lovely fabric and turned it into Frankenstein's Monster. Not only did it, as Josh himself put it, "Look like she's got a dump in her butt," but her breasts look droopy, and the zipper in the back is cringe-inducing. But he narrowly missed elimination, and moves on.
ULI - Didn't she do a variation on this last week? No matter, because the judges loved the ... whiteness ... of it all, and she was a close second place.
So the top four are Anthony, Uli, Emilio, and Joshua. Anthony and Uli are destined for the final, but is there a chance Joshua could usurp Emilio for the final spot?
What did you think of this week's challenge?
Will has a crystal vision. But will he keep the vision to himself? Join us for the baby drama at 1 PM ET.
Here is last week's caption pic winner. This week's caption pic is at the bottom of the page.
Thanks to everyone for participating! The winner is ...
"Santa and the Ho Ho Hos prep for the 2013 I-Did-Rod."
Thanks to David for this week's winning caption!
And today's Briefs are brought to you by...
Here's your caption pic for this week. Drop your caption ideas in the comments (And please remember to keep the captions PG-13!)
Marriage equality has come to Maine, with the first couples being able to tie the knot on the spot as the state has no waiting period. 
Congratulations!
As most of us wait for Congress to avert the fiscal cliff they created that will raise most of our taxes $2,000/year, President Obama has signed an executive order giving a 0.5% raise to most federal workers, including Congress, who will see about $900 extra in their pockets next year.
I've never been much of a gym person until the past year, and now I'm an addict. But I've never experienced the gym in January when everyone tries out a resolution to get fit and things get crowded, and if this article is to believed, funny.
Fox News finds the media's support of marriage equality to be among the 10 Most Embarrassing Examples of Media Coverage in 2012. "Newsies looked like an aging cast of “Glee,” with almost every major news organization showing its support for gay marriage. CNN’s Anderson Cooper came out; ABC weather guy Sam 
Champion even married his boyfriend. But coverage isn’t just about rights, it’s about wrongs – “journalistic” attacks on Chick-fil-A, a shooting against a conservative organization that opposes gay marriage and more."
A father finds porn on his son's computer, wins father of the year with a note.
Mark Hundahl, the straight co-owner of gay magazine Frontiers, has passed away following a battle with cancer at the age of 62.
The Hobbitis set to win the weekend box office with another $32.5 million, crossing the $220 million barrier domestically. Les Miserables and Django Unchained are battling it out for second place with $28.5 million.
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoellerhas filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in the Prop 8 case saying that states should be allowed to discriminate in terms of marriage equality.
Russia has enacted a new law banning U.S. adoptions of Russian children. Nearly 1,000 children were adopted to the 
United States last year, and 52 adoptions were pending when the law was signed.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlosconi, convicted of tax fraud yet planning to run for office again next year, has agreed to pay his ex-wife $48 million/year in alimony.
At a dinner party recently, my friend David Mixner had a young man say that if we win marriage nationally, our fight for equality would essentially be over. That may be an exaggeration, but Mixner reflects on what that means to a man like himself, who has been fighting for equality in elections and marches for 66 years.
Troubled Terminator 3 star Nick Stahlwas arrested for lewd conduct in a private booth at an adult bookstore. I thought lewd conduct was what private booths at adult bookstores were for?
A new poll says that 52% of Americans believe that the Boy Scouts should be able to discriminate against gay scoutmasters.
The New Normal has landed in Israel with more of a shrug that it has in the United States (thanks, One Million Moms), and even has competition with home grown Moms & Dads, about a gay couple raising a child with a single woman. But the idea of having a family, any family, fits with life in Israel. Avner Bernheimer, the creator of the show, says his father accepted him when he came out, but he didn't feel it was genuine until he had a child. “I think it was easier for him to have a gay son with a grandchild."
One of the great differences in Brits and Americans can be seen in this fishing picture with the cast of Occululs. Doctor Who's Karen Gillan is in a onesie, while Katee Sackoff was rocking a bikini top.
The question is, who was dressed appropriately for the day?
Stars being ordinary: Sir Patrick Stewart with a snowblower
Ben Cohen has been going for runs after dark, making him easier to sneak up on
Cheyenne Jackson takes the train to D.C. for his show
Colton Haynes is staying beachfront in Sydney
Is Jane Lynch taking over every role on Glee as her latest evil scheme?
Allan tips us to this astonishing video 100 Faces by Benjamin Till, which shows us a cascade of people and what made their lives special in 2012, including out pop singer Joe McElddery.
Long before it was announced that evil snowmen were coming to the Christmas special of Doctor Who, The Doctor was already going to save Christmas with a decidedly friendlier group of snowmen, which is probably for the best, since this is actually puppet Doctor Who.
In this deleted scene from This Is 40, rocker Billie Joe Armstrong tries to pitch a new project to Paul Rudd, but proves to be one of the more difficult clients you'll ever encounter. And who knew success could be so empty?
We tend to think of giraffes as peaceful creatures, but they will fight to defend territory. And while I'm sure that serious wounds can happen from a giraffe fight, you have to admit that it really looks pretty comical, or perhaps like a Mia Michaels routine.
If you've seen The Avengers, you know the scene in the battle for New York when all the heroes come together. The problem is that they really didn't. They couldn't, since The Hulk and Iron Man are entirely CGI. So how did ILM create that monster? It was a lot more involved than you think.
Tuesday's Puzzlers provide a great mid-week distraction, and Friday's fiendish Puzzlers are a fun way to start the weekend, and now we're giving you a chance to start the new week right with our Sunday Puzzler, which gives you the chance to have it both ways!
Move the pieces around with your mouse — they will snap together when in the right place. How fast can you complete this puzzle? Click here to view the completed pic.
You can find previous puzzles here.
If not for Soledad O'Brien, this would be the only time I can watch CNN without yelling at the TV.
We're at the closing of the year and I hope you all make sure to stay safe in celebrating the transition to 2013.
Here's more reason to feel optimistic about One Life to Live and All My Children coming back — Soap Opera Digest reports that OLTL has found a showrunner while Vincent Irizarry has signed up for the AMC revival.
Okay, for a channel that has seemed to decide its theme involves documenting the worst of our society (when aliens discover earth and try to figure out what happened to humanity, TLC will become The Learning Channel again, teaching the aliens how it all went wrong), a show about married women who compete in beauty pageants doesn't sound so bad. Deadline reports that Pageant Wives will follow the usual TLC pattern of airing as a special/pilot with the potential for continuing as a series.
After disappointing in the ratings for two seasons, can The X-Factor be saved? TVLine has 12 suggestions to save the show. I've yet to keep up with The X-Factor through an entire season, so how does that advice ring for you, though I thought revealing the acts' ranking was an interesting step.
The most-pirated TV show in 2012 was Game of Thrones. Sounds about right.
In a column at the Daily Mail, Piers Morgan reacts to calls to deport him for using the rights granted in the First Amendment to criticize advocates of the Second Amendment, by saying he may leave the country if we don't change our gun laws. I hear the entire population of Britain is now dedicated to making sure Morgan does not have that excuse to return to their country.
Among the lessons of 2012, io9 declares that "the Lost era is over" with slow reveal dramas like The River and Awake failing to capture audiences' attention while Lost alums couldn't draw viewers to 666 Park Avenue and Alcatraz. On the other hand, How I Met Your Mother is still huge, so maybe audiences are still okay with a slow reveal if there are distracting punchlines.
Was 2012 the Year of the Backlash, as Hitfix's Alan Sepinwall suggests in this list of the year's biggest TV stories? (Or the year of hate-watching?) Shows like Smash, Girls and Newsroom were part of a familiar cycle where hype and praise led to viewers wondering what the big deal was. I'm bracing myself for the inevitable Downton Abbey backlash. (Then again, maybe the moment when that could have happened came and went when Julian Fellowes'Titanic bombed with little notice.)
Does a reception at the British Embassy make Downton Abbey the UK's biggest import since the Beatles, as Salon suggests? Its success certainly has been unexpected (when the show came up over Christmas Eve dinner, the phrase "surprised, I enjoy it so much" came up again and again) and huge.
Matt Lauer says he's been accosted on the street from Today viewers who blame him for Ann Curry's departure from the show.
A good number of Leverage fans came back for the series finale.
The Twlight Zone Marathon (Syfy) starting at 8:00 AM ET
It wouldn't be New Year's without Syfy turning things over to the mind of Rod Serling, and as usual the iconic episodes don't start until prime time with "Eye of the Beholder" at 7:30 followed by Agnes Moorehead in "The Invaders" at 8. The evening's episodes also includes "Where is Everybody,""To Serve Man,""Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and my favorite, "Living Doll."
Anderson Live (syndicated) Check local listings
Tamar Braxton joins Anderson for a New Year's Eve special that includes New Year's Resolutions and... er, a hidden camera investigation about people who clip their toenails in public.
Days of Our Lives (NBC) Check local listings
Ohboy, now Will is trying to keep secrets from Kate. Thankfully, Will's just freaking adorable when he nervously looks away from someone. Join us to catalog the cute moments when we liveblog the action starting at 1PM Eastern!
Portlandia Marathon (IFC) starting at 4:00 PM ET
If you're looking for some locally-sourced and responsibly produced resolution ideas, IFC is spending 24 hours in the land of trendy brunch spots, purple cabbage rehab, ultra-quirky musical acts and adorable mayoral assistants.
Live from Lincoln Center (PBS) Check local listings
PBS keeps its New Year's celebration highbrow with the New York Philharmonic's tribute to Marvin Hamlish, which will include performances by Megan Hilty, Audra McDonald and Raul Esparza.
New Year's Rockin' Eve Celebrates Dick Clark (ABC) 8:00 PM ET
ABC is basically turning over the night to Dick Clark Productions starting with this look back at Dick Clark's 40 years of ringing in the new year that includes performance highlights from Donna Summer, Culture Club, Toni Basil, Sonny & Cher, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. There are also new performances scheduled with Neon Trees and Carly Rae Jespen.
Primetime Rockin' Eve (ABC) 10:00 PM ET
ABC's primetime lineup's final hours include performances by The Wanted, Pitbull, Justin Bieber and Psy. I'm hoping that U.S. audiences are ready for K-pop rap that isn't "Gangnam Style" because I'm ready for a new single.
The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) 9:00 PM ET
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnel (MSNBC) 10:00 PM ET
MSNBC is ringing in the New Year with special year-end recap episodes of its prime time line-up. I'm keeping my figners crossed Rachel's got a cocktail-making segment or five. Meanwhile, the promos show that Steve Kornacki will be a part of The Last Word's party.
New Year's Eve Live (CNN) 10:00 PM ET
Prepare your jokes about Anderson Cooper playing the role of the straight man as the newly-out anchor returns for another year of cringing to Kathy Griffin for the best comedy duo on Times Square.
NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly (NBC) 10:00, 11:30 PM ET
Angela Kinsey joins Carson Daly to host a show that includes performances by Train (including "Imagine," maybe NBC will let them sing all of the lyrics?), The Voice winner Cassadee Pope, appearances by The Voice's judges and a look back at 2012's memorable musical performances.
Fox New Year's Eve (Fox) 11:00 PM ET
Fox celebrates another New Year's Eve from Vegas with performances by Lifehouse, Carmen Electra (wait, what year are we celebrating?) and X-Factor winner Tate Stevens.
All-American New Year (Fox News) 11:00 PM ET
Yeah, I can't imagine ruining a New Year's Eve by turning the channel to Fox News, but how much do you like Pat Benatar? She's scheduled to perform at this ridiculously-titled (it wouldn't be Fox News if they weren't implying there was something wrong with the competition) special with Neil Giraldo.
MTV's Club NYE (MTV) 11:00 PM ET
MTV turns New Year's to Snooki and JWOWW. I don't know what to think of that. (And if we're asking reality TV stars hosting gigs, can't we have more Jaymes Vaughn?) The Jersey Shore duo will be introducing performances by Ne-Yo, Rita Ora, Conor Maynad, Sean Kington and Ke$ha. At least you can wait to spot Pretty Little Liars hotties Keegan Allen and Tyler Blackburn.
Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve with Ryan Seacrest (ABC) 11:30 PM ET
For the big countdown, ABC has a performance by Taylor Swift. I guess we're going to play the "Which ex-boyfriend is this song about?" game from 2013's earliest moments.
The Eric Andre Show (Adult Swim) 11:30 PM ET
Adult Swim is getting into the New Year's special game with its surreal take on talk shows. Expect to see people playing Kevin Sorbo, Omarosa, Sebastian Bach and Demi Lovato. Maybe one of those will be the actual person and not an actor, but on Adult Swim's budget, that doesn't seem likely.
What will you be watching tonight? Please share in the comments!
Absolutely Fabulous Marathon (Logo) starting at 6:00 AM ET
Logo's got a pretty fabulous New Year's Day planned, that starts with four hours with Patsy and Edina, so make sure to save a bottle of Veuve Clicquot at your celebration.
Anderson Live (syndicated) Check local listings
The Wendy Williams Show (syndicated) Check local listings
New Year's Day brings a double-feature of Alan Cumming. I believe, that's a good omen for the year.
Charlie Sheen opened a bar in Mexico, so you knew it was going to be trouble from the beginning. 
And it was, as Charlie shouted"How we doing? ... Lying bunch of faggot assholes, how we doing?" Charlie tells TMZ 1) "I meant no ill will and intended to hurt no one and I apologize if I offended anyone." And 2) "I meant to say maggot but I have a lisp." Points for creativity?
VH1 pulls together a list of their Best Shipped Relationships of 2012, and Destiel, Wincest, Johnlock all made the cut, but of course the real winner was Sterek… and Vhelton, where our two Tumblrs fell in mad, passionate love with each other. Hey, Entertainment Weekly, you jelly?
Miley Cyrus has been a vocal advocate for gay rights and marriage equality, and she thinks her gay fans are her favorite, especially in London. "My favourite place to perform is London, because I have never seen more gay people in my whole life. 'When I go to London that's what it is. I feel like they are so much more open, much more than here in the US where they're feeling trapped, where it's like, 'Can I even say I believe in gay marriage? Can I say that my 
favourite fans are my gay fans?' Am I allowed to say that, because half of America is still against it? It's like, I just feel like when I go to Europe, I feel very free with my fan base."
Tens of thousands of idiots want Piers Morgan deported because he thinks we need to take a better look at the Second Amendment. But Morgan says that as his daughter reaches school age, he may deport himself if we don't get guns under control.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is reportedly set to appear in Illinois with Lt. Governor Sheila Simon to help lobby for marriage equality in the state.
In Chicago, Cardinal George is switching up his message against equality a bit, backing off the "Biblical teachings" argument in favor of "natural law." Then again, he's not an ethnologist, so I don't think he understands much about natural law, either.
Speaking of Illinois, President Obama has offered his spontaneous support for marriage equality in his home state. “While the president does not weigh in on every measure being considered by state legislatures, he believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect. As he has said, his personal view is that it’s wrong to prevent couples who are in loving, committed relationships, and want to marry, from doing so. Were the President still in the Illinois State Legislature, he would support this measure that would treat all Illinois couples equally.”
Bishop Gene Robinson is preparing to retire from the Episcopal Church, and while he's fond of his work in fighting for equality, he does love New Hampshire. "New Hampshire was the only place I wasn't 'the gay bishop' I was just 'the bishop.'"
Yahoo! Sports'Puck Daddy has issued his annual Alternative Hockey Awards, and singles out Patrick Burke's "You Can Play" initiative for honors.
But meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times talks about how professional gay athletes still feel unwelcome in the major team sports in the Unites States. Former Angels' outfielder Torii Hunter says it could divide a team. "For me, as a Christian 
… I will be uncomfortable because in all my teachings and all my learning, biblically, it's not right. It will be difficult and uncomfortable." Maybe it's a good thing you're a "former" player. Let the young, accepting guys make the rules. Plus, it isn't your church team, it's professional baseball, and you need to get over yourself.
It's a valid question: Who paid for theLog Cabin Republicans' full-page New York Times advertisement opposing Senator Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary? The group doesn't have those kind of finances. Did they sell out to other forces opposing Hagel and just brand it for themselves?
Awkward's Brett Davern wants to know if he's doing something wrong. I guess it depends on what he's actually doing
David Burtka goes tubing with Harper and Gideon in Montana
I didn't realize the skating show Gareth Thomas was doing was a team thing
Joel McHale in a sadly deleted scene from Ted (h/t Queerty)
Finally, my future ex-husband Russell Tovey is in NYC. Isn't there a meeting at the Logo mother ship I need to attend in person?
On his appearance on Meet the Press to push for a deal on the fiscal cliff, President Obama was asked if the comments from former Senator Chuck Hagel concerning out Ambassador Hormel disqualified him from office. The president notes the apology, and also how far the gay rights movement has come since the comments were made, which I can see as a valid point, assuming Hagel's current stances would fall in line with the times, but that's yet to be seen.
This gag reel from the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation provides a lot of laughs and silliness. Michael Dorn doesn't seem capable of keeping a straight face, insomuch as you can tell under the Klingon makeup.
The photograph of Marine Brandon Morgan wrapping himself around his boyfriend became one of the most iconic photographs of 2012. He sits down with the Lefew family to discuss what came after the kiss, and a lot of his journey that came before the kiss that made it possible. It's a long piece, but the end is well worth the time.
Buzzfeed has pulled together some of the most viral videos of 2012, and superimposed the best YouTube comments on top of them. You can learn a lot here, including the real reason that god made Neil Patrick Harris gay.
Does 2013 look like a promising one for LGBT entertainment sensations? My answer: Who knows, honestly? That's why we need to prepare a wish list, and fast. How can we know we're disappointed if we don't know what we want?
Here are 10 wishes for entertainment in 2013. Please add your own at the bottom, whether or not they pertain specifically to gay entertainers. Let's make this year count, starting with a triumph at the Grammys.
1. Frank Ocean runs off with Album of the Year.
There've been some meaningless Grammy moments, particularly for Album of the Year. Steely Dan's 2001 triumph comes to mind, as does Herbie Hancock's peculiar tribute to Joni Mitchell that earned top honors for 2008. But an Album of the Year win for Frank Ocean's Channel ORANGE would give the Grammys back a modicum of much-needed credibility: He's mainstream, but not an utter juggernaut. His music is fresh and meaningful. He's a critic's dream. He'd be the first openly gay artist ever to win Album of the Year (and I say that with no offense meant to rightful 1988 winner George Michael). Just do the right thing, ancient Grammy voters. You were on the right track with Arcade Fire in 2011.
2. For almost no reason, Sally Field wins a third Oscar.
I hate Oscar years when Best Supporting Actress is a foregone conclusion. By far, BSA is the best and most interesting category each year, and in 2013 it looks like we're stuck with a win for the acceptable, but incredibly cloying performance Anne Hathaway gave in Les Miserables. But here's something you probably haven't thought about: Sally Field is one of the few double Oscar winners who has no other nominations. (Hilary Swank and my girl Vivien Leigh are two other examples.) If Field won for Lincoln -- and she's certain to get a nomination -- she'd be the only three-time winner who has never lost on Oscar night. I'm perfectly fine with giving Norma Rae that honor, even if her performance as Mary Todd Lincoln is about as consequential as Helena Bonham Carter's work in The King's Speech. But even if the award isn't totally deserved, we can't forget that Sally was denied a nomination for her legendary shrieks in Soapdish. Vindication is necessary.
3. Adele does not win an Oscar for "Skyfall."
No to Adele winning an Oscar. No. No! First of all, "Skyfall" is the most uneventful James Bond anthem since "Tomorrow Never Dies," and the lyrics are opaque, generic, and laz(enb)y. Second, Adele has not done the groundwork to win an effing Oscar. This is not her "Let the River Run," and she is not Carly Simon. This is not "Into the West," and she is not Annie Lennox. She needs to wait at least three more years before she can blow our minds with a sexier, feistier Bond anthem. Then I will sign off on her Oscar credentials.
4. More gay sports memoirs about meth addiction!
Matthew Mitcham's bracing memoir Twists and Turns wasn't just a personal, revelatory memoir of addiction from one of the premier gay athletes; it's also full of insights about fame and public perception. "People kept remarking on how they were surprised that a gold medal and fame hadn't changed me. I always responded, 'Why would I change? Being me is the easiest person to be.'" the book says. "I was lying. It wasn't." There's something so interesting and -- if you'll pardon my callousness -- satisfying about knowing that a professional athlete can be as doggedly honest and introspective as any other writer, especially since cold steeliness is a big part of an athlete's work. We need more of these works. Billie Jean King, if you want to come clean about some insane meth that Bobby Riggs tried to woo you with, I'm more than happy to fire up my Kindle.
5. The Great Gatsby is hilarious.
I'm already done with Leo DiCaprio as the aloof Jay Gatsby. He's played this type before, and now one of the great literary characters of the 20th century is reduced to a smilier J. Edgar. Since I'm banking on the new adaptation (set for release in May) being a dud, I can only hope the movie is a big, unintentionally hilarious romp. Will Carey Mulligan's car accident feature cartoonish sound effects? Will Tobey Maguire be a nervous goon as Nick Carraway? I hope so. Knowing director Baz Luhrmann, the characters will sing a revamped version of "Roxanne" where everyone piles in a boat and cries, "You don't have to put out the green light."
6. HBO turns that "gay Girls" pilot into a series.
I'm still wondering what happened with HBO's promise to turn The Kids Are All Right into an hour-long show, but I've chosen to remain excited about their newest gay-centric project: a series about "a thirtysomething trio in San Francisco grappling with the complexities of life and the modern gay experience." Hell yes! With Brothers and Sisters showrunner David Marshall Grant on board, this could be fabulous. Personally, I hope all three men are flirty playboys and the show is called Shorttime Companion.
7. Azealia Banks takes over.
Rapper, songwriter, and "liquorice b*tch"Azealia Banks may be slightly pretentious, as she's invoked everything from Paris Is Burning to Crystal Waters to prove her pop culture mettle, but guess what? Pretension isn't unbearable when such a smart, fresh, LGBT-loving ingenue is spouting it. She floored me with her breakout single "212," her new EP Fantasea is fantastique, and the video for "1991" is a saucy gem. I'm raring for her first feature-length album to feature more naughty references to gayness than The Importance of Being Earnest. My one complaint: You'd think Ms. Banks would've realized that "212" rhymes with "To Wong Foo." Where's that spicy lyric?
8. Meryl fast-tracks that August: Osage County film adaptation.
Uh, hey, everyone: Do we get that August: Osage County movie starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis, and Margo Martindale this year? Production wrapped in November, so I'm assuming yes. Please, God, let this adaptation of Tracy Letts' epic play be more bearable than dud stage-to-screen works like Carnage. I'm really preparing myself to enjoy Julia Roberts, and you know I haven't done that since The Pelican Brief.
9. The demise of Partners only inspires more LGBT characters in multicam sitcoms
Partners had its perks: Michael Urie sold the hell out of subpar material, and the relationship between Urie and David Krumholtz's characters felt sincere and sweet. If the failed CBS sitcom proved anything, it's that there's plenty more material to mine in the world of gay TV characters. Since TV writers are often slaves to risk-averse executives, let's pray that the opportunity for gay leading roles in quaint multicamera shows isn't being taken away. We deserve great representation even in the hokiest of formats.
10. Ezra Miller plays gay again.
Did you love Ezra Miller in The Perks of Being a Wallflower? I sure did. An unusual and interesting character, and one perfectly realized by the queer actor. Though the gorgeous Miller has signed on for the new adaptation of Madame Bovary, I'm pining for him to find even more gay characters to embody. Hell, I'll write it. Call me, Ez!
What are your wishes? Throw 'em my way.
Is Will about to backtrack on his threat to tell the truth? Does he want to see us violently ill? Join us for the baby drama at 1 PM ET!
In case you didn't see it, here's Will's fever dream from Friday.
