Bill Cosby 3.0

BETTING ON THE BAD

‘American Idol’ Sanjaya, the teen with the bad voice, could be worth big bucks if he goes all the way

That hair. The deep, dark eyes. That awkward smile. And, oh, that long, pink tongue. No, we’re not talking about Gene Simmons. We’re talking about Sanjaya Malakar, the “American Idol” contestant who goes by his first name and has been turning heads for his surprisingly terrible stage presence and his girlish voice.

Let’s get one thing straight: Especially after Sanjaya’s recent performances, nobody in his or her right mind would say the kid can sing. Yet with the help of Howard Stern and the Web site Votefortheworst.com, Sanjaya has managed to sail into the top nine and coast through week after week of eliminations.

Wednesday night’s elimination was decided after press time, but Sanjaya performed Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” on Tuesday. While Sanjaya’s surprise showing in the reality escapade has wreaked havoc on the competition itself (Simon Cowell threatened to quit if Sanjaya wins), it has created intriguing betting options for fans interested in wagering on the outcome of the show.

Here in California, it’s not exactly easy to bet on “Idol.” Betting on sports is illegal, and no casinos are allowed to offer odds on entertainment events, either. Even books in Las Vegas are steering clear of “Idol” this year, largely because of how unpredictable the outcomes have been so far. Sanjaya, some say, is keeping them away.

Of course, you can bet online. A month ago, Internet betting sites such as Bodog.com and Bookmaker.com had Sanjaya as one of the biggest underdogs to take the crown, giving him nothing better than 66:1 odds. As of early this week, however, most sites were giving the 17-year-old from Federal Way, Wash., 25:1 odds, and were predicting that his stock might continue to rise.

Is Sanjaya a good bet? It’s a tough question, up there with queries about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the sexual orientation of Michael Jackson (who, by the way, is an idol of Sanjaya’s, according to the “American Idol” Web site). Calvin Ayre, chief executive of Bodog.com, put these wagers into context.

“He is definitely the dark horse of the group and has been since the beginning, yet he has still managed to find his way through every week,” Ayre said of Sanjaya. “His strong following has been enough to get him this far, and will most likely propel him through a few more rounds.” Ayre admitted that 25:1 odds on Sanjaya were “without a doubt tantalizing,” noting that a mere $50 wager would pay out $1,250 if Sanjaya were to take the crown.

Perhaps the smartest way to wager on this year’s “American Idol” is to approach it as a game of Omaha Hi-Lo, a variation of Texas Hold ‘Em poker where the best hand and worst hand split the pot. Take $100. Bet half on Melinda Doolittle (the favorite, at 4:5 odds), and the other half on Sanjaya. Barring an upset, you can’t go wrong.

VA Patient Has Wrong Testicle Removed

An Air Force veteran has filed a federal claim after an operation at a Veterans Administration hospital in which a healthy testicle was removed instead of a potentially cancerous one.

Benjamin Houghton, 47, was to have had his left testicle removed June 14 at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center because there was a chance it could harbor cancer cells. It also was atrophied and painful.

But doctors mistakenly removed the right testicle, according to medical records and the claim, which seeks $200,000 for future care and unspecified damages. He still hasn’t had the other testicle removed.

“At first I thought it was a joke,” Houghton told the Los Angeles Times. “Then I was shocked. I told them, ‘What do I do now?’”

Houghton, his wife, Monica, and their attorney, Dr. Susan Friery, said they hoped to get the VA’s attention by going public with the situation.

Dr. Dean Norman, chief of staff for the Greater Los Angeles VA system, has formally apologized to Houghton and his wife.

“We are making every attempt that we can to care for Mr. Houghton, but it’s in litigation, and that’s all we can tell you,” he said. The hospital changed practices as a result of the case, he added.

Britney with extra sauce

Gay couples allowed to have fairytale weddings

THE Walt Disney Company has changed its policy to allow same-sex couples to have a Fairy Tale Wedding.

The package runs mainly at its two US resorts and cruise line.

Disney previously allowed gay couples to organise their own weddings or commitment ceremonies at rented meeting rooms at the resorts, but had barred them from purchasing its Fairy Tale Wedding package and holding the event at locations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World set aside specifically for weddings.

“We are updating our Fairy Tale Wedding guidelines to include commitment ceremonies,” Disney Parks and Resorts spokesman Donn Walker said.

“This is consistent with our policy of creating a welcoming, respectful and inclusive environment for all of our guests.”

Mr Walker said the change was prompted by “an inquiry from a guest that asked about this service.”

Disney had allowed gay couples to take part in its vow renewals program but excluded them from buying wedding packages by requiring a valid marriage license from California or Florida, which do not permit or recognise gay marriages.

Last month, gay Website AfterElton.com criticised Disney for not allowing same-sex couples to participate in the Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons program.

Disney’s Fairy Tale Wedding packages start at $US8000 ($9791) and include a wedding planner, the ceremony, food and drink, flowers and table decorations.

The Lavish Wedding Option also includes a ride to the ceremony in the Cinderella coach, costumed trumpeters heralding the couple’s arrival, and attendance by Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters dressed in formal attire.

Disney has come under fire from religious conservatives, including the Southern Baptist Convention, who have accused the company of promoting a gay agenda.

The groups, which lifted an eight-year boycott of Disney in 2005, had criticised the company for such corporate policies as giving health benefits to same-sex partners of employees, allowing “Gay Day” celebrations at its theme parks and airing a prime-time television show on its ABC network featuring openly gay comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

“We are not in the business of making judgments about the lifestyle of our guests. We are in the hospitality business and our parks and resorts are open to everyone,” Mr Walker said.

Lily Allen’s Drunken Onstage Rant

A drunk Lily Allen lost it on stage last week.

British singer Lily Allen launched an astonishing drunken rant during a concert in San Diego, California, calling George W Bush an “a**hole” and claiming she is “probably bisexual”.

The 21-year-old turned angry after guzzling beer and cider onstage during her performance at the city’s House of Blues last week.

She said, “George Bush is an a**hole and a c**t” before directing her vitriol at Tony Blair.

Allen then claimed she was bisexual because she was sick of men with “tiny d**s”, reports British newspaper The Sun.

A concert-goer tells the newspaper, “Lily got really drunk on stage.

“She then started calling Bush names and the audience went a bit quiet. She also said that San Diego has the best crack whores she has ever seen and that she was thinking of becoming a lesbian.”

The singer has hinted she is considering quitting her US tour – an attempt to crack the lucrative Stateside market – because she’s bored. She writes on her MySpace page, “Is it really important to break America? I’m bored.”

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‘Out’ Ranks the Top 50 Gays; Anderson Is No. 2

When New York did a “Gay Life Now” issue in 2001, only seven of the forty prominent New York gays asked to pose for the cover were willing. Those big shots may have been gay, and they may have been out, but it just wouldn’t do for them to be gay and out on the cover of a magazine. “There was a time when the closet was a necessary safe haven,” our pal Maer Roshan, who edited the issue, wrote in an angry 2,000-word essay. “But now, it exists as an anachronistic monument to shame. It’s time for our public figures to stop hiding in there — and for journalists to stop helping them.” Six years and a month later, maybe at least that second part has come true. Here’s a first glimpse at the cover of Out magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America” issue. (Click here for a larger image.) Those are models holding Jodie Foster and Anderson Cooper masks on the cover. Neither, of course, would appear themselves.

1. David Geffen
2. Anderson Cooper
3. Ellen DeGeneres
4. Tim Gill
5. Barney Frank
6. Rosie O’Donnell
7. The New York Times Gay Mafia: Richard Berke, Ben Brantley, Frank Bruni, Stuart Elliott, Adam Nagourney, Stefano Tonchi, and Eric Wilson
8. Marc Jacobs
9. Andrew Tobias
10. Brian Graden
11. Jann Wenner
12. Andrew Sullivan
13. Suze Orman
14. Joe Solmonese
15. Fred Hochberg
16. Christine Quinn
17. Perez Hilton
18. Scott Rudin
19. John Aravosis
20. Sheila Kuehl
21. James B. Stewart
22. Nick Denton
23. Tom Ford
24. Nate Berkus
25. Adam Moss
26. Jim Nelson
27. Lorri L. Jean
28. Adam Rose
29. Annie Leibovitz
30. Simon Halls and Stephen Huvane
31. Bryan Lourd
32. Bryan Singer
33. Jonathan Burnham
34. Brian Swardstrom
35. Robert Greenblatt
36. Chi Chi LaRue
37. Dan Mathews
38. Neil Meron and Craig Zadan
39. Ingrid Sischy
40. Marc Cherry
41. Carolyn Strauss
42. Irshad Manji
43. Jodie Foster
44. Christine Vachon
45. André Leon Talley
46. Hilary Rosen
47. Matthew Marks
48. Benny Medina
49. Mitchell Gold
50. David Kuhn