Handpicked News: Gay Comic Character, Studio Lot to Get Rainbow, Larry King Wants to Marry Anderson Cooper…

Gay Comic Character to Get More Play Kevin Keller, the gay pal of Archie, Betty, and Veronica, is going to get more ink: Next year he’ll star in a monthly comic in which he becomes president of his Riverdale High School class, and the ongoing Life With Archieseries will delve into Kevin’s future — including his marriage. Kevin, who was introduced last year and has his own four-issue miniseries this summer, “has proven to be incredibly popular,” Jon Goldwater, co–chief executive of Archie Comics, told The New York Times. “We’re just so proud of the success of Kevin and the fact that he adds a new dynamic to Riverdale.”

Wizard of Oz Studio Lot to Get Rainbow As tribute to a far-off land heard of once in a lullaby, Sony Pictures plans to erect a
permanent 94-foot-tall rainbow sculpture by artist Tony Tasset on the Culver City, Calif., studio lot where The Wizard of Ozwas filmed over 70 years ago. The corporation received approval from the city in May to install the structure, which theCulver City Times reports “will be about nine stories high and span 188 feet,” near the studio’s Madison Avenue gate.                                                                                                                                                                    Larry King Wants to Marry Anderson Cooper Just weeks after Larry King recorded a public
service announcement in support of marriage equality in New York and posing for the famed No H8 campaign, the former TV host has become even more gay-friendly. According toGay.com, the 77-year-old King recently told GQmagazine that he would “marry Anderson Cooper” during a game of Fuck Marry Kill in an interview for the August issue.

Texas To Revisit Evolution Education Debate Under New Conservative Chairwoman AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas State Board of Education meets this week for the first time under its conservative new chairwoman appointed by Gov. Rick Perry and is expected to rekindle the debate over teaching evolution and the origin of life in public schools. Perry, who is considering a run for president and has embraced social conservatives in Texas, named Barbara Cargill chairwoman earlier this month. Cargill, a biology teacher considered to be one of the more conservative board members, disputes the theory of evolution and voted to require that the theory’s weaknesses be taught in classrooms.

Religious Freedom Key To Debate On Gay Marriages WASHINGTON (RNS) Senators wrestled with issues of faith and religious freedom on Wednesday (July 20) as they debated a new bill that would allow the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages. The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on the Respect for Marriage Act, which was sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and endorsed by the Obama administration.

Tags: Anderson Cooper, GQ, Kevin Keller, Larry King, Life With Archie, New York Times, Riverdale (Archie Comics), Tony Tasset