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Seven Years And Change: Saying Goodbye To The BRIEFS

All good things must come to an end.

Here is last week's caption pic winner.

Thanks to everyone for participating! The winner is ...

"When I asked Michael to nibble on my ear, I had no idea he would take it to the next level."

Thanks to rorynow for this week's winning caption!


Here's The Weekly ShoutOUT™. Each week we're going to focus on one out athlete/performer and feature a daily pic and career timeline. We'll be showcasing the big names, but also the lesser-known gay and bisexual celebs who deserve more recognition.

This week our 164th ShoutOUT™ is to ... Wesley Taylor.

Closing out our week with Wesley, how about some ... SKIVVIES!


Most Briefs lists involve the "best" or "greatest" of something, so for a change let's switch it up, as Evil Snicks brings you The 30 Worst Music Videos Of All Time.

You'll see debacles from major musical artists, as well as a few Youtube "stars." Sure, it's really easy to pick on desperate wannabes. It's fun, too. But it proves that terrible can run the gamut from multi-million dollar productions to, well, a certain video named after a day of the week. You know the one.

At #1 is "Into The Night" by Benny Mardones.

Here's the thing about "Into The Night." If it wasn't for that ultra-creepy opening line, it would be one of the classic ballads of the 80's, and in fact was a hit twice, first peaking at #11 in 1980 and then reaching #20 when it was re-released in 1989. But when a middle-aged man sings "She's just 16 years old, leave her alone they said,' it takes it to another To Catch a Predator level.

That feeling is magnified a thousand times by the insane music video, which is so cringe-inducing and ... wrong ... it easily wins this crown.


Congrats to dostka, who guessed that yesterday's Pixuzzle™ © ® was Small Wonder.


When I started writing for AfterElton (before it was renamed TheBacklot, and later merged into NewNowNext) back in 2008, there was no "Briefs." The closest we had was something called "AfterElton Snapshot," which was a Friday column that featured links to all of the stories of the week plus a caption photo.

The Briefs were started later that year, with a revolving roster of writers, including myself, Michael Jensen, Brian Juergens, Dennis Ayers, and Ed Kennedy. I took over the Briefs full time in 2009, and when the "Snapshot" ended, decide to incorporate the weekly caption into the Friday edition.

Over the years, I added other elements to the Briefs, including the birthday roundup, the brain-scrambling (for some of you) Pixuzzle™, and over three years ago I started the weekly ShoutOUT™, paying tribute to out artists. Oh, and then there were the lists. Many, many lists, which caused some spirited debate, with some readers casting doubts on my taste level ... and sanity.

But it was all in good fun. And that's what I've tried to do with the Briefs over the last seven years. I tried to provide a little corner of the internet where you could read about the gay news of the day while enjoying some bells and whistles. And maybe a hot guy in underwear.

Ben Cohen, my all time favorite Briefs Guy.

But all good things must come to an end, and this is the last edition of the Briefs. I'd like to thank Brian Juergens (who hired me way back when. What were you thinking?), Michael Jensen and Brent Hartinger (who both showed infinite patience when I awkwardly started out), Dennis Ayers (who was a calming presence in rough waters), my colleagues Ed Kennedy and Lyle Masaki (love you guys!), and Dan Avery, for letting the Briefs continue on NewNowNext.

But most of all, I'd like to thank the readers, for sticking around through changes and upheavals, and my obsessions with Matt Bomer and Colton Haynes (seriously, now he comes out?). I know many of you have been there from the beginning, and it's been your support and love that made the Briefs what it was.

But I'm still here! The Briefs are going away, but I'll still be contributing to NewNowNext (hopefully frequently), so look for my byline (especially when the gays come back to roost on Days of Our Lives). And you can always find me on Twitter and Facebook, so drop in and say hi.

I'll leave you with these wise words ...

"And the days go by like a strand in the wind. In the web that is my own, I begin again."

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