Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood has blasted former bandmate Rod Stewart as a changed man since he surrounded himself with "poofs".

Wood claims the Maggie May hitmaker has become "Hollywood-ified" since he left the '70s band The Faces, in which both performed in. Only recently, Stewart recently hinted there may be a Faces reunion, but Wood's rant may end that.

He says, "With all the years he has been stranded away from that group thing, he's been Hollywood-ified. He's got all this attention and all these poofs around him. He's lost the earthiness I know he still has inside."

Mark Wahlberg is glad filmmaker Ang Lee passed over him when he cast Brokeback Mountain, because the Oscar nominee was "a little creeped out" at the prospect of having to play a gay cowboy.

The Departed star reveals he and pal Joaquin Phoenix were originally considered for the roles of Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist in the 2005 film - but both felt uncomfortable about sex act scenes in a tent.

Wahlberg explains, "I met with Ang Lee on that movie, I read 15 pages of the script and got a little creeped out. It was very graphic, descriptive -- the spitting on the hand, getting ready to do the thing. I told Ang Lee, 'I like you, you're a talented guy, if you want to talk about it more...' Thankfully, he didn't."

Mark Wahlberg is glad filmmaker Ang Lee passed over him when he cast Brokeback Mountain....

Local and national gay rights groups are questioning Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy's decision to appear at a fundraising banquet this month for a group backing a proposed state ban on same-sex marriage.

The Indiana Family Institute, a conservative Christian group affiliated with Focus on the Family, plans to honor Dungy on March 20 with its "Friend of the Family" award at a banquet in suburban Carmel.

The Indiana Family Institute has been a leading supporter of a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between one man and one woman.

"I am a little disappointed in that I would think he would want to stay out of the political arena, and the family institute is a political organization," Kathy Sarris, president of the gay-rights advocacy group Indiana Equality Education Fund, told The Indianapolis Star for a story published Saturday.

Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of Outsports.com, an online sports publication geared toward gays, said the coach's willingness to appear at the banquet struck him as tantamount to endorsing its opposition to gay marriage.

"When you start helping groups like this raise money, it becomes problematic to me," Zeigler said. "Be very clear about this: Tony Dungy is raising money for this organization. He is the face of the event." The $75-per-person event is expected to draw nearly 700 people and raise more than $50,000, The Indianapolis Star reported.

[...]

Previous institute award winners include Focus on the Family co-founder Shirley Dobson; U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind.; and former federal independent counsel Kenneth Starr.

Tony Dungy is a deeply religious man who puts his faith first in his life, even above family and football. So his support of a proposed gay-marriage ban likely surprised few.

What was surprising is the Indianapolis Colts' quiet coach shared his position publicly, sparking discussion about the impact of the Super Bowl winner's comments.

[...]

Dungy said his comments should not be considered gay bashing. "We're not trying to downgrade anyone else. But we're trying to promote the family -- family values the Lord's way," Dungy said.

And the offensive remarks didn't stop there.

According to the Times Union, Richardson told a fan who heckled him early in Tuesday's game, "Shut the [expletive] up." And near game's end, he shouted at another heckler, "Shut the [expletive] up, you [derogatory term for gay men],"

Assistant Derrick Rowland will coach the Patroons for the reminder of the series. Richardson will not be allowed into the Washington Avenue Armory during practices or games.

"It's terrible and I don't think it's fair," Richardson told the Times Union regarding the suspension. "But I want to make an apology if I offended anyone because that's not me."

What? Was he having an out-of-body experience and his body was taken over by some Klansman when he was spewing this?

(Albany, New York) The Albany Patroons declined to renew the coaching contract of former NBA player Micheal Ray Richardson on Wednesday following his suspension for using a gay slur at heckling fans and controversy over allegedly anti-Semitic remarks.

...

However, Richardson's lawyer said the suspension for allegedly anti-Semitic and anti-gay remarks has put his client's entire career in jeopardy, including other coaching opportunities.

``Now all the sudden he gets his contract canceled,'' attorney John Aretakis said.

Richardson had been expected to coach for Coyne in the upcoming U.S. Basketball League season that starts in a few weeks, and that's not happening either, he said.

Last spring, Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy—who had recently become the first black coach to win a Super Bowl—was criticized for appearing at fundraiser for a conservative Christian group that opposed gay rights and same-sex marriage.

During the off-season, Dungy's appearances with the Christian right-wing are attracting less attention. Recently the coach sat down for a three-part interview with Dr. James Dobson, the rabidly anti-gay founder of the Focus on the Family. "I've always listened to your show," the coach tells the right-wing demagogue, explaining that he has listened since the 1980s.

Dobson was so impressed with Dungy's devotion to the Focus on the Family that he promised to "set [him] up with an iPod and all of our shows."

"I apologize to anyone who was offended," he went on. "Everyone who knows me understands that I hold no prejudices in this regard. In the family atmosphere of the telethon, I forget that not everyone knows me that well.

"That something like this would distract from the true purpose of the telethon pains me deeply. ... I accept responsibility for what I said. There are no excuses," he said.

West says, "It's like what if your drawbacks ended up being your superpower? I've always had an issue with masculinity. I'm like, 'I hope this person isn't looking at me like I'm a f**got 'cause I have some feminine ways.'