In an interview that aired last night on WCBS2, Golan Cipel (whose hotness was famously the downfall of everyone's fave Gay American, ex- NJ Gov. Jim McGreevey), refutes McGreevey's claim that the two shared an "immediate and intense and apparently reciprocated" attraction. According to Cipel, none of the softly lit, delicately scented, rapturous lovemaking that was like two souls being knit into one by the crochet hook of true, true love, uh, happened. Like, at all. In fact, he says he was sexually harassed. We find ourselves not caring so so much about who is right or wrong here and who is just trying to make a buck here. We just like comparing and contrasting the two accounts of that first encounter.

Today, Rush & Molloy reprinted this sparkly gem from Lance Bass armcandy Reichen Lehmkuhl's "erotically charged" memoir, Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the US Air Force (We smell book club potential!)

It's probably just the five-year-old in us, but we can't help finding "back story" and "push hard" in the context of the New Jersey gay marriage story incredibly hilarious. In any event, as part of its coverage of yesterday's Supreme Court decision, the Times has the inevitable "but would Gay American Jim McGreevey get married?" piece. The former governor says that he would, and offers some thoughtful discussion about what the ruling will mean for young people. He also apologizes for opposing same-sex marriage while he was in office, saying "I only wish I had had the fortitude to embrace this basic right when I was governor."

Gay American, former Jersey governor and current press whore Jim McGreevey kicked off his whirlwind talk show tour yesterday by submitting to a wildly awkward chat with Oprah yesterday (stunningly liveblogged by the Grey Lady — just scroll down), during which he actually read aloud our favorite passage from his memoir, The Confession. The utter lack of emotion as he reads of "a boastful, passionate, whispering, masculine kind of love" is the kind of audio you want to listen to alone, in a darkened room, with nothing but tissue and lotion. It's is followed by a sheepish eyeroll, which is almost as priceless as the seven second pause he takes before telling Oprah that making love to his wife "was special." Good to choose those banal words carefully, though we'd guess his wife would disagree.

This is just a brief transition from one segment of a morning show to another, but the sheer confluence of themes near and dear to Gawker's heart practically made our heads explode. We hit the trifecta!

Despite Gay American and former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey's claims to the contrary, which are detailed at length in his forthcoming memoir, former McGreevey aide Golan Cipel insists that he never had a relationship with McGreevey, nor did he ever attempt to blackmail the then-governor. In an interview from Israel, Cipel said, "I was not his lover. I've never met a liar like Jim McGreevey. Cipel then added:

It's your rainy Friday morning gay porn fix, courtesy of Gay American and former Jersey governor Jim McGreevey! In his memoir The Confession, McGreevey writes of bedding Golan Cipel, the man who would eventually attempt to blackmail him, while his wife was in the hospital after delivering their daughter via Caesarean; we'll present this excerpt without comment, as its beauty speaks for itself:

This afternoon gay American - and former New Jersey governor - Jim McGreevey will be in Chicago taping an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." McGreevey is promoting his forthcoming memoir, The Confession, which "traces his life through two failed marriages, his rise to the governor's office," and the eventual admission of homosexuality which ended his career. No word yet on how hard-hitting the interview is going to be (although he'd better be sure everything in the book is true unless he wants Oprah up his ass) but we're hearing that each member of the audience will receive a subscription to The New York Observer and a job with the New Jersey Department of Homeland Security.

The time: 9 a.m.
The date: August 23rd
The place: Hot & Crusty, 77th at Lexington Avenue
Sighted: I just saw former NJ governor and gay American James McGreevey exiting the Hot & Crusty on 77th and Lexington. Large coffee plus bag.

We know you already have your 2(x)ist boxerbriefs in a twist over the forthcoming release of The Confession, the memoir from Gay American and former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, scheduled for release in the fall. But the fabulous Andy Towle today notes how Amazon.com will make the ineffable pleasure of reading about Jimbo's sexual awakening even more pleasurable:

• The cameras of TMZ.com never rest: last week they caught Brandon Davis waxing philosophical on the nature of Lindsay Lohan's crotch, this week they document the LA nightlife backlash as a woman screams at him to take a shower and derides him for getting his money "from daddy." As if that's an insult? [TMZ]
• Former New Jersey governor and proud 'mo Jim McGreevy reads excerpts from his new book, an erotic tale of his anonymous rest stop hookups. [Star-Ledger]
• Quote of the day, courtesy of Ghostface Killa: "New York be bullshitting. Right now, I say fuck New York. Yeah, I'm from New York, but fuck New York. Because niggas is pussy." [Prefix]
• In live theater, distracting the actors just might get you backstage, where you can confuse David Schwimmer and piss off Zeljko Ivanek. [BroadwayWorld]
• Life imitates art, at least if you're a Sopranos fan: the body of a man who'd been beaten to death was found behind the Cafe Bada Bing. [NYT]
• As Memorial Day weekend draws near, the four horsemen of the Hamptons apocalypse prepare to open their doors to thousands of devoted Wet Seal fans. [NYM]
• A bird flu awareness night in Newark is marked by a chicken wing eating contest. In Jersey, the jokes just write themselves. [Newark Bears]