Rod 2.0:Beta

Nick Cannon in "Giant"

Abtastic actor and Hollywood "it-boy" Nick Cannon covers the Giant's July "Power Issue". The 28-year-old actor slash comedian slash producer is now a mogul, recently named honorary chair of Nickelodeon’s teen division and a consultant to its TEENick network. The profile by Ben Detrick says Cannon has his fingertips on the pulse of the tweens and Twitter crowd (@NickCannon) and is "perfectly positioned to mold the minds of America's pliable youth."

Cannon makes Number 17 in the magazine's list of "50 Influential People", which is topped by President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce Knowles.

Giant, incidentally, is edited by Emil Wilbekin, the out former editor of the now-shuttered Vibe.

AFTER THE JUMP, the cover and more of the editorial lensed by Atlanta-based fashion photographer Cameron Krone. The photography definitely captures Cannon as a major power player and a subtle  fashionista—such as the Prada suit above, D&G and Tom Ford. It's not as over-the-top homoerotic or fashionable as Nick Cannon's gorgeous editorial for Flaunt a few year ago. Unfortunately.

News: Lesbian Prom, Asafa Powell, Gay Adoption, Nick Cannon

· Asafa Powell ready to challenge Usain Bolt and regain title as fastest man in the world.

· Congressman: Army fires 11 soldiers in January for violating "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

· Seventeen-year-old lesbian senior files lawsuit against Indiana high school after principal says she cannot wear a tuxedo to the school’s prom. "The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis says that the principal told the girl that, while the school’s dress code does not contain gender-based requirements, there is a special dress code for prom that requires female students to wear a formal dress." 

· Governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA) for Kentucky votes to overturn ban on gay ministers, marking "the first time a local presbytery rejected the ban, which has been in place since 1996." Meanwhile, gay adoption ban bill dies in Kentucky senate.

· Nick Cannon to become a father?

· Georgia Senate bill requires HIV testing among prison inmates prior to release.

· Popnography updates the GLAAD Awards: "This morning they announced that Clay Aiken will present entertainment mogul Tyra Banks with the Excellence in Media Award and T.R. Knight will present financial guru Suze Orman with the Vito Russo Award. Talk show host Phil Donahue will also receive a Special Recognition Award.

Nick Cannon Flexes Abs and Shows His Guns at Sundance

For your morning hotness: Abtastic actor and Hollywood "it-boy" Nick Cannon flexes his abs and guns at the Gatorade G Gym at The Village during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Cannon is one of the many celebs booking appointments with top Hollywood personal trainers, each of whom are raising a "G" or $1,000, for charity.

The 28-year-old husband of pop  icon Mariah Carey flexes some muscle during his workout with celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson.

After the jump, more Nick Cannon flexing the goods and the early buzz on his new film debuting at Sundance.

Nick Cannon Recycles Engagement Ring to Marry Mariah Carey

File this one under quickies. After a one-month "relationship", abtastic "actor" Nick Canon ties the knot with Mariah Carey, the international pop icon. Page Six:

Carey married TV actor Nick Cannon at the home she just bought in Eleuthera in the Bahamas, a source close to the singer said.

"They have been smitten with each other for days, weeks," the friend said. "And she's always had a crush on him."

It's the second marriage for Carey, who took her first walk down the aisle with record kingpin Tommy Mottola.

Carey is 38 and Cannon is 11 years her junior, so, apparently this "marriage" is every hip hopper's MILF fantasy come to life. Cannon was recently linked to Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks, to "whom he proposed via the Times Square JumboTron. Five months later, the couple broke up."

[The] dazzling 17-carat diamond ring Carey wears is similar to the one Cannon gave Ebanks, whom he dated for six weeks before proposing. Ebanks' rep confirmed to media outlets yesterday that the model did, in fact, return the blingy ring, said to be worth $2.5 million, to Cannon.

Oh, and if you're asking, Mariah Carey reportedly had Nick sign a "quickie" prenuptial agreement. Maybe our envy is showing—Nick is quite the hotness—but is it okay to recycle engagement rings?

Merrily Married Carey [Page Six]

Did You Read? ...
Nick Flaunts It [R20]
News: Gay Rights, Nick Cannon [R20]
News: Lorraine Hansberry, Nick Cannon [R20]
News: Down Low, Nick Cannon [R20]
News: Tina, Ann and Nick [R20]
You Are Not Tyson! [R20]

News: Gay Rights, Nick Cannon

· Iowa now adds sexuality and gender identity to its anti-discrimination laws. "We send a message that intolerance and discrimination have no place in our state. Iowa is a welcoming place that values each of its citizens whether it’s in the neighborhood or the workplace," remarked Gov. Chet Culver (D) as he signed the legislation on Friday ...

· The same day Colorado's Gov. Bill Ritter (D) signed a law protecting gays from employment discrimination after legislators "passed similar bills in the last two years but they were vetoed by former [Republican] Gov. Bill Owens." Now, 20 states plus the District of Columbia have anti-discrimination protections for gays and lesbians.

· Nick Cannon at the Cannes Film Festival.

· Europe's largest HIV/AIDS charity benefit presents Bill Clinton with a one million dollar check for his foundation.

· Michigan's highest court will decide if gay couples are entitled to state employee health benefits. Connecticut opponents of same-sex marriage push to bring the question to the ballot. North Carolina legislature passes tough anti-bullying bill to protect all public school students, especially LGBT youth.

News: Lorraine Hansberry Honored, Southern Baptists, Nick Cannon

· The Chicago Park District honors Lorraine Hansberry by naming a South Side park after the late playwright of A Raisin in the Sun, the first work written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway. Hansberry never openly declared her sexuality but later plays explored same-sex attraction and she wrote significant, pseudo-anonymous letters to an early lesbian publication.

· Also in Chicago: State Rep. Greg Harris, a gay Democratic state legislator from the city's North Side, introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois. A Chicago Tribune columnist says the "marriage" bill is a good idea but the timing is "bad", especially when "the creation of civil-union rights for gay and lesbian couples has become plausible in a blue state like Illinois."

· Is Nick Cannon a married man? New reports say the abtastic young'n eloped in Las Vegas ...

· Finance guru Suze Orman comes out of the closet and diversifies her portfolio.

· Victims' advocates accuse the Southern Baptist Convention of concealing sex abuse charges against ministers and churches. Meanwhile, a lawyer for the Rev. Lonnie W. Latham, a prominent former Southern Baptist leader who spoke out against homosexuality, says the minister has a constitutional right to solicit sex from an undercover policeman.

· Interstate Q previews the Soulforce Equality Ride to the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky—the private, Southern Baptist college that expelled a gay student who came out on his MySpace.

News: "Down-Low" Hip Hop Exposé, Nick Cannon as Arthur Ashe

More ammunition for those persistent rumors about a gay or "down-low" subculture within hip-hop's top (!) ranks. Radar reports Former MTV producer Terrance Dean has inked a book deal to expose the high-profile homothugs. Reportedly, Hiding in Hip-Hop: Confessions of a Down Low Brother in the Entertainment Industry will not identify the closeted executives by name but a publicist claims "you'll know who they are." (Thanks n0va!)

· Nick Cannon continues to impress. The abtastic young'n will star in a bio-picture on the early years of tennis great and civil rights champion Arthur Ashe, whose life was cut short by AIDS. Ashe was the only black tennis star to win the men's singles at the Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon. More on Nick Cannon's HIV/AIDS work HERE and HERE. (via SGL Universe)

· An update on Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty's search for a new LGBT liaison. BACKGROUND.

· For the second time in one week, a Charlotte Baptist church has voted to leave the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina because of its new, anti-gay misison. Last November, delegates to the annual state convention voted to expel any church that welcomes gays and lesbians. Since then, St. John's Baptist becomes the 20th congregation to leave the state's Baptist convention rather than face expulsion.

Nick Flaunts It

Nick Cannon becomes the latest "it boy" to flaunt his stuff in the latest issue of Flaunt, the edgy Los Angeles-based fashion and industry bible. The 13-page editorial is entitled "Off the Hook", and, it truly is on many levels. As always, Nick is looking like a million dollars, And once again, photographer Nicolas Wagner—who captured Shemar Moore for the same magazine last spring—uses a brilliant black and white technique. Finally, Nick mentions his recent work in HIV/AIDS education. Apparently, some of the accessories (read: diamond watch) photographed will be sold/auctioned and the proceeds will go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Above, Nick is tres magnifique in Versace sweater and pant. In the obligatory shirtless Nick Cannon shot, the actor models leather jacket and wool pant by Dries Van Noten.

News Briefs: Tina, Ann and Nick

· More (very) bad news about crystal meth and HIV. A new report says tina increases production of a protein that allows more of the virus to invade the immune system. Also: Dr. David Malebranche reports more black gay men are seroconverting after extended partying with the drug.

Mad Professah reviews Ciudad, the Latin fusion restaurant in downtown Los Angeles run by fabulous foodies Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger.

· A New York City minister goes to federal court to demand his right to buy billboards that condemn gays. In 2003, the signs were removed by the billboard company, after Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari said Rev. Kristopher Okwedy's Leviticus quote was intolerant.

· Ab-tastic Nick Cannon signs a first-look production deal with MTV Networks to develop, produce and star in new projects.

· The Washington Post reports the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a $500 million donation to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria—the fund's largest donation from a private source.

· Joe Lieberman started it, so now Ann Coulter joins in. The right-wing harpie says that without affirmative action, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) couldn't get a job "that didn't involve wearing a paper hat." Someone needs to stop this woman.

Philadelphia's gay-friendly tourism campaign makes history. Two commercials—"Get Your History Straight" and "Your Nightlife Gay(r)"—won three major international travel industry awards. Now, if only the health department were as smart as the tourism office ...

· Nick Cannon joins a new public service campaign by the National Association of People with AIDS, urging those at risk for HIV to get tested. "What's unacceptable is that a quarter of the people who have HIV don't know they have it,” he says. "Either because they haven't taken their HIV test or didn't get their results." Good advice, so we will officially stop teasing the abtastic young'n. (Thanks LIZ!)

· John Legend presented the prestigious Swarovski Perry Ellis Awards at the Council of Fashion Designers of America gala. You will love the description written by the Washington Post fashion editor: "Legend did not appear to be wearing any rhinestones, and he diplomatically avoided making any assessment of the fashion crowd other than to commend it for stylishness."