Page 1 Consider (06/26)

German Engineering: Sure, I'm an American so couldn't care less about soccer. But with guys like Michael Ballack and Lukas Podolski running around the field, it was hard not to root for Germany in yesterday's Euro 2008 semifinal. (NYT)

To Catch a Settlement: NBC has settled a $105-million lawsuit filed by the family of a man who killed himself when confronted with cameras for the series "To Catch a Predator." I have ambivalent feeling about that show to begin with (entrapment, anyone?), but this was a really f**ked up situation that involved NBC sending their crew to the man's house AFTER he had declined to meet up with the fake underage boy he'd been chatting with online. (To think he missed out on those just-baked chocolate chip cookies.) (NYT)

The Nomi Song: Have I died and gone to heaven or is there talk that "Showgirls" may be becoming a Broadway musical? (FilmExperience)

Heaven Can Wait: I'm not sure if Al Sharpton was outing Anderson Cooper on TV the other night when he said he supported the gray fox's decision to live his life the way he does even if it means he's "going to hell." But I am sure that the Good Lord got a kick out of "the reverend" passing judgment on anyone -- anytime, anyplace. (Queerty)

Love and Love: I've always had a place in my heart for the unpredictable Marat Safin. So even thought I felt a little bad for Novak Djokovic for drawing the currently undseeded Russian cutie in the second round at Wimbledon, I couldn't help but love it when Safin beat him in straight sets. Their post-match makeout session was only icing on the cake. (AP)

Mind Your Gay Business: The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) has announced the launch of BIZ, an online publication covering all facets of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) business world. Visit BIZ here.

'Winning' Bidder: How awful and friendless must you be to spend $5,700 on an eBay auction to be a bridesmaid in a total stranger's wedding? (Which is to say nothing of the pathetic couple who is willing to take the cash.) (NYT)

Goldwater Country: I was greatly relieved to see that an idiotic attempt at a constitutional ban on same-sex failed yesterday in my home state of Arizona. (EastValleyTribune) Naturally, conspiracy theories are already brewing in the Valley of the Sun.

Gay-Positive Ads: The Commercial Closet Association, a nonprofit that educates the advertising industry on including responsible images of gays and lesbians in mainstream ads, announced its nominees yesterday for their 4th Annual Images in Advertising Awards. Fifty ads and their respective ad agencies are nominated and winners will be announced July 28 in New York City. This year, Wrigley’s Eclipse, Orbitz.com, Levi’s, Chemistry.com, and Dolce & Gabbana are up for Outstanding Commercial. A full list of nominees and the ad themselves can be viewed here.

Supersize Complaints: If you thought Morgan Spurlock's gay-friendly pornstache would keep him in GLAAD's good graces, then think again. (GLAAD)

Separated at Birth: Colin Farrell and Nicole Richie Amy Winehouse? (LARagMag)

Virginia Really Is for Lovers: You gotta love those two guys who got married in Virginia. Yes, I said Virginia. And no, same-sex marriages aren't legal there. (Towleroad)

Cinderella in Cleats: This picture of Fresno State slugger Tommy Mendonca is for Scioto, who threatened to take my gay card away if I didn't post it. Sexy Tommy and his Bulldogs upset George to win the College World Series last night.(KCS)

RIP: Wilber Hardee, a farm boy turned grill cook who went on to open the first Hardee's hamburger stand in 1960, starting a chain that now has nearly 2,000 restaurants in the United States and overseas, died Friday at his home in Greenville, N.C. He was 89. (NYT)