Whenever we get the chance to roll in the hay with our gay cuz Queerty, we take it. And thanks to the misfortunes of PlanetOut Inc. – owner of Gay.com, Out, The Advocate, and RSVP Vacations – we're getting laaaaaaid! As Queerty was among the first to report, PlanetOut's outlook hasn't been so rosy. Sinking share price. Execs selling off stock. Cash strapped operations.

Now Queerty brings word that the situation is even more dire. Reports in the SF Gate claim that without a cash infusion, PlanetOut will run out of dolla dolla bills by the end of the year. It's not just hard out there for a pimp; it's hard out there for a gay media conglomerate who thought its well-lubed infrastructure would help cut costs and boost profit.

Meanwhile, during a recent interview with Out editor-in-chief Aaron Hicklin, we were assured that the future of his magazine was safe. He wouldn't comment on the LGBT ticker symbol's troubles, but his glossy rag is, supposedly, treading water just fine.

You know, the glossy rag that's loaded with ads for its parent company's RSVP Vacations — the same RSVP Vacations that's being blamed for much of PlanetOut's woes. Not that all the guys who used to cruise Gay.com are now on MySpace, Facebook, and Dlist or anything.

When we posted yesterday's item about Code.tv and their latest foray into Manhattan nightlife, we made staunch mention of Code host Pedro Andrade, who served as our everyman when it came to explaining the Obnoxious Factor that is the Meatpacking District nightlife scene. Little did we know we'd probably seen Andrade before, like on this July 2005 issue of The Advocate (click image for larger version), where he's posing for the cover story about gays who sniff each other. (Surprisingly, the article has little to do with snorting meth off a partner's six-pack.)

Now, if things are going this well for Andrade, imagine how bright fellow Code host George Oliphant's future looks; there's a Ralph Lauren Rugby ad in his future. And as for Code interview show host Suchin Pak? It's only a matter of time before the Fuse channel comes calling.

"Happy At Last"? Seriously? Suddenly People's Lance Bass "I'm Gay!" cover ain't so bad.

The Advocate

While a Johnny Knoxville cover does not a copycat make, it's worth noting that Out's Johnny Knoxville September cover, like Genre's July 2005 Knoxville cover, was actually preceded by The Advocate October 2004 Knoxville cover. Not that plastering the 13-24-year-old box office demographic savior on the cover of your magazine means you're immediately on the level of Ann Coulter plagiarism – if that were true, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Glamour, Us Weekly, Cosmo, InStyle, and Elle should all be sitting down for a Matt Lauer interview right about – but in the realm of gay journalism, how many times can we recycle a reality TV star's V-shaped torso? Silly homos, always trying to out-gay each other.

Earlier: Aaron Hicklin Comes Out With a Copycat