Defense Secretary Robert Gates Says Abrupt End To Military Ban On Openly Gay Service Members Would Have “Enormous Consequences,” Palm Center Refutes Gates’ Claim, Knoxville Gay Bar Fire Ruled Arson But Not Hate Crime, Neil Patrick To Direct First Feature Film, Tom Hardy Joins Batman Cast, Chris Pine Does Details, Andrew Garfield

Palm Center director Aaron Belkin Wednesday responded to United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ assertion that an abrupt end to the military’s policy prohibiting openly gay service members would have “enormous consequences” for the armed forces. Gates made the comments without directly addressing an injunction ruling Tuesday by a federal court ordering the military to end immediately the policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Belkin’s statement in part read “implementing the repeal of DADT is not difficult and you (Gates) should stop saying that it is. Indeed, there were no reports of enormous consequences for the troops yesterday after the ban was suspended. There were no reports of problems today. As you well know, gays and lesbians are serving honourably and openly today alongside their straight peers. For this reason, and as the RAND Corporation found in 1993, the lifting of the ban is not difficult if leaders insist that troops work together. A protracted process involving “a lot of training” is not needed.”

Travis Kincaid, an investigator with the Knoxville Fire and Explosives Unit tells the Knoxville News Sentinel that the fire which damaged an area gay club early Sunday – Club XYZ – was deliberately set, but he added that no evidence has been discovered to determine the act of arson was a hate crime. “I don’t think it is random violence,” he said. “It looks to be targeted at a person or at the business, but I’ve found absolutely nothing to indicate it’s a hate crime ... I don’t want that perception out there.”

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting (natch) exclusively that Neil Patrick Harris intends to make his feature film directorial debut with the romantic comedy Aaron and Sarah, the independent movie starring Emma Roberts and Josh Hutcherson, written by Chad Gomez Creasey and Dara Resnick Creasey of the late, lamented Pushing Daisies.

Deadline.com reports that hotness Tom Hardy will be reunited with his Inception director Christopher Nolan, Hardy to appear in the next instalment of Batman.

Chris Pine (Hardy's This Means War co-star) and his guns grace the cover of the November issue of Details magazine, on sale the 19th, the magazine offering a tantalizing preview of Pine’s smoking sexy till then.

Andrew Garfield, your new Spiderman, attending the London premiere of Never Let Me Go.