Charlotte Observer Editorial Board Says Proposed North Carolina Constitutional Amendment Prohibiting Same Sex Marriage “Roadblock To Change,” Time-Warner Donated Nearly $71,000 In Air-Time To Same Sex Marriage Advocates In New York, Patti Smith Robert Mapplethorpe Memoir Being Adapted To Film, Darren Criss Arrives On Set, Andrew Garfield Scooter Sighting

The Charlotte Observer – the largest daily newspaper in North Carolina – published an editorial opposing proposed legislation that would prohibit not only same sex marriage, but same sex civil unions. Writes the Observer “we're wondering: Why are the N.C. House and Senate contemplating a constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, when there's already a law that does just that? Legislators are returning to Raleigh next month to consider amendments to the state constitution, including one that would ban marriage between homosexuals. If three-fifths of the N.C. House and Senate approve, voters in 2012 could make North Carolina one of about 30 states with such an amendment.” The paper points out that “opposition to anti-gay legislation is growing, and it's part of a larger shift in how America feels about homosexuality. Earlier this year, polls showed significant support for allowing gays to serve in the military without hiding their sexual preference. That support came from surprising places, including a majority of Republicans and churchgoers,” and adds that “A decade ago, those numbers were unimaginable here, and they explain why gay marriage opponents are desperate to pile sandbags as high as they can against this wave of change. A gay marriage amendment is the best way to do that. It's harder to change than a gay marriage law, and now, with a rare Republican majority in both N.C. chambers, gay marriage opponents have their best chance at defending an institution they believe is under attack.” The Observer concludes that “such an amendment is wrong for North Carolina. It would contribute to a climate of hostility toward homosexuals, and it also could be bad for business. Recent research by UNC School of Law professor Victor B. Flatt concluded that a gay marriage amendment could cause businesses to see our state as inhospitable to their gay employees while undermining efforts to attract new talent to their companies. Those business leaders should speak up, along with faith leaders and others who can remind legislators that North Carolina already has a law that bans gay marriage - and that change is coming. Laws can and should evolve as citizens reconsider their values and the rules that codify them. A constitutional amendment would be a wasteful, and ill-timed, roadblock.”

Time Warner Cable gave advocates of same sex marriage $70,846 of free airtime this spring, lobbying records show. The Albany Times Union reports that the communications giant aired ads produced by the Human Rights Campaign as part of its "New Yorkers for Marriage Equality" series during March and May, as Governor Andrew Cuomo pushed for same sex marriage in a state-wide tour. The ads featured actors such as Whoopi Goldberg and Cynthia Nixon, athletes like Sean Avery and Michael Strahan, and politicians including Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tom DiNapoli and Michael Bloomberg talking about their support of same-sex marriage, and urging viewers to do the same. "Join us in ending this outdated policy; come to the table for marriage equality," celebrity chef Mario Batali says in one video. Initially, Time Warner considered the ads to be public service announcements, according to Susan Leepson, a regional vice president for communications at the company. "Then, with the upcoming vote, we took a hard look and realized that HRC decided to declare them as lobbying," she explained. Time Warner Cable has "not taken any position on that issue," Leepson said, and both she and spokesman Bobby Amirshahi suggested they were classified as public service announcements by mistake. PSAs are run free of charge by broadcast networks and promote a variety of non-controversial social causes such as child abuse prevention. Leepson and Amirshahi also said TWC initially sought money from HRC to cover the fair market value of the airtime, but HRC was disinclined to pay. "One option was for HRC to pay Time Warner for the airtime. The second option was that both organizations report their respective cost," said Kevin Nix, an HRC spokesman. "HRC and Time Warner agreed to the second, and both have reported their associated costs as lobbying expenses. We greatly appreciate our partnership with Time Warner and look forward to working with them again in the future,” adding "We enjoy a great partnership with HRC." In addition to its role as a cable company servicing New York City and most of upstate New York (rival Cablevision dominates the market on Long Island); Time Warner in recent years has nurtured a robust news division, with 24-hour dedicated news channels YNN and NY1. Both covered the campaign for same sex marriage extensively. It is unclear exactly how much airtime was in play, but PSAs generally don't run in prime ad slots. Amirshahi said the HRC ads ran on NY1 and CNN in the New York City market. Advocates of same sex marriage spent $1.37 million on airtime in May and June, ahead of the June 24 state Senate vote that approved same sex marriage, according to disclosure reports filed with the Commission on Public Integrity. The money was spent by New Yorkers United for Marriage, an umbrella coalition of several established gay-rights groups including HRC. The lobbying records show the National Organization for Marriage, which opposed that bill, spent $300,000 to air its own TV campaign (plus $203,762 for radio ads), including a sizable chunk to Time Warner. The company received negative feedback for their decision to air NOM's ads, which insinuated that if same sex marriage was legalized, it would lead to curricular changes in public schools. Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, an openly gay Democrat from Manhattan, wrote a formal complaint to NY1's managers, and one gay activist called for a boycott of the company.

Iconic punk rock singer Patti Smith will collaborate with Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan to adapt Just Kids, the bestselling memoir Smith wrote about her close relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe as both came of age in their respective art forms in New York City during the '60s and '70s. Deadline reports that they have decided to write the screenplay on spec rather than set it up with a distribution, which they certainly could have done after Just Kids won the 2010 National Book Award for Non-fiction. In fact, a lot of prestige producers wanted it. Logan most recently won a Tony Award for his play Red, about painter Mark Rothko, and he has the Ralph Fiennes-directed Coriolanus and Martin Scorsese-directed Hugo coming this fall.

Cute Darren Criss arrives on the set of his first film, Imogene, co-starring Annette Bening and Kristen Wiig.

A tight-trouser wearing Andrew Garfield spotted aboard his scooter in sunny Los Angeles.