One of the three remaining Backstreet Boys, Nick Carter talked to gay newsmagazine The Advocate about the new album the group has just released and the tour they’re about to go on. He was also asked about appearing on and in gay magazines back in the late 90s.

You did an Advocate “Big Gay Following” interview with Brandon Voss a few years ago, and years back, in 1997, you were a cover model for XY, a magazine for gay teens. Not everyone in a boy band would be so involved with gay press, and these have followed you for years, for better or worse. If you did something like XY now and you were the same age and at the same stage in your career, do you think it would be such a big deal?

I don’t think it would be as much of a big deal. I really don’t. Honestly, I have so many gay friends, family members who are gay… it’s not a big deal to me. It may have been a big deal back in the day when I was young, but, you know, whatever. It’s part of our culture now and that’s what’s great about it. People accept it now. I love it.

I remember ‘N Sync doing an interview with the Advocate years ago but I don’t remember reading a Backstreet Boys one, though it’s nice to know they were inclusive of their gay fanbase. From what I remember though, Kevin (who is no longer in the group) was the most gay-friendly of the bunch.

Anyone who is my age (early twenties) and was into teen pop as a kid must remember this Backstreet Boys concert where A.J. sang “Lay Down Beside Me” and humped the floor. I rewound this video so many times I broke the VCR.

Mr. Foxx recently paid a visit to Conan to promote his latest film Law Abiding Citizen (which actually did quite well at the box office this weekend) and during the interview O’Brien brought up that infamous bathroom picture of Jamie naked that surfaced on the internet not too long ago.

Jamie finally confirmed that the picture is indeed him and explained the story behind it. Which then prompted him to talk about how vocal his gay fanbase in Atlanta is.

Amy Poehler was interviewed by the Advocate for their A-list feature, which used to be called “Big Gay Following” but for some reason they decided to rename it.  Anyway, Amy’s promoting her new comedy on NBC called Parks and Recreation, and had some interesting things to say.

Who’s the most important gay person in your life now?
Shane from The L Word. She just can’t get her shit together. She’s a broken bird, and she needs someone to fix her. Just when you think she’s ready for love, she sabotages it. And the woman gives a rock ’n’ roll haircut. [Laughs] There are a lot of amazing, really talented gay writers at SNL who I’m proud to call my friends, and our times together have meant a lot to me. There are tons of gay people who work in all departments of that show.

Then why haven’t there been more openly gay SNL cast members?
That’s a really good question, but I don’t know. Someone should pick that up as a thesis at Hampshire College.

Of course, no one knows if any of the current or past SNL cast members are gay or not for sure, but none of them have come out of the closet.  Which is funny considering, especially as of late, the show loves using homosexuality as a punch line.  Like in the Kissing Family skit or the recent Fast and the Bicurious.

Say something nice about your gay fan base.
That’s the ultimate stamp of approval. It’s a very loyal, discerning audience, and one that cares very much about its comedy. There are a lot of times in comedy when you have to be OK with looking the fool, and the gay audience rewards you for taking big swings. Not only do they appreciate the vulnerability of broken-down characters, they also enjoy the wigs.

Spring Breakdown sounds pretty gay-friendly.
Please, that movie is made for the gays! If we can’t get the gays to go see that movie, then I don’t know what they want. It’s this fun, silly romp about three ladies in their 30s who do spring break one last time, and it stars Parker Posey, Rachel Dratch, and me. Our very gay director, Ryan Shiraki, calls it a “gay acid trip.” I’m lucky enough to work with and be surrounded by gay men who love women.

In the film Rachel’s character is engaged to a guy played by Seth Meyers who’s obviously gay. Have you ever unwittingly fallen for a gay man?
Not yet. In fact, I’ve always been confused by women who don’t see that. But as I get older, I get a lot less judgmental about why people are together

I’ve seen the trailer for the film, and it doesn’t exactly look like my cup of tea, but then, neither are any of those dumb Owen Wilson/Will Ferrell/Ben Stiller frat humor movies.  I was really excited to see such a film was even being made to begin with, seeing as how there are so few mainstream adult comedies starring an ensemble of women.  Then I see that it’s been released straight to DVD.  Womp womp.  Gotta love misogyny in 2009!

I also think Amy makes a good point about looking the fool.  It reminds me of a Marie Claire article on female comedians, and most of them talked about how they largely survived because of their gay male fanbase.

ESSMAN: Gay guys traditionally like strong women, whether it’s Judy Garland or Barbra Streisand or Bette Midler. They like a ballsy woman. They’re not as intimidated.

GRIFFIN: Gay men look at Rosie O’Donnell, and they think funny. They don’t see overweight lesbian.

They’re a demographic that wasn’t judging them based solely on their looks and whose egos weren’t threatened by a female who could tell a good joke.  I think gay men appreciate a funny woman better than straight men.

I’m apprehensive about most comedies these days, I tend to prefer the more modern format of a mix of drama and comedy a la Desperate Housewives or Weeds, but it’s Amy Poehler so I’ll give Parks & Recreation a try.