There was some major fun going on on the other side of the world that I would have really have liked to have been a part of: Rupert Everett and 250 men dressed as Kylie Minogue were among 8,000 revelers who marched through Sydney late Saturday for the 29th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

''I think it's time for us to give back, to care about each other, and to fight for others, gay and straight, who ... don't have a voice just when they most need to be heard,'' said Everett, who is pictured riding with gay cowboy Adam Sutton.
The yearly parade began as a street demonstration in 1978, but has since morphed into one of the city's biggest outdoor parties, attracting thousands of spectators from around the world. New South Wales state police said about 350,000 people packed the sidewalks of Oxford Street _ the center of Sydney's gay scene _ to catch a glimpse of the colorful floats bearing messages both political and playful.