Briefs encounter. (the Buzz).

"I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY it was the best 'dumb gay jock' they'd ever seen," says Josh Stamberg of his recent guest shot on Six Feet Under. Stamberg played Sarge, the butch paintball team member who eventually strips down to his Marky Marks and winds up team-playing with gay couple David (Michael C. Hall) and Keith (Mathew St. Patrick). What does the actor think about being a gay-male sex object? "That's great! And if that's my debutante entry into the gay celebrity world, that's great too."

Stamberg's mom, National Public Radio pioneer Susan Stamberg (All Things Considered), seems to agree. "She's so cool about E-mailing her friends to 'watch my son,' like any proud Jewish mother would," explains Josh. "She sent out her typical E-mail when the episode was coming up. I hadn't told anyone what I'd be doing, [but after I played] Mr. Up-the-Butt on Sex and the City, I know they were prepared for the worst. After this one aired, she got back lots of E-mails that said things like, 'You must be so proud of that son you've raised."