Janney Clocks in Hours as Lesbian
Emmy-winning
West Wing
star Allison Janney is adding Sapphic action to her resume. Janney has signed
on to portray Meryl Streep's lesbian lover in the feature film The Hours,
based on Michael Cunningham's Pulitzer-winning
novel. The ensemble drama focuses on three women of different eras whose
lives are profoundly affected by author Virginia Woolf. Queer uber-producer
Scott Rudin has hired Stephen Daldry of
Billy Elliot fame to direct the
picture. Janney joins a high-profile cast including Ed Harris, Toni Collette,
Julianne Moore, and Claire Danes.
The Hours rolls before cameras later this
month. Don't be surprised if The Hours hits theaters before the year's end
to make Janney, Streep and the rest of the stellar cast eligible to make a
date with a guy named Oscar next year.
She-Bangs/He-Bangs
Queer Latinos will get a kick out of the upcoming indie flick Gaudi
Afternoon.Desperately Seeking Susan director Susan Seidelman has made a
$5 million big-screen adaptation of Barbara Wilson's 1990 comic thriller
about free-spirited, Irish-American lesbian globetrotter Cassandra Reilly
(played by talented Aussie actress Judy Davis). Cassandra is living in Barcelona as a translator when she gets an offer from a San Franciscan femme fatale
to find her estranged husband. She winds up chasing much of the Spanish
transgendered community and uncovering a family's darkest secrets (and some
of her own) before her adventure is over. Pollock actress Marcia Gay Harden
co-stars in the film, alongside Lili Taylor, Juliette Lewis, and a bunch of
Spanish trannies. No release date has yet been set for the film, which is
currently in post-production.
More Dick on MTV
MTV has given Dick the go-ahead. The music network recently placed an order
for six episodes of The Andy Dick Show, a weekly comedy variety series
featuring the former Newsradio star -- who has described himself as "90
percent heterosexual, 10 percent experimental" -- in sketches, vignettes,
short films and music video parodies. MTV has scheduled the show to air
Tuesday nights beginning Feb. 27. Dick has been involved in all aspects of
the show: he co-writes (with a team of writers), directs, produces, and (of
course) stars in it. Guests include Ben Stiller, annoying teen singing
sensation Mandy Moore, and actress-model Tyra Banks. Each episode of the show
will feature a series of three-minute comedy shorts shot on film. While each
short film will be original, some of Dick's characters might recur, including
Brock Diedrich (professional midget wrangler), and Bob Gunderson (who works
various odd and disturbing jobs). Dick is currently in production on the
second episode of The Andy Dick Show.
Good Grammer
Kelsey Grammer, the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning star of
Frasier, has
optioned the rights to Eric Myers' book
Uncle Mame: The Life of Patrick
Dennis. Grammer has expressed interest in both producing and starring in the
biography of the eccentric homosexual man who created the musical camp
classic Auntie Mame.
Few lives have been as bizarre and fascinating as that
of Dennis. Born Edward Tanner III, Dennis wrote some 16 novels under various
names. As the money rolled in, Dennis lived a kind of madcap life... eventually
finding happiness working as the full-time butler to an heir to the
McDonald's hamburger fortune who had no idea his gentleman's gentleman was a
famous author.
Romeo San Vicente thinks Allison Janney is a far more convincing lesbian
than Anne Heche. You can reach Romeo in care of this
publication or via e-mail at RomeoDeep@aol.com.
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