by Romeo San Vicente
Augusten Burroughs
Shows Up for Showtime
His latest book, Possible Side Effects, is just hitting bookstore shelves, but bestselling author Augusten Burroughs has yet another creative venture up his sleeve. The gay memoirist best known for his funny and harrowing childhood tale, Running with Scissors ( the film version of which is due in theaters later this year ) , has teamed up with Showtime to create an original series. So far there's no information available about the future show's title, content, or cast, but the official word is that Burroughs has been given free reign to come up with his own unique creation. The legions of admirers of Burroughs' offbeat, queer worldview anxiously await the final product.
David Duchovny Taking The Way Out
Gay-themed films tend to ignore the fact that there is such a thing as a gay old man. But in the upcoming movie The Way Out, the life challenges of senior gay men are put into sharp focus. Produced by David Duchovny ( Connie and Carla, The X-Files ) , as well as by openly gay actors Robert Gant ( Queer as Folk ) and Chad Allen ( The End of the Spear ) for Mythgarden Productions, the narrative feature explores the difficult transition from independence to assisted living for an aging gay man. When a 73-year-old loses his life partner and is forced to move into a nursing home, he bristles at the confines of his new environment and at the homophobia around him, yet finds himself drawn to another male resident. The story of late love is currently in production for an unspecified future release.
Vampire Vows to Haunt Screens
Lets say you're a Roman officer under Pontius Pilate. And you're gay. And you fall in love with Jesus. What do you do when it all goes wrong? You go insane, of course, brutalizing everyone around you. Eventually, you're transformed into a vampire. Two thousand years later, in the guise of a monk, you find human love, but you're so committed to vengeance against God that your rage threatens to destroy you. That's the plot of Vampire Vow, a controversial novel by writer Michael Schiefelbein. And soon, in a move that ought to make the publicity storm over Brokeback Mountain look like small potatoes, the film version may unspool in tolerant theaters nationwide. Shattering Paradigms Entertainment has optioned the novel for production.
Now, a show of hands—who wants to play gay Jesus?
Janice Dickinson Gets Down to Business
She was America's Next Top Model's best reason to watch. But now that Janice Dickinson, the self-proclaimed 'World's First Supermodel,' has left the addictive reality series behind, she's ready for her next adventure. The outspoken, hilarious beauty queen has already written two popular memoirs and guested on The Surreal Life, but her true calling has always been to executive produce and star in her own television series. Enter Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen. The cable channel is developing an as-yet-untitled reality series with Dickinson that will chronicle her latest business venture: opening her own modeling agency.
Expect more of Dickinson's hard-nosed, idiosyncratic truth-telling as she steers her flock of wanna-be glamour girls to TV and, hopefully, runway fame when the show makes its debut later this year.
Romeo San Vicente is always ready to get down to business. He can be reached care of this publication or at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com .
