Rob Schneider Makes It Big
Romeo is trying his hardest to give hyperactive funnyman Rob Schneider the benefit of the doubt about his latest project, but after sitting through Deuce Bigelow: European Gigolo, it's a bit of a challenge. In any event, the SNL grad plans to make his directorial debut with the comedy Big Stan. The premise is that 98-pound weakling Schneider is a con man who's headed to the pokey, and he hires a mysterious martial-arts guru to teach him self-defense so he can fend off inmates with sodomy on their minds. No, really, that's the plot. The cast includes David Carradine, who underwent similar training on TV's Kung Fu ( without the homosexual panic ) . Big Stan is set for 2007, so we'll have to wait until then to see if Schneider becomes man-bait behind bars or not.
Rue McClanahan Gets a Life
With Golden Girls reruns still going strong on TV and DVD, the saucy Rue McClanahan remains a constant presence in many a gay life. Now she's upping her queer cred with a lead role in Ryan's Life, a new TV series for the all-gay-all-the-time cable network Here. The show, which will debut next year, follows the adventures of teenager Ryan, who realizes he's gay and starts pouring his heart out to his digital camera in a series of video diaries. McClanahan will play Ryan's grandmother, and, in the words of the Golden Girls theme, "a pal and a confidant." The ever-busy McClanahan will also be burning up the big screen in the costume drama The Other Boleyn Girl opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana. Who knew there was life after Bea Arthur?
It's Amanda Lepore's Reality—
We Just Live in It
Amanda Lepore, New York City nightlife fixture and tourist photo-op target, has done a lot of living. But what is there left to do after you've worked with Patricia Field, been the muse to photographer David LaChapelle, had your face on Mont Blanc shopping bags and ridden in a sparkling martini glass in the West Hollywood gay pride parade wearing nothing but pasties and a smile? For transgender diva extraordinaire Lepore—don't ever call her a drag queen—the next stop is her own reality show. Lepore has signed with Classic Entertainment Group to bring her life of glamour, celebrity and hormones to the small screen on Amanda Cross Country. And the world is going to be a better place for it.
Indie Filmmaker is Sun Kissed
A new romantic drama currently making the gay and lesbian film festival rounds is Sun Kissed, the latest feature from Patrick McGuinn, son of rocker ( and founder of The Byrds ) Roger McGuinn. Sun Kissed tells the story of a young would-be novelist ( John Ort ) who seduces the caretaker ( Gregory Marcel ) of his desert house, only to discover that the caretaker has a past more secret and mysterious than his employer could have imagined. McGuinn studied production at NYU and worked on PBS documentaries before branching out into independent filmmaking. Look for the sexy Sun Kissed at a festival near you, with general theatrical distribution sure to follow soon.
Romeo likes being sun-kissed, but only when the sun has had a breath mint first. He can be reached care of this publication or DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com .